A Greenbush man captured by Penobscot County Sheriff’s deputies after being shot at during an alleged home invasion Monday pleaded not guilty to a trio of charges during his first appearance before a judge Wednesday.
Justin Masters, 33, of Greenbush pleaded not guilty to criminal trespass and criminal mischief, both Class D crimes, and failure to submit to arrest, a Class E crime.
He appeared remotely from the Penobscot County Jail in Bangor.
Superior Court Justice Ann Murray set bail at $2,000 cash or $10,000 in property and ordered him to have no contact with the alleged victims. Masters also must report to a hospital for a mental health evaluation within 24 hours of his release.
He is next due in court on Oct. 5.
The sheriff’s office charged Masters with two counts of burglary, a Class B crime, but the Penobscot County District Attorney’s office did not go forward with those felony charges.
Masters was arrested after he allegedly tried to break into two homes on Greenfield Road in Greenbush, prompting one homeowner to fire a gun at the man, according to the sheriff’s office.
While deputies were responding to the first call reporting an attempted home invasion, they were informed of a second break-in on the same road. When deputies arrived in the area, 15 minutes after the first report of the break-ins, Masters was standing in the roadway.
He did not comply with sheriff’s deputies and ran but was quickly apprehended, according to the sheriff’s office.
Masters was taken to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center to be evaluated, according to the sheriff’s office, and then to the Penobscot County Jail, where he remained Wednesday.
If convicted, Masters faces up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $2,000 on the Class D crimes. He faces up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000 if convicted of refusing to submit to arrest.
