BIDDEFORD, Maine — A Republican lawmaker from Sanford agreed to get a court-appointed lawyer after representing himself for months in a domestic violence case that nearly upended his election last year.
The development will cause more delays in the case against Rep. Lucas Lanigan, R-Sanford, whom police arrested last October after he allegedly choked his wife when she confronted him and another woman about an affair. His wife said at his initial court appearance that the assault did not occur, but prosecutors moved ahead before a grand jury indicted Lanigan in March.
Lanigan, a businessman who won reelection to a second term by one vote last November shortly after his arrest, pleaded not guilty to the two charges, a Class B felony for aggravated domestic violence assault that is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a less-severe misdemeanor for domestic violence assault, and has denied the allegations.
After representing himself and filing motions to suppress evidence, Lanigan requested a court-appointed attorney to help him with what he acknowledged has been a difficult case to handle alone. Judge Jeffrey Moskowitz confirmed during a Wednesday hearing in Biddeford District Court that Lanigan will receive court-appointed counsel at a rate of $120 per month.
The judge said discussions on motions from Lanigan and prosecutor Paul Kavanaugh related to discovery deadlines would not proceed until Lanigan can meet with his attorney. That is important, as Lanigan asked Moskowitz to reconsider the conditions of his $3,000 bail that had Lanigan released while the case proceeds as long as he has no contact with his wife.
Moskowitz said Lanigan would need to meet with his court-appointed counsel first. Jury selection in the case was scheduled for late October, but that may also get pushed back.
“I’d do anything to get home,” Lanigan told the judge, describing how he has lived away from his wife and kids in the Sanford area for almost a year. Lanigan also said his wife needs medical attention for an issue unrelated to the case and one of his sons who has helped her is now away at college.
But Moskowitz continued to hold firm on not reconsidering bail Wednesday, saying Lanigan should meet his attorney. The brief hearing was set to conclude Wednesday when the judge asked onlookers in the sparsely attended room if one had taken a photo during the hearing.
Rep. Anne-Marie Mastraccio, D-Sanford, stood up from the back row of the room to admit she had taken a photo without knowing Maine’s rules that generally forbid the use of electronic devices in court. She told the judge she had deleted the photo and that she was at the hearing as an observer.
Lanigan rose to complain that Mastraccio had previously leaked information about his arrest to the press, but Moskowitz said he would not take further action or weigh in on any motivations beyond reminding Mastraccio of the rules.
