A Brewer man who allegedly pulled a woman by her hair into a U-haul van Saturday night in the Bangor Target parking lot as she tried to get away from him made his first court appearance Tuesday remotely from the Penobscot County Jail.
Colby Cooper, 21, is charged with kidnapping, a Class A crime, eluding the police, a Class C crime, domestic violence assault and criminal restraint, both Class D crimes, and failure to stop for an officer, a Class E crime.
The couple were arguing over a video game console when Cooper allegedly forced her back in the van and drove away, according to the Penobscot County District Attorney’s office. Multiple witnesses called 911 to report the alleged kidnapping. Some even followed Cooper and reported to dispatch where he was driving.
Because Cooper is charged with felonies, the judge did not ask him to enter pleas because he has not yet been indicted by a Penobscot County grand jury.
Superior Court Justice Ann Murray set bail at $20,000 cash, the amount requested by the prosecution, and ordered that he have no contact with the victim.
Cooper burst into tears and begged the judge to release him on personal recognizance bail so that he could care for his two dogs, return to working as an electrician and attend classes at a community college in central Maine.
“I am innocent,” Cooper, who has lived in Maine about four years, said as he appeared on a screen in a courtroom at the Penobscot Judicial Center.
Chelsea Lynds, the assistant district attorney handling the case, told Murray the victim would be afraid for her safety if Cooper were released, which was why she sought such a high cash bail.
“When she was told of the serious nature of the charges filed against him, she became hysterical and concerned about how angry [Cooper] would be when informed of the charges,” Lynds said in seeking the high cash bail.
Lynds said that police reports did not include information on why the couple was in a rented U-Haul van.
Cooper’s court-appointed attorney may ask a judge to lower his bail or allow him to be on a contract with Maine Pretrial Services to monitor him while on bail. Cooper said he’d be willing to wear an ankle bracelet to track his movements.
Witnesses to the alleged abduction followed Cooper and gave updates on his location to police as he fled north on Stillwater Avenue, according to police. Drivers lost track of Cooper after he turned onto Kelley Road and headed toward Veazie.
Officers spotted him a short time later traveling south on Interstate 95 and pursued him onto Interstate 395 before he stopped near the Hampden exit.
If convicted, Cooper faces: up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000 on the kidnapping charge; up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000 on the eluding charge; up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $2,000 on the domestic violence assault and the criminal restraint charges; and up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000 fine for failing to stop for a police officer.
