A Farmington man pleaded not guilty Friday to attempting to kill a woman who was ending their relationship May 3 in New Sharon.
James D. Oakes, 45, was indicted by a Franklin County grand jury in June on charges of attempted murder, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and domestic violence assault. If convicted, penalties range from up to 364 days in jail to 30 years in prison.
He has been held at the Franklin County jail in Farmington in lieu of $252,000 cash bail since his arrest.
“Jim has pled not guilty to the charges. As usual, we are investigating the case and will take it from there,” Oakes’ attorney Walter McKee of McKee Morgan law firm in Augusta, wrote in an email.
According to a police affidavit filed at a Farmington court, Franklin County sheriff’s Deputy Jeffrey Brann responded to a complaint from a woman who called 911 on May 3 saying her 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer crashed into a guardrail after a dispute with her ex-boyfriend.
The incident started at an apartment in Mount Vernon the two had shared for four months. The woman was ending their relationship and packing to move out of state. When she got out of the shower that morning, Oakes was allegedly standing in the doorway with a loaded rifle pointed at her and said “he was going to kill her and himself because he couldn’t live without her,” the affidavit said.
She talked him into putting the gun down and going to get coffee and talk. She told him at Dunkin’ in Farmington that she was going to take him to his mother’s house in New Sharon, police said.
When they arrived at the intersection of Cape Cod Hill Road and Vienna Road in New Sharon, Oakes tried to swerve her vehicle to the side of the road and she pulled it over. He got out, jumped back in and tried to “snap her neck,” the affidavit said.
Police said Oakes released her and drove the vehicle into the guardrail near a bridge with such force that it lifted the back of it off the ground and nearly sent it into the brook 30 feet below. Oakes fled on foot and was eventually detained.
While being interviewed at the jail, Oakes told Brann the woman recently decided to break up with him. “James had been trying to handle the situation and help (her) move but he ‘lost his grip,’” the affidavit said.
HOW TO GET HELP
If YOU or someone you know has experienced domestic violence, you can call the statewide Domestic Abuse Helpline at 1-866-834-4357 to talk to someone who can help. You can learn more online at Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence.
IF YOU or someone you know has experienced sexual abuse, you can call the statewide Sexual Assault Crisis and Support Line at 1-800-871-7741 to talk to someone who can help. You can learn more online at Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
FOR ASSISTANCE during a mental health crisis, call or text 888-568-1112. To call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call 988 or chat online at 988lifeline.org.
FOR OTHER support or referrals, call the NAMI Maine Help Line at 800-464-5767 or email [email protected].
