A Maine judge ordered the arrest of a former youth prison guard who has repeatedly missed court dates for a pending assault case.
John Emerton, 44, of Gray was charged with misdemeanor assault last winter for allegedly lifting an incarcerated 16-year-old off the ground by the neck. Emerton was a longtime corrections officer at Long Creek Youth Development Center, the state’s youth prison in South Portland, until he was charged for the alleged July 2024 assault.
His criminal case had not been publicized until the Bangor Daily News reported it in December. It is a rare example of a prison guard being arrested for on-the-job conduct and follows a yearslong debate in Augusta around the future of Long Creek and the state’s embattled juvenile justice system.
On Wednesday, Superior Court Justice Deborah Cashman issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to show up for a court date for the third time in a row. His arrest was necessary because the court “had lost contact with him,” she said during a hearing in Portland.
“No one has seen Mr. Emerton in this court since March 2025,” Cashman said.
A lawyer that had recently been appointed to Emerton’s case and appeared in court on his behalf on Wednesday said he had never met his client. The judge then recused from the case due to a conflict.
It was unclear as of Wednesday afternoon whether Emerton had been taken into custody. The BDN was unable to reach him, and a phone number for him listed in court records had been disconnected.
A Superior Court clerk confirmed that a warrant for failure to appear in court had been issued but not yet returned to court before it closed for the day.