AUGUSTA — Punching a woman in the face — in front of a police officer — has cost a Monmouth man two years in prison.
Erving Michael Johnson, 28, was sentenced this week at the Capital Judicial Center after pleading guilty to domestic violence assault by striking the woman and to violating probation on a previous conviction for assaulting her.
According to affidavit by Trooper Samuel Tlumac, of the Maine State Police, Sgt. Jason Cote, of the Augusta Police Department, witnessed Johnson punch the mother of Johnson’s child in the face on May 25, 2016, on Route 133 in Wayne.
Cote, too, filed a report that was contained in the court file, saying he was driving his private vehicle along that road while heading to training in Waterville when he saw a man arguing with a woman, who was barefoot and wearing a bathrobe, near a vehicle parked along the side of the road.
He said stopped and asked if he could help. He said he saw the man punch the woman in the face, and then the two got into the car together and drove off.
Cote reported it at the time along with the car’s license plate number, and indicated he recognized the couple from a previous incident.
Johnson had been convicted in January of domestic violence assault that occurred Dec. 6, 2015, in Monmouth. For that he was sentenced to 364 days in jail, with all but 10 days suspended, and two years’ probation. That probation was revoked fully Wednesday. The two-year sentence is concurrent with the probation revocation.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
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