A man charged with the robbery of a Westbrook convenience store attempted to flee during his court appearance Tuesday, but didn’t get very far, the sheriff’s office said.

Michael Gray, 30, of Portland, was in Portland Unified Criminal Court for his first appearance when he attempted to flee from custody, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

Michael J. Gray Photo provided by Westbrook Police Department

Gray left the courtroom while in restraints while a deputy was addressing a situation with another person in custody. Gray refused verbal commands to stop and attempted to exit the building, the sheriff’s office said.

Judicial marshals apprehended him a few steps outside the building near the exit door and transported him back to jail, where administrators will reconsider his security classification. He will also face an additional criminal charge of escape, a jail administrator said.

Gray, who was already on probation for a robbery charge, was arrested Monday night in connection with a robbery at Duck Pond Variety in Westbrook and a car theft nearby, Westbrook police said.

Westbrook police were called to the store at 1275 Bridgton Road about 7 p.m. Monday after a masked man robbed the store and fled with cash. Officers found an abandoned vehicle nearby that had been stolen minutes before the robbery from a business parking lot on Riverside Street in Portland.

Shortly after the robbery at the Westbrook store, a car was reported stolen from the driveway of a nearby home, also on Bridgton Road. That car was then found by Windham police officers who were investigating a disturbance on Haven Road in Windham.

Police said they arrested Gray after linking him to the robbery and the stolen car discovered in Windham.

Matt Byrne can be contacted at 791-6303 or at:

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