MACHIAS, Maine — A man with a significant domestic violence history has been indicted in Washington County on multiple charges, including aggravated attempted murder, in connection with an alleged hatchet attack on a woman in Milbridge this past June.
Linwood Doughty Jr., 54, of Knox, who served more than a decade in prison after he shot a former girlfriend in 1995, is accused of breaking into a different woman’s house on June 26 and striking her twice in the head with the hatchet before she grabbed the handle of the weapon, according to a police affidavit.
The struggle lasted for about 20 minutes before Linwood calmed down, engaged the woman in conversation, and then helped her clean up, the affidavit indicates. The victim helped Doughty tend to scratches to his face before she managed to escape to a friend’s house and call the police, according to the document.
Doughty’s criminal history before 1995 includes convictions on charges of violating protective orders and terrorizing. One of those altercations, on Nov. 13, 1994, led to the death of Maine State Trooper Jeffrey Parola, whose cruiser crashed while he was responding to the incident.
In connection with the Milbridge hatchet attack, Doughty was indicted last week on charges of aggravated attempted murder, elevated aggravated assault, aggravated assault, burglary, domestic violence stalking, domestic violence criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, domestic violence terrorizing with a dangerous weapon, domestic violence assault, obstructing report of a crime or injury and criminal mischief.
Also indicted Sept. 14 is a former Danforth woman who, according to police, set her apartment on fire in February while making methamphetamine in a closet. Lynette S. Gray, 44, who now lives in Bangor, was indicted on charges of arson and aggravated operation of a methamphetamine laboratory.
Eric L. Fletcher, 37, and Kayla Stanley, 23, both of Harrington, were indicted last week in Washington County on multiple drug charges stemming from their July 13 arrests in Milbridge.
Fletcher, who is facing a manslaughter charge in Hancock County in connection with the overdose death in March of a Cherryfield man at an Ellsworth motel, and Stanley were taken into custody after police responded to a complaint about suspicious activity at a home on Route 1A, police have said.
Fletcher and Stanley each was indicted on two charges of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drug, two charges unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs, two charges of unlawful furnishing of scheduled drugs, endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of criminal forfeiture.
Nine other people were indicted last week in Washington County on a variety of charges including theft, unemployment fraud, forgery, drug trafficking and furnishing, aggravated assault, reckless conduct with a firearm, operating a motor vehicle after revocation and more.
