ALFRED — A jury of six men and six women found Gary Traynham guilty of aggravated assault and criminal restraint but failed to reach a unanimous verdict on two other charges, including the most serious one of gross sexual assault, this afternoon in York County Superior Court.
Traynham, 39, of Kennebunk, triggered Maine’s first Amber Alert when he fled the state with his 2-year-old daughter in November 2009 following a violent encounter with his ex-girlfriend in Sanford.
Additional Photos
Justice G. Arthur Brennan thanked the jury members for their service before dismissing them this afternoon. An hour earlier, he had asked them to attempt to resolve the deadlocked charges.
Shortly after reconvening this morning, the jury had asked Brennan to clarify the four charges facing Traynham, who has been in York County Jail since shortly after his arrest in New Hampshire 16 months ago.
Brennan delayed sentencing. Assistant District Attorney Thad West said he had not decided whether to retry Traynham on the deadlocked charges of gross sexual assault and burglary.
“A very, very thoughtful jury,” said Traynham’s attorney, Amy Fairfield. “You could tell they were really grappling with all the evidence.”
Aggravated assault is a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Criminal restraint is a misdemeanor with jail time of up to 364 days.
Burglarly is also a Class B felony, but the gross sexual assault charge carries with it a sentence of up to 30 years.
3:32 p.m.
ALFRED — The jury in the trial of the man who triggered Maine’s first Amber Alert is deadlocked on some of the four charges facing Gary Traynham.
Justice G. Arthur Brennan called the jury back to court this afternoon after receiving a note about the deadlock in York County Superior Court. He told jury members the length of time they have been deliberating is not unusual given the length of the trial and seriousness of the charges.
He also asked them to keep an open mind and continue deliberations. Earlier today, at the jury’s request, Brennan clarified each of the four charges against Traynham, 39, of Kennebunk: gross sexual assault, aggravated assault with extreme indifference to human life, burglary and criminal restraint.
The trial began last Tuesday and closing arguments were made Friday, after which the jury deliberated three hours before adjourning for the weekend.
In November 2009, Traynham fled to New Hampshire with his 2-year-old daughter after a violent encounter with his ex-girlfriend in Sanford.
The charges he faces are not about him taking his daughter, but about the encounter with her mother, Lisa Gould.
1:01 p.m.
ALFRED — Jury deliberations continued today in the York County Superior Court trial of the man who triggered Maine’s first Amber Alert in November 2009.
A jury of six men and six women deliberated three hours on Friday, then on Monday morning asked Justice G. Arthur Brennan to clarify the four criminal charges lodged against Gary Traynham, 39, of Kennebunk: gross sexual assault, aggravated assault with extreme indifference to human life, burglary and criminal restraint.
After Brennan reviewed definitions of the four charges shortly before 10 this morning, the jury returned to deliberate until breaking for lunch.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.