AUGUSTA — A former city man pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and assault that occurred during an altercation with another man on Glenridge Drive.
Patrick Lappin, 24, now of Jefferson, admitted to firing a Colt .45-caliber revolver near a man’s head and sending a bullet into an apartment building bedroom.
He pleaded guilty in the Capital Judicial Center to the two charges and was placed on deferred disposition for a year. If he complies with a number of conditions, including successful completion of a firearms safety course, Lappin can withdraw the guilty pleas. Then he would plead to a misdemeanor charge of reckless conduct and be fined $500.
The prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Kate Marshall, said the incident occurred early on Feb. 1 after Lappin and his mother had overheard a couple arguing in a vehicle in the parking lot and Lappin grabbed his father’s revolver. Marshall said Lappin pointed the gun at the head of Daniel Mason, now 29, of Augusta, and Mason got out of the car and confronted Lappin. As the two struggled, the gun went off, the bullet striking the west wall of the apartment building.
Lappin’s attorney, Darrick Banda, told Judge Evert Fowle that Lappin had agreed to plead guilty to the charges under the deferred disposition arrangement.
“There are some factual issues here that could have been raised at trial, some defensive third-party issues,” Banda said. However, he said there was no dispute that the gun was fired and that the state could produce evidence about Lappin pointing it at Mason.
Lappin told police at the time that the gun had gone off accidentally.
A condition of the deferred disposition bans Lappin from possessing firearms and from contact with Mason. Fowle said the disposition seemed appropriate for the case and said it would be good for Lappin to have a break from firearms for a year.
Several other people were sentenced Tuesday in separate hearings at the Capital Judicial Center:
• Stephen Allen Frappier Jr., 29, of Madison, theft by unauthorized taking or transfer and misuse of identification Aug. 3-12, 2014, in Oakland; nine-month jail sentence concurrent to two other sentences, $1,040 restitution.
• Joy E. Stanton, 53, of Saco and formerly of Litchfield, driving to endanger Oct. 8, 2014, in Litchfield; $575 fine and 30-day license suspension.
• Taquan K. Washington, 28, of Westbrook, unlawful trafficking in cocaine March 26 in Augusta; three-year prison term, $400 fine.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
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