Three people were arrested Sunday morning at an apartment complex off outer Forest Avenue in Portland in connection with a violent assault Saturday night at a South Portland motel.

South Portland police said in a press release Sunday night that the assault left a female victim “badly beaten and bleeding.” Her motel room was “trashed and a car she had been using had been stolen by one of the suspects as they left.”

The victim, who was not identified, remained hospitalized Sunday night, but police said her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

The suspects, two women and a man, were approached by members of the Portland Police Department’s Special Reaction Team and Crisis Negotiation Team who were trying to execute a search warrant at 102 Wellesley Estates in the city’s Riverton neighborhood around 10:40 a.m. Sunday.

A police officer carries paper bags and a backpack from an apartment building at Wellesley Estates on Sunday in Portland.

Police said the three initially refused to open the apartment door, but eventually all were taken into custody and no injuries were reported. The suspects were charged with burglary, robbery and aggravated assault.

Arrested were Aria A. Pomerleau, 21, of Westbrook; Nicole L. Haycock, 28, who has been living in the Portland area; and Benjamin L. Martineau, 27, a Portland transient. Haycock has also been charged with violation of probation and an outstanding warrant, while Martineau will face additional charges of unauthorized use of property and violation of probation, according to South Portland police.

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Pomerleau was being held Sunday night at the Cumberland County Jail in Portland on $10,060 cash bail, while Haycock and Martineau are being held on no bail. All three are scheduled to appear in court at 1 p.m. Monday.

South Portland police Sgt. Adam Howard said in the department’s press release that the incident began shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday, when police received a 911 hangup call seeking help. When police rang the phone number back, a male said the victim needed assistance at a motel on Main Street.

When officers arrived they found bystanders trying to help a female victim, who had been badly beaten and was bleeding.

The initial investigation led officers to believe that the victim knew at least one of her attackers. Police were able to locate the victim’s stolen car, which was parked on Riverton Drive in Portland. Their investigation then led them to the address in Wellesley Estates.

The Portland Police Department’s SWAT team made entry into the apartment and located the three suspects, who were taken into custody.

Residents at the complex said a half-dozen police officers with guns drawn approached Unit 102 at one point. The residents said police told them to stay in their homes until shortly before noon, when they were given the all-clear.

Police officers speak outside an apartment building at Wellesley Estates on Sunday in Portland.

 

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