FARMINGTON — A Franklin County grand jury has indicted a Jay man on charges in connection with a December road rage incident in which he allegedly pointed a gun at women and their children.
Jacob Couture, 27, faces a felony charge of terrorizing with a dangerous weapon and misdemeanor charges of a threatening display of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child. The indictment was handed up Wednesday last week.
If convicted, he could serve up to seven years in prison and pay fines up to $9,000.
Couture was arrested in December after allegedly pointing a handgun repeatedly at two women and their young children after they pulled in front of him in their vehicle.
In a February interview, Dwayne LaBrecque, husband of Jamie Merrill, one of the women involved in the incident, described how his wife, her friend and their two children set out to run errands on Dec. 10 when they encountered Couture as they drove through Jay. Merrill entered a reduced speed zone on Route 4, but Couture failed to slow behind them and nearly rear-ended her car. As Couture pulled by, Merrill’s passenger saw him pointing a gun at them.
As the women drove through Wilton, Couture pulled up alongside them again, reportedly pointing the gun at them again. As the women continued into Farmington, Couture followed them, flashing the weapon a third time.
The women pulled into a Burger King parking lot off of U.S. Route 2 in Farmington and called police. LaBrecque said the women watched as Couture drove into the adjacent Wal-Mart parking lot and out of sight. When police arrived, LaBrecque said an officer waited with the women while other officers pursued the truck.
Police later told LaBrecque that after they stopped Couture, they found his infant son strapped in the back seat. Police also recovered a gun in Couture’s truck.
After the incident, LaBrecque said he and his family saw Couture’s distinctive red truck pass their rural Hartford home on three occasions. With the legal case pending, LeBrecque said he and his family were frightened to let their children play outside without nearby adult supervision.
“It’s at the point where we don’t feel safe letting our children run around without them being right under our thumbs,” LaBrecque said.
Kate McCormick — 861-9218
kmccormick@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @KateRMcCormick
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