FARMINGTON – A corrections officer at the Franklin County Detention Center was arrested last Friday following an investigation conducted by the Maine State Police.
Wyatt Haynes, 23, of Kingfield, was charged with three misdemeanors: one charge of domestic violence stalking and two charges of domestic violence assault. Sheriff Scott Nichols said Thursday that Haynes is currently out on paid administrative leave.
According to an affidavit filed with the court system by Maine State Police Trooper Dezarae Fillmyer, Maine State Police were called to assist with a missing persons case on March 17, filed by Haynes for a family member. State police located the family member’s vehicle in Waterville and then spoke with her, as well as with Haynes, friends and family members. Haynes and the family member provided police with different descriptions of a series of incidents, including those which reportedly occurred between March 14 and March 17. The family member described their relationship as “abusive,” per the affidavit.
The family member also gave police video and photographs from March 14. According to Fillmyer’s affidavit, the videos did not show either party striking the other but included footage of Haynes yelling and cursing at the family member. In a subsequent interview conducted in April, the family member provided state police with another set of videos and texts relating to Haynes, including a Jan. 15 video in which Haynes reportedly smacks the phone out of the family member’s hand during an argument.
Both Haynes and family member took out temporary protection orders on each other on March 21. On April 7, according to court documents, Haynes and the family member reached an agreement in court which prohibited contact by either party outside of court proceedings, among other requirements. That order was made without the court making any finding of abuse by either party.
According to the charging document, Haynes was charged in relation to one domestic violence assault charge for an incident alleged to have occurred on March 14 and a second domestic violence assault charge tied to another alleged incident on Jan. 15. The domestic violence stalking charge references a three-month time period running from Jan. 1 to March 31.
Haynes was arrested on April 22 by state police and transported to Somerset County Jail. He was later released on $500 bail. Haynes will remain on paid leave until the investigation is complete, according to Nichols.
“[Haynes] came to us with a situation, we immediately put a stop to it, called State Police and they took it from there,” Nichols said Thursday.
Haynes has been an employee of the Franklin County Jail since February 2021. In February 2022, Haynes was approved for a $2 pay increase, bringing his salary to $20.29 per hour. Previously, Haynes was employed with the Somerset County Jail.
