SKOWHEGAN — A Nokomis Regional High School music teacher has been indicted by a Somerset County grand jury on nine domestic violence charges in connection with allegations that he severely assaulted a woman.
Andrew B. Maderios, 28, of Pittsfield, is charged by the grand jury with four counts of aggravated assault, four counts of domestic violence assault and one count of obstructing the reporting of a crime, according to the indictment released Friday.
District Attorney Maeghan Maloney said Maderios is a continued threat to the woman, who is his former live-in girlfriend, and registers high on two assessment tools that evaluate the danger faced by a victim of domestic violence in a relationship.
“Strangulation is not choking. Choking is what happens when you don’t chew your food,” Maloney said Friday. “Strangulation is applying pressure to someone’s neck so as to impede the flow of air or blood. Strangulation is a serious felony.”
Maderios, who is on paid leave from his job at the high school, allegedly beat, bruised and strangled the woman until she lost consciousness in a series of incidents that began the day after Christmas, according to court documents.
The assaults are alleged to have taken place in December, January, March and June at Maderios’ home in Pittsfield.
Some of the alleged assaults were caught on audio from the victim’s cellphone, according to court records.
In a court affidavit filed in support of a warrant for Maderios’ arrest, domestic violence investigator James Ross said Maderios’ girlfriend told him July 7 she had been attacked over the past two years. She said she began documenting the assaults with audio recordings of Maderios on her cellphone and with photographs she took of her injuries.
On Dec. 26, she locked herself in their home’s bathroom after a disagreement, according to the affidavit. She told Ross that Maderios used a metal rod to pop the lock and strangled her until she passed out. When she woke up, she tried to call 911, but Maderios allegedly smashed the phone, resulting in the obstructing charge.
The victim “told me that Andrew Maderios began to slap her face and mouth and then covered her mouth when she began to scream,” Ross wrote in the affidavit. “(She) told me that this caused her to see spots and vomit. Andrew Maderios then stuffed dirty underwear into her mouth.”
The abuse allegedly continued into the following day, Dec. 27, when Maderios allegedly told the woman to “take your last breath because you are going to die,” according to court documents.
Maderios almost always placed his hands around the woman’s neck and squeezed, Ross wrote. Maderios allegedly told her the abuse was her fault, because “you make me do these things to you.”
The four felony charges against Maderios are class B felonies, punishable upon conviction by up to 10 years in prison on each count.
Superior Court Justice Robert Mullen, during Maderios’ initial appearance in court in August, doubled the $5,000 bail set after Maderios’ arrest to $10,000.
Maderios has not entered a plea. He is represented by Leonard Sharon, of Auburn. Maderios’ arraignment is set for Sept. 17.
The following people also were indicted by the grand jury. An indictment is not a finding of guilt, but is a determination that enough evidence is present to proceed with trial.
• Eric M. Jacobsen, 49, of St. Albans, charged with violating the sex offender registration law, June 16, in St. Albans.
• Whitney L. Call, 26, of Hermon, charged with possession of heroin and possession of hypodermic needles, June 20, in Pittsfield.
• Michael Thompson, 26, of Harmony, charged with eluding police, passing a roadblock and operating after suspension, July 8, in Harmony.
• Leslie W. Ridley, 33, of Skowhegan, charged with operating after license revocation, July 8, in Skowhegan.
• Jared Dale Smith, 29, of Fairfield, charged with two counts of theft, April 8 and Sept. 14, in Fairfield.
• Cathy-Jo Cinanni, 33, of Skowhegan, charged with theft, Aug. 11, in Skowhegan.
• Roy H. Kennedy, 44, of Skowhegan, charged with criminal threatening with a weapon, reckless conduct with a weapon, two counts of criminal mischief and refusing to submit to arrest, July 4, in Skowhegan.
• Gerard Charles Latham, 38, of Pittsfield, charged with aggravated assault, domestic violence assault and violating conditions of release, Aug. 4, in Pittsfield.
• Erik S. Bickmore, 23, of Cambridge, charged with two counts of domestic violence threatening with a weapon, domestic violence assault, obstructing the reporting of a crime, possession of drugs and marijuana cultivation, July 27, in Cambridge.
• Donald E. Roderick Jr., 36, of Skowhegan, charged with trafficking in prison contraband and possession of drugs, Feb. 15, in Madison.
Doug Harlow — 612-2367
Twitter: @Doug_Harlow
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