CARIBOU, Maine — The owner of a home that burned at 15 Prospect St. in Caribou earlier this month and his son were arrested for allegedly assaulting a man.
John Barretto, 63, and his son John Barretto Jr., 25, were arrested Sept. 9 after they allegedly assaulted a man who had been living at the home on and off, according to Caribou Police Chief Michael Gahagan. The man accused the elder Barretto of striking him with a metal pipe and the younger Barretto of also assaulting him in the parking lot of the Bennett Drive shopping plaza, Gahagan said.
The father and son were charged with aggravated assault, a Class A charge, Gahagan said. They are being held at the Aroostook County Jail in Houlton and are scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 10.
The man who was allegedly assaulted was not one of the three individuals staying at the Prospect Street home when it caught fire Sept. 3, Gahagan said.
The home was a total loss, but the elder Barretto had been living in the garage prior to his arrest.
For months before the fire, residents had complained that there was drug activity occurring inside the home. The city sued the elder Barretto in April after officials said he did not address major code issues.
An inspection report last December found that the home had no electricity and other safety issues that deemed it unsafe for people living there. The elder Barretto had claimed he was helping people with substance use disorder who otherwise would be homeless.