A Deer Isle man was ordered held without bail Friday after multiple police agencies searched for him in Sedgwick and later arrested him.
Caleb Heanssler, 31, was the subject of a five-hour pursuit Thursday evening after he allegedly stalked his former partner, who has a protective order against him, and then fled to the woods surrounding her Sedgwick home.
Heanssler was out on bail at the time of the incident for several domestic violence charges earlier this month.
Maine State Police, the fire marshal’s office and the Maine Warden Service responded to the call just before 5 p.m., according to a state police report. Heanssler was arrested by 10 p.m., though it was not immediately clear where he was apprehended.
After officers were told Heanssler was at his ex-partner’s residence and “walking in the woods” on her property, they held a “loose perimeter” before moving to a “different area” to conduct the search, according to a state police report.
Heanssler, who has a recent record of domestic violence offenses, faces four charges in connection to Thursday’s incident: domestic violence stalking, violating a protective order and two counts of violating his bail conditions.
The stalking and protective order charges each carry up to one year of probation, 64 days of jail time and a $2,000 fine. If he’s found guilty of the bail charges, the maximum penalty for each count would be six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
He entered a not guilty plea for each charge during his Friday appearance in Ellsworth District Court.
Heanssler was already facing domestic violence charges from incidents on Feb. 24 and March 4. Judge Terrence Harrigan said Heanssler’s “escalating” behavior was “troublesome.”
At Friday’s hearing, Harrigan barred Heanssler from entering Sedgwick for any reason unless he has the court’s permission.
The judge set a $5,000 bail for Heannsler’s new charges and ordered no bail for violating the conditions of his release.
When Henssler’s attorney, Steven Juskewitch, said his client, who he described as a “very busy” fisherman, had an alibi for last night’s incident, the judge agreed to set his no bail order as “reviewable.”
During the five hour search, a Hancock County deputy told state police — who were coordinating the investigation — that Heanssler was currently at his father’s Deer Isle home, according to a state police report.
The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office directed the Bangor Daily News to state police when reached Friday by phone.
A Hancock County Assistant District Attorney said Heanssler’s ex-partner had taken a picture of him outside her property Thursday evening, but the state didn’t yet have the image in their possession.
Heanssler will return to court on April 14 for a bail hearing. He is already in custody but the state is requesting that the bail tied to his previous charges be fully revoked. He is expected to be back in court again on June 11 for a dispositional conference related to the new charges.
