Corey Ater

PHIPPSBURG — Police arrested a Phippsburg man Tuesday evening for allegedly assaulting a woman and cutting her with a knife.

Police responded to a reported domestic assault on Lewis Way at around 6:15 p.m. after a woman had allegedly been threatened, assaulted and cut with a knife, according to a news release.

The victim escaped to a neighbor’s house, where the neighbor called 911.

Deputies seized the kitchen knife involved in the incident.

The Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Deputies have charged Corey H. Ater, 31, with aggravated assault, criminal restraint and violation of conditional release. The criminal restraint charge is a Class A crime punishable by up to 30 years incarceration and a  $50,000 fine. The aggravated assault charge is a Class B crime punishable by up to 10 years incarceration and a $20,000 fine.

“This is still an ongoing investigation but we believe that he held his estranged wife in the home for a number of hours and that the assaults took place over the course of this time,” Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry told The Times Record on Wednesday.

The victim was treated at the scene by Phippsburg Fire and Rescue before being transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland due to the extent of her injuries. She was still in the hospital Wednesday afternoon, according to Merry.

Ater was taken to Mid Coast Hospital for an evaluation and then to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset. He is being held without bail, pending arraignment later Wednesday.

A 4-year-old child was present during the alleged assault, but wasn’t harmed and was later handed over to family members. Merry said the state Department of Health and  Human Services would be notified of the incident as part of the investigation.