A Kennebec County Sheriff’s officer faces a number of criminal charges in connection with allegations that he assaulted his wife and threatened to shoot his young child.
Daniel Ross Somerset County Sheriff’s Office
Daniel Ross, 29, a deputy sheriff at the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office, was arrested at work Tuesday after he admitted to the allegations against him, authorities said. He made an initial appearance Wednesday at the Capital Judicial Center in Augusta and he was being held at the Somerset County Jail in East Madison on $100,000 bail.
Officials said Ross, who started working for the sheriff’s department on March 16, 2021, has been placed on paid administrative leave.
Maine State Police arrested Ross on nine charges, including counts of domestic violence assault; domestic violence; criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, a felony; unlawful sexual contact; endangering the welfare of a child; and aggravated domestic violence, reckless conduct. The charges stemmed from incidents at a home in West Gardiner, police said.
District Attorney Maeghan Maloney said Ross would have an opportunity to enter a plea later at an arraignment hearing if the grand jury releases an indictment, because a felony charge is involved.
Ross’ wife came forward to police on Monday, according to a state police affidavit written by Sgt. Bethany L. Couturier and filed with the court. The alleged victim detailed times when Ross had assaulted her while he was off-duty, which police say he later admitted had included an open-handed slap across her face, sexual assaults and threats of violence.
He also allegedly threatened to shoot his sleeping 5-year-old daughter in the head and then turn the gun on himself so the woman “would know that it was her ‘fault that they both died,'” authorities allege.
Ross “appeared to try and rationalize his behavior by saying (to his wife) in the recording of ‘How would that make you feel,'” according to Couturier’s affidavit.
On another occasion, according to Couturier’s affidavit, Ross had a shotgun and threatened to shoot law enforcement. “Daniel said he had been really drunk that night and said he was trying to get drunk enough to shoot himself,” the affidavit states. “Daniel said he was waiting near the window in case law enforcement came. Daniel said he would never have shot anyone, and also stated he would never shoot his daughter.”
Ross could also be heard on audio recordings admitting to the allegations, including the threat of shooting his 5-year-old daughter, and confirmed the allegations later in an interview with police, according to the affidavit.
In speaking with police, Ross allegedly admitted that he had physically prevented his wife from leaving their home on a few occasions and would take away her cellphone.
In a separate probable cause affidavit written by Detective Christian Behr of the district attorney’s office, the victim said she and Ross married in December 2021 and that the first physical assault happened in March this year.
In other allegations detailed in Behr’s affidavit, Ross threatened to stun the woman in her thigh with his Taser unless she quickly ate raspberries. Another time, he allegedly threatened to use his Taser on her unless she kissed him, according to Behr’s affidavit.
The woman “felt that when (Ross) has nothing left to lose, due to this report, that (Ross) will pull the trigger and kill her 100%,” Behr wrote in the affidavit. Ross had told her “if she left him, he would torture her for days as he has previously held weapons to her and threatened her.”
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