Rep. Lucas Lanigan, R-Sanford, in the State House in December. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald

A Maine lawmaker charged with felony assault has pleaded not guilty and is still waiting for the results of a legislative ethics investigation.

Rep. Lucas Lanigan, R-Sanford, was arraigned Wednesday in York County Superior Court on one count of domestic violence aggravated assault, a Class B crime, and one count of domestic violence assault, a Class D crime. He entered not guilty pleas on both charges.

Police say that he attempted to strangle his wife after she confronted him and another woman whom his wife believed he was having an affair with. Lanigan has denied the assault, and his wife previously recanted statements she made to police, though prosecutors have said they would still pursue the case.

Lanigan represents the 141st District, which includes parts of Shapleigh, Newfield, Sanford and Springvale. He was charged weeks before an extremely close election in which he was declared his district’s winner by a single vote following a recount. But on his first day back to the Maine House of Representatives, the speaker of the House stripped him of his committee assignment.

The House later voted along party lines to refer Lanigan’s case to an ethics committee, which is investigating whether he violated the House’s code of conduct but has yet to meet on the matter.

“I haven’t been convicted of any crime,” Lanigan said in a phone call after his court appearance.

Through his office, House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, declined to comment Wednesday.

The Maine Democratic Party’s vice chair, Imke Schessler-Jandreau, said in a statement that Lanigan has been indicted, which requires a grand jury to agree there’s enough evidence for a case to move forward. (Grand juries do not decide whether someone is guilty.)

“There is no place for domestic violence in our society and I call on Republican leaders to join the widespread calls for Mr. Lanigan’s immediate resignation,” Schessler-Jandreau said in a written statement.

Maine Republicans have previously said a House investigation would “trample the constitutional rights” of Lanigan and that his charges should be argued “in court, not in the House.”

Lanigan said Wednesday that he promised his caucus he would “immediately resign and step down” if he is convicted, “because someone that’s convicted of that should not be serving in the House of Representatives.”

He said he is representing himself in the case because he can no longer afford an attorney, saying he had to step back from his job to focus on his criminal case and his position as a lawmaker.

Lanigan plans to file a motion this week to adjust his bail conditions so he can return to the house he shares with his wife and their children. He hasn’t been allowed back since he was charged about four months ago.

Prosecutors offered him a deal to plead guilty to a misdemeanor-level crime and serve 14 days behind bars, Lanigan said, but would have barred him from returning home for another two years.

“I told them I would not take less than a dismissal,” Lanigan said.

Assistant District Attorney Kristen Dorion declined Wednesday to discuss the specifics of Lanigan’s case, citing the “ongoing prosecution.” She wouldn’t confirm what offer was made to Lanigan but did confirm they weren’t able to reach a deal.

Should the case go to trial, Lanigan said he has witnesses who will back him up. A police affidavit that Sgt. Jeremy Riddle wrote in October references potential witnesses, including the woman Lanigan was allegedly with and the friends his wife called after the incident.

Lanigan’s wife has said he didn’t attack her and only tried to stop her from harming herself.

He said police body camera footage suggests they questioned his wife unfairly, and that medical evidence supports that his wife’s strangulation-like symptoms were a reaction to a medication she had been taking mixed with alcohol. Riddle reported the woman had “bruising on the left and right side of her neck.”

Lanigan’s wife told a judge last year that Lanigan hadn’t actually choked her, but prosecutors and the judge citied the complicated factors involved in domestic violence cases.

Dorion said in an email that “in general, recantation is a highly common occurrence in cases involving allegations of domestic violence.” Lanigan said he expects the district attorney’s office will call on experts who will reiterate this. 

— Staff Writer Daniel Kool contributed to this report.

How to get help

IF YOU or someone you know has experienced domestic violence, you can call the Statewide Domestic Abuse Helpline at 1-866-834-4357.

FOR ASSISTANCE during a mental health crisis, call or text 888-568-1112. To call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call 988 or chat online at 988lifeline.org.

TO LEARN more about domestic violence prevention and response in Maine, visit the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence website.

FOR OTHER support or referrals, call the NAMI Maine Help Line at 800-464-5767 or email helpline@namimaine.org.