ASHLAND, Maine — Police arrested an Ashland man Sunday, Aug. 19, after he allegedly beat his girlfriend, tried to light their home on fire and attempted suicide, according to Ashland town manager and police chief Cyr Martin.
Martin said Tuesday, Aug. 21, that the man, who is not yet being identified, was upset with his girlfriend Sunday and began hitting her while she was driving him and their 7-year-old son.
When they returned home, a neighbor spotted them and intervened to bring the woman and child out of the home, Martin said.
The man then attempted to light their home on fire with a pizza box and tried to hang himself in the garage, Martin said.
A neighbor extinguished the fire, while the Ashland Police Department confronted the man with backup from the Maine State Police and Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office.
Martin said the man came out of the garage without incident, and officers took him to The Aroostook Medical Center for evaluation before transporting him to the Aroostook County Jail, where he remains on $2,500 bail.
Martin said the police are not yet releasing the man’s name, as a full slate of charges are pending.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call the Hope and Justice Project’s free, confidential hotline at 1-800-439-2323.
