A Lamoine man charged as a co-defendant in an attempted murder case has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to lesser charges.
Duncan Haass, 32, was one of two people accused of trying to kill another Lamoine man in July 2023. In the attack, the victim was beaten, shot in the head and driven to Ellsworth where the two men planned to dump his body in a creek, police have said.
Haass on Wednesday pleaded guilty to felony charges of kidnapping, burglary and conspiracy to commit murder, among other charges. He received an overall sentence of seven years in prison with all but two years suspended, meaning that if he is accused of more criminal behavior after he is released, he could be sent back to prison for up to five years.
He also was ordered to serve four years of probation. He was not ordered to pay restitution to the victim, who survived the brutal attack.
Haass initially faced additional charges of aggravated attempted murder, attempted murder and aggravated assault, but those charges were dropped as part of a plea deal with Hancock County District Attorney Robert Granger.
The other assailant — Dmitry Dubrovsky, 31, of Bar Harbor — was sentenced in late December to 25 years in prison with all but 15 years suspended on several charges. Dubrovsky pleaded guilty to some charges that were identical to the ones Haass pleaded to. He also pleaded guilty to the more serious charges of aggravated attempted murder, attempted murder, elevated aggravated assault and aggravated assault.
Dubrovsky committed the worst parts of the attack by shooting the victim in the head, beating him unconscious and then later dragging his body from a pickup truck to throw him in Whittaker Brook in Ellsworth, according to police. Haass nonetheless assisted in the premeditated attack, helping to tie up the victim and load him into the truck, and then driving the truck to Ellsworth, police have said.
Haass later told witnesses to the attack that it escalated beyond what he and Dubrovsky had planned ahead of time, according to police.
Prior to the attack, the victim worked with the two assailants on Haass’ fishing boat. Investigators have not said what may have prompted the two men to attack the victim.
Despite his wounds, the victim survived by jumping into the creek and swimming away. After Dubrovsky and Haass left, he hid in a shed for three hours and then waved down a motorist on Bayside Road for help.
Granger said that despite surviving the attack, the victim might never be able to work full-time again.
The victim, who is 39 years old, “suffered serious, life-long debilitating injuries from the gunshot wound and subsequent beating with the pistol,” Granger said. “He has permanently lost hearing in his left ear as the bullet passed through his ear canal before passing out through the back of his head below the ear. He remains permanently disabled and suffers extreme paranoia from the event.”
Haass’ defense attorney, Walter McKee, said that Haass never intended to kill or nearly kill the victim.
“As Duncan said that very night, it was never supposed to go like this,” McKee said. “But it did, the plea reflects Duncan’s acknowledgement that he did what he did, and this puts to an end this unfortunate set of events.”
Haass is expected to report to prison to begin serving his sentence on April 28, to allow him time to complete a vocational training program he currently is enrolled in, according to court documents.
