ROCKLAND — A judge has dismissed charges against a 29-year-old man accused of escaping from a Maine State Prison work detail because prosecutors took too long to turn over evidence.

Shawn Benner had been charged with escape after the state alleged he left a pre-release work detail in Rockland in October 2010. Benner and his wife, Amanda Benner, were stopped at gunpoint in Waldoboro the day he escaped.

Shawn Benner had been serving time on convictions including robbery and aggravated assault. He completed his sentence in June.

The Bangor Daily News (http://bit.ly/zwAzPN) reports that the judge dismissed the escape charge after the defense attorney argued that evidence should have been provided earlier.

Amanda Benner pleaded guilty to aiding in the escape.