A Cumberland County grand jury handed up an indictment alleging a Portland man assaulted his 2-yearold son in a car Aug. 1.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt; it is a finding that sufficient evidence exists to proceed to trial.

Justin Bowley, 29, of Portland, was handed an indictment for assault, punishable by up to five years incarceration and a $5,000 fine; domestic violence assault; domestic violence terrorizing and criminal mischief — charges punishable by up to 364 days incarceration and a $2,000 fine.

Brunswick Deputy Chief Marc Hagan said Bowley was in the vehicle with the two-yearold boy on Pleasant Street while the mother was at a doctor’s appointment with her 5- year-old daughter. When she returned, the boy was crying, Hagan said, and allegedly had been assaulted by Bowley. That led to an argument between him and the child’s mother. During that argument, Bowley started to walk away but got back into the car. During the course of a stop-and-go trip, Hagan said Bowley ripped the rearview mirror off the passenger side of the car and at one point allegedly threatened to grab the steering wheel and kill all four of the occupants, including himself. More than once he got out of the car, Hagan said, but was convinced to get back in by the woman.

Hagan said police came into contact with Bowley after the incident and took him into protective custody and to a hospital. There, they learned he had allegedly assaulted the 2-year-old boy, who sustained minor facial bruising but didn’t require transport. Hagan said police went back to the hospital and arrested Bowley, charging him with domestic violence assault and domestic violence terrorizing, as well as criminal mischief.

In other indictments:

— Mark Cota, 24, of Harpswell, was indicted on charges of burglary, punishable by up to five years incarceration and a $5,000 fine; criminal mischief, punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a $2,000 fine; and possession of burglary tools, punishable by up to six months and a $1,000 fine stemming from a May 14 incident.

Hagan said police were called to Mid Coast Hospital where security staff had video of two people acting suspiciously the previous night, Hagan said. Cota was allegedly trying to get inside a loading dock door when security noticed him. He eventually made entry into the hospital and was seen in security camera footage in other locations throughout the hospital, Hagan said. Police tracked his movement through the video and believe he eventually tried to break into the pharmacy and broke some glass in the attempt, but didn’t gain access. Police recovered bolt cutters and gloves at the scene and other evidence that led them to Cota.

— William Sanford, 28, of West Bath, was indicted on charges of theft and burglary related to an investigation by Brunswick police into the July 31 break-in at a Tractor Supply store on Farley Road.

Police apprehended Sanford after a short foot chase July 31 and allege Sanford tripped the store’s burglar alarm trying to steal a small Baja Motorsports motorcycle worth $650 from the display area.

Sanford was indictment on charges of burglary — punishable by up to five years incarceration and a $5,000 fine — and theft, punishable by up to 364 days incarceration and a $2,000 fine.

— Bartley Smith, 45, of Phippsburg, June 23, theft, punishable by up to five years incarceration and a $5,000 fine.

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