A Portland man is being held on $250,000 bail on charges that he tried to kidnap a woman off the street in Rockland on Wednesday.
Shane J. Hall, 29, made his first court appearance in the case Friday and is being held at Knox County Jail in Rockland on felony charges of kidnapping, aggravated assault, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, eluding an officer, and misdemeanor charges of refusing to submit to arrest and driving to endanger.
Details of the attempted kidnapping were included in an arrest affidavit filed with the court, in which the officer said the victim told him she had been walking home, playing Pokemon Go on her phone when she saw a car drive by her and stop. The driver got out and ran to her. She tried to run away but he caught up to her and threw her to the ground before forcing her into the car.
The woman lost consciousness after her assailant grabbed her around the neck and punched her.
While she was in the back seat of the car, she called 911 and hid her cellphone. When she saw a police officer behind the vehicle, she kept fighting her abductor, even though he drew a knife.
Hall is accused of leading police on a chase through downtown Rockland before the woman grabbed his hair, causing him to crash the car into a tree. He tried to escape through the car’s sunroof before he was arrested by officers at the scene.
Assistant District Attorney Jeff Baroody recommended the bail amount along with conditions that, in the event of release, Hall have no contact with the victim, not be allowed to posses weapons and check in daily with the Rockland Police Department. Judge Susan Sparaco approved the bail and conditions in Knox County Unified Court.
Hall has not yet entered a plea.
Defense counsel for the day, William Pagnano, did not contest the bail amount, saying he believes it’s in Hall’s interest to accept the amount and consult with his attorney once one is appointed to him. “One could argue it’s excessive,” Pagnano said of the bail amount. “We’re not saying it’s reasonable.”
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