A Bath man has admitted he assaulted four guards at Two Bridges Regional Jail last May, in what a prosecutor called the “most egregious” attack by an inmate since the Wiscasset jail opened. Kelby Hampson, 20, pleaded guilty in Lincoln County Superior Court October 3 and was ordered to serve 3 years of a 4-year prison term.

Following a plea deal, Assistant District Attorney Andrew Wright had recommended Hampson serve 4 years. Each of the Class B charges was punishable by at most 10 years in prison, but Wright said later that he was satisfied with the case's outcome. “It's probably the biggest sentence I've seen for assaulting a guard.”

Hampson is remorseful and he apologized to each of the officers in court, his defense lawyer Lisa Whittier said October 5. “He took full responsibility,” she said. At the time of the crimes, “he just snapped,” Whittier said. “He’s a young kid and bad things have happened to him.”

The sentence Hampson received pleased the jail's administrator, Mark Westrum. Prison is “exactly where he needs to be,” Westrum said October 4. “It was a cowardly attack by an inmate we had tried to work with.”

Hampson came up behind Officer Paul Rubashkin on May 22 and began hitting him, giving Rubashkin a black eye and knocking his glasses off his head, Westrum said.

Other officers responded within about 20 seconds and the other inmates cooperated in a lockdown, Westrum said. It took four officers to subdue Hampson “because the guy was so out of control,” he said. He praised the officers involved, saying they are well-trained and kept the situation from getting worse.

In addition to the prison time, Justice Andrew Horton gave Hampson 3 years' probation and ordered him to pay Rubashkin and fellow corrections officer James Bailey a total of $765 in restitution.

Police have said Hampson spat on Bailey, kicked Officer Eric Major in the head and kicked Officer Timothy Willette in the face.

Hampson's guilty pleas came less a week after he maintained his innocence when arraigned in the same Wiscasset courtroom. A grand jury indicted him on the charges September 11.

Susan Johns can be reached at 844-4633 or sjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com.