Brewer police frustrated by repeat offenders
BREWER — A Brewer man, Joel Williams, is facing charges after allegedly assaulting a store clerk at Circle K on North Maine Street– the day after Christmas.
According to Brewer Public Safety Director Jason Moffitt, Williams had 24 active sets of bail conditions across the state at the time of his arrest. Moffitt says that, while Williams’ number of arrests are high, it is not unusual for an individual to have multiple active sets of bail in Maine due to the state’s bail code.
“For me, it is frustrating, but it’s nowhere near as frustrating as it is for my officers on the street,” said Moffitt. “Some of these folks are getting arrested three or four times in a week.”
LD 1703, legislation known as “An act to amend the bail code,” would lower the cost of bail fees if passed.
According to Moffitt, this legislation could make it more difficult for judicial officers to keep repeat offenders off of the street, and says that it’s important to have a system in place to hold criminal offenders accountable.
“We need to amend the current bail code for sure,” said Moffitt. “Unfortunately, the jail is needed for people that may need that temporary time out, even before they’ve been sentenced, to protect the rest of the public.”
According to the Penobscot Judicial Center clerk’s office, Williams has already been released on bail for this latest offense, with bail set at $250.
Williams’ dispositional conference, the first court date for his case after his initial arraignment, will take place on March 13th, 2023.
“We need to take a serious look at how we’re handling these things right now in Maine,” said Moffitt.
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