Inmate attempts escape from jail, falls off roof

AUBURN — An Androscoggin County Jail inmate scaled a razor-wire-topped fence, scampered across a roof and fell to the ground outside the jail in an attempt to escape at about 9:30 a.m. Friday morning.

State of Maine

A mug shot of Antonio Abreu, taken from the Maine sex offender registry.

Antonio Abreau, a 40-year-old convicted sex offender, fell to the county building's parking lot on Turner Street and was taken away by ambulance minutes later.

According to Sheriff Guy Desjardins, the man was seriously injured by the razor wire along the top of the chain-link fencing. Witness said it appeared Abreau also struck his head in the fall.

He was being treated Friday night at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston where he was listed in stable condition.

"Right now, we're conducting an investigation, which is a criminal matter, so we can't discuss it," Jail Administrator John Lebel said.

Abreau is considered a high-risk sex offender.

In 1992, he was convicted of raping a woman in the Washington County town of Perry. In that attack, police said, Abreau broke into the home of a woman in her late 60s and threatened, assaulted and raped her.

He was later caught and served a portion of a 20-year prison sentence.

Abreau was convicted of aggravated assault in 2005 in connection with the stabbing of 23-year-old Michael Lagasse in Lewiston, and sentenced to serve seven years in state prison, with all but two years suspended. He had originally been charged with attempted murder, but that charge was later dismissed.

He has since been released from prison, and is serving the end of three years' probation. According to jail officials, Abreau was being held on a probation violation following his arrest by Sabattus police. He had been at the jail since June 27.

The escape forced the Auburn-Lewiston YMCA, next door on Turner Street, into an immediate lockdown. YMCA employee Laura Langlin of Livermore said she was looking out of a third-floor window when she witnessed the escape attempt.

Inmates were in a courtyard behind the building when Langlin noticed a shadow near the top of the fence.

"I saw him climb up and over the fence, then run across the roof," she said. Other inmates in the yard appeared to be cheering him on as guards responded.

The man was wearing overalls, but he had taken off the top part of the one-piece uniform and lost a shoe as he ran across the roof.

"He started climbing the other fence, the fence on the other side, and I looked away to call the other people here to see what was going on," Langlin said. She looked back just in time to see him fall to the ground, flat on his back.

Desjardins said Abreau was with other inmates in the recreation yard. All inmate recreation has been suspended while jail officials investigate the attempted escape.

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Clearly tron must have

Clearly tron must have complained, feeling like people ganged up on him..he can call people bigots, racist and accuse them of being in the KKK and yet no warnings, no removal of his posts, but call him an idiot and the powerrs that be come down hard....way to be reasonable and fair LSJ...

i only have 8 kids from 28 men

i only have 8 kids from 28 men

 's picture

Hmm, was he jealous that you

Hmm, was he jealous that you were spending the kids welfare money on the current live in boyfriend (oops fiance) rather than on him?

 's picture


everyone sure are cranky today...too nice out to be so snarky....

Your nothing but a liar Mysticvixin Pam B.

Posting for a friend. July 2 at 9:27pm First of all, this man was 21 years old, drunk and did somethng really foolish approximately 20 yrs. ago to land him on the offender list, and it had "nothing" to do with a child. She was an adult and he's very sorry about it and his past. Alcohol does crazy things to 21 yr. old men sometimes. He served his time for that for many years. He's 40 yrs. old now and has come a long way. The second charge regarding a stabbing was protecting a girl he felt he had to protect in the combat section of Lewiston. Nonetheless, he did his time for that too. His life is ruined and it will follow him forever. He is very soft-spoken, kind, and a true gentleman. This man will never lie even if it will get him into trouble, he refuses to lie. He's the most honest man I have ever met. You people on these blogs judge him and are so cruel and don't know the story. I'm sure this attempt to "so call" escape as Sun Journal put it, was really an attempt on his own life. He tries to make a life, work and be a good citizen, and wants to see his kids (with no money for attorneys and having gone to court to get an Order on his own for visitation). I applaud him for wanting to be a good father. The mother of his 2 children will not let him see them even after the court has ordered her to do so. She wants the new tattooed/pierced daddy for the kids. This man has a hard time to keep jobs to pay support, to have a place to live due to his past that has followed him for 20 years, but he keeps trying to work and sometimes successfully finds something (and he gladly pays support when he can work). He served his time but has this hanging over him forever. I don't know why the Sun Journal just printed he tried to escape. I know him and would think it was an attempt to put an end to it all. He has been very depressed about his children living in filthy conditions with 3 grown adults on Welfare/Disability and 4 kids in a 1 bedroom apartment (with head lice around). Add those checks up with all those people in that apartment together and they have more money than all of us, but the kids sure don't look it. He just wants to see his kids and they are excited to see him too. They love their daddy. The new boyfriend and mom just don't want him to be in the kids' lives. There was a witness the boyfriend threw the first punch and missed (in front of the kids!). Wouldn't anyone punch back in self-defense? DHS ought to do some serious investigation at that home and the kids should not be living in a 1 bedroom apt. with 3 people on Welfare/Disability and 4 kids. They should also be looking in drawers, holes in walls, ceiling tiles, etc. to see where our money is going. Whose money is paying for the tattoos and piercings? Would that be our money? If the mother of those kids gets mad that there were punches thrown in front of the kids, I think she should kick her fiance out who threw the first punch. How about dressing the kids with the TANF money instead of buying wedding bands for the upcoming October wedding. The kids want to see "their" daddy and it's very selfish for a so-called-mother to keep them from him and try to replace him with a boyfriend of the month. Court orders do no good, she still doesn't go by the rules. And she's to blame for him doing this, and it wasn't an attempt to escape. He was in jail for punching the replacement dad-of-the-month in self-defense. There was a witness watching the whole thing. That's my thoughts, so go at it you cruel bloggers. The word sex offender does't mean it was with a child and it happened 20 years ago. He is very sorry and wishes he could turn the clock back. He did his time. Alcohol makes people do foolish things at 21 yrs old, especially when one doesn't have the traditional family and upbringing and didn't stand a chance from the get go. You people don't know the half of it. He's truly sorry and is a good person. And I mean it when I say this man will not tell a lie. He is the most honest man I have ever met. I truly hope he recovers and can move on from this. However, he wasn't trying to escape from jail. I'd be willing to bet he wanted to escape from all the problems. Try living his life, you'd want to end it too. I honestly don't know how he's kept going and had such a good outlook for so long. I think he's just had enough this time.

Inmate Escape

If Tony's x wife would not have been keeping him from seeing his kids he would not be in jail at this time. And if her boyfriend wouldn't have been egging him on,, he took the first punch but missed cause he's a moron. I hate b....... who use there kids as pawns after they've split from there husbands. I have met Tony and he is a very laid back person and very polite, he dosen't deserve to be in jail, his x b...... wife does.

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I hope I'm wrong

ojhuig - I sure hope I'm wrong in assuming your post really says that most inmates are sick and belong in a hospital NOT JAIL - I think that this guy belongs in a hospital ... only because he is getting CASTRATED!!

Pour vinegar on his wounds...

Let's see..ummm..gross sexual assault, aggravated assault, with 7 year sentence and all but 2 years suspended...then a knifing on top of that and he is done serving his time...only in there for a probation violation...this dude belongs behind bars and never let out..pour the vinegar on his wounds and call it good...he doesn't deserve free care that I am sure he is getting, while others can't get help for anything after paying in the system all of their WORKING lives!!!

Simon Diaz's picture



 's picture

He is fully aware of that.

He is fully aware of that.

Simon Diaz's picture

but I copied and paste. Some

but I copied and paste. Some reporters admit their mistakes and correct them, other just correct them and try to make others look foolish. Obviously this reporter is in the latter, and probably a friend of yours, since you're making as ass of yourself.

John Chick's picture

Don't you mean...

...FIRE! There's no getting "ready," he just starts shooting at anything and everything. (I hope he's not a hunter.)

John Chick
Monmouth, ME




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