A sign above the main entrance to the Maine State House in Augusta. (Jim Neuger/Maine Morning Star)
Republican state Rep. Lucas Lanigan of Sanford will not be ending his reelection bid after legislative Democrats called for his resignation following his arrest last weekend for one count of domestic violence aggravated assault.
When asked whether he is still running to represent House District 141, his lawyer William Bly told Maine Morning Star, “Absolutely he is.”
“We have a principle in this country,” Bly said. “It is presumption of innocence.”
According to a police report, a Sanford police officer alleged that Lanigan strangled his wife after she confronted him and another woman about their reported infidelity.
However, during Lanigan’s first court appearance Wednesday, which he attended remotely via Zoom from inside York County Jail, his wife, Catalina, called the incident a “misunderstanding” and said the case should be dropped. She said her husband was trying to stop her from hurting herself after she had been drinking.
Assistant District Attorney Linda Holdsworth-Donovan said victims regularly recant or downplay their stories after the fact. The state is still pursuing charges.
On Friday, Bly told Maine Morning Star that he thought the calls for Lanigan’s resignation from Speaker of the Maine House Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland) and other leaders of the Maine Democratic Party were disingenuous.
“Wouldn’t that be convenient,” Bly said, referring to Lanigan’s resignation opening up a usually Republican House seat for a Democratic win. Bly said he and his client are not commenting on the incident at this time, except for that he believes his client will ultimately be vindicated.
“In light of this serious offense, it is clear that he no longer has the public’s trust or the ethical or moral standing necessary to serve in the Maine House of Representatives,” Talbot Ross wrote in a statement Tuesday. “Serving the public demands integrity and accountability — values that Representative Lanigan has violated.”
While it is unclear how long an ultimate ruling in the case will take, it’s unlikely to come until whoever wins the 141st District is months into their term. Lanigan’s next appearance in court is scheduled for March.
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