Bernier may face jail time in DC sex abuse case

Michael Bernier (Courtesy photo)

The former Milton selectman candidate whose run-ins with local police have grabbed headlines in recent months will be sentenced on Thursday in Washington on charges of sexual abuse against a female.

Michael Bernier, 48, of Felker Drive, Milton, who garnered 30 percent of the vote in elections in March, was arrested by District of Columbia Police on May 8 and charged with first-degree sexual abuse, a felony.

The charge was reduced to a misdemeanor, but Milton Police Chief Richard Krauss said today he believes that could still draw some jail time.

Bernier faces trial here next Tuesday in Rochester District Court on a slew of charges brought forward by Milton Police, including two criminal threatening charges, a disorderly conduct charge and two stalking charges which all occurred between Jan 1 and March 11.

Bernier apparently has been incarcerated in a DC jail ever since his arrest.

On May 21 online DC court documentation shows that Bernier pleaded guilty and the charge was reduced to misdemeanor sex abuse.

The Lebanon Voice has sought to obtain a DC arrest mugshot of Bernier, but DC jail officials said they do not provide media with mugshots.

The Lebanon Voice has been trying for several weeks to speak with Bernier’s public defender, the prosecutors’ office and the DC police to obtain details of the case, but no information has been forthcoming.

Bernier’s relationship to the victim is unknown.

Meanwhile, Bernier faces a host of charges at his upcoming Rochester trial, including a Misdemeanor A count of criminal threatening against a family member on Jan. 1, one misdemeanor B count of criminal threatening and one misdemeanor B count of disorderly conduct for a Feb. 2 incident near his house and two misdemeanor counts of stalking regarding a March 11 incident at the Emma Ramsey Center on Election Day.

The two stalking charges are for being in close proximity to Milton Police Officer Cpl. Andrew Magargee, who was the victim of the criminal threatening incidents on Feb. 2. The two criminal threat counts from that day have been rolled into one misdemeanor count, according to a court clerk.

In the Feb. 2 incident Bernier was arrested for allegedly creating a disturbance near his Felker Drive home and during transport threatening Magargee.

Bernier, meanwhile, claims Magargee made a disparaging remark about his run for selectman after his arrest.

Bernier is also charged with making more criminal threats while being booked at Strafford County Jail.

Bernier has said in the past he thinks Milton Police have been out to get him for years.

Bernier, who will be represented by a public defender at his June 10 trial, faces a year in jail on the Jan. 1 criminal threatening charge.