A group of people accused of holding a man against his will for a week in Waldoboro and beating him so severely he was hospitalized are facing multiple charges after being arrested on Wednesday.
Initial appearances for the suspects were held Friday, April 17 via Zoom from West Bath District Court.
The police report filed in court by the Waldoboro Police Department states that the offenses occurred from March 23 through March 31.The victim was not from the area and was a passenger in a car that broke down on the Wagner Bridge Road in Waldoboro. The vehicle was towed and the driver said he knew some people who live at 80 Reef Road.
While there, the occupants would not let him leave and made him do chores. The victim said he was asked if he would help deal drugs for them, according to the affidavit. The victim refused and he was accused of being a “cop or FBI.” He was then beaten on multiple occasions. They also stole his belongings including his cellphone, a laptop, and clothes.
The victim said on one of the days at the house, he awoke to a shotgun pointed at his face by Russell W. Hardin, 44; a pistol aimed at him by someone called “Skinny,” a propane tank held by a Shane, and a breaker bar held by a Lulu, according to the affidavit.
He said Hardin, Skinny and Shane started beating him from all sides. They then dragged him to the back door and discussed how they might kill him and dispose of his body, according to the police report.
They then confined for two days to a back room addition and held him in a chair and beat him intermittently over the next two days.
Eventually Shane came to get him and told him to get out. The victim left and went to MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta. The hospital contacted police at the victim’s request and he gave a statement to an officer.
The victim said he witnessed drug sales occurring at the house and saw a couple assaulted.
In the early morning hours of April 15, the Waldoboro Police Department along with assistance from the Maine State Police tactical team, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Maine Warden Service executed a search warrant at 80 Reef Road based on the kidnapping investigation.
The hearings held April 17 lasted for more than four hours since there were multiple defendants and some of them required translators since they spoke mainly Spanish.
Judge Tracy Gorham said there was probable cause to hold Adonis Morel Tavarez, 18, of New York, for kidnapping, elevated aggravated assault, robbery, theft, criminal threatening, and terrorizing. Defense attorney for the day Lisa Whittier asked for $7,000 bail. She said Tavarez has no criminal record and disputes being involved in the assaults. Whittier said there were many people in the house and there could be a question of Tavarez being misidentified. Tavarez said he did not kidnap anyone.
Bail for Shane R. Jones, 38, of South Thomaston was set at $50,000 for elevated aggravated assault, robbery, theft, criminal threatening, and terrorizing. Jones complained that he was being found guilty until he is proven innocent by the bail being set that high.
Bail for Russell Hardin was also set at $50,000 elevated aggravated assault, robbery, theft, criminal threatening, and terrorizing.
Bail for Lauren Curtis, 26, was set at $2,500 cash. Assistant District Attorney Melissa Tabak said Curtis was holding the breaker bar while the victim was beaten. The prosecutor said the victim picked Curtis out of a lineup.
Glenn Hardin, 72, of Waldoboro, was arrested on an outstanding warrant not related to the kidnapping or assault. He was ordered held. Judge Gorham voiced concern about his ability to understand what was happening. His son Russell Hardin had told the defense lawyer that his father suffered from dementia and he was needed to care for him.
Defense attorney William Avantaggio said he had been told by the Attorney General’s Office that the house has been posted by the town, barring further occupancy. The 80 Reef Road home is owned by Glenn Hardin.
Police said as a result of a subsequent search warrant at the same address, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency arrested Glenn Hardin, 72; Yendy Zenzof Rodriguez, 25, of Massachusetts; Jones, 38; and Tavarez for additional charges of aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs, and two charges of unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs.
The suspects were taken to the Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset.
This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.