HAILEY TRAYNHAM - 2 yo (2009) - Parental - ME / NH

Maine police have issued the state's
first Amber Alert for a missing 2-year-old girl who was taken by her
father after he allegedly assaulted the girl's mother at her Sanford
apartment.Authorities are searching for 38-year-old Gary
Traynham and his daughter, Hailey, who was taken from her mother at
11:15 a.m. Monday.
GARY TRAYNHAM
This is the first Amber Alert issued in Maine since the system went into effect in December 2008.Police
believe Traynham and the girl may be in eastern New Hampshire.
According to the Amber Alert broadcast in New Hampshire, Trayham was
seen in Alton around 5 p.m.
HAILEY TRAYNHAM
Traynham is driving a 1998 green Dodge 1500 pickup truck with Maine registration 8629NB.He
is described as 5-foot-11, 230 pounds with balding brown hair, hazel
eyes and a dark goatee. Police say the girl has shoulder-length blond
hair and blue eyes.

An Amber Alert issued as part of a search for a missing Maine girl has been extended to Vermont.

The
Vermont State Police activated its Amber Alert system just before
midnight Monday as part of what is now a three-state search for
2-year-old Hailey Traynham who is believed to be with her father,
38-year-old Gary Traynham.

Police in Maine say Hailey was taken from her mother late Monday morning in Sanford.

Police initially thought Traynham might have been traveling to the Lakes region of New Hampshire.

Traynham is thought to be driving a 1998 green Dodge 1500 pickup truck with Maine registration 8629NB.

He
is described as 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing 230 pounds with balding
brown hair. Police say the girl has shoulder-length blond hair and blue
eyes.

Police across New England this morning were
continuing to search for 2-year-old Hailey Traynham, whom they say was
abducted by her father, Gary Traynham Jr., after he allegedly assaulted
the girl’s mother just before noon Monday.

“We met with the
Federal Bureau of Investigation last night,” said Sanford Police Chief
Thomas Connolly this morning. “They’ll help us do some investigative
things.”

A nationwide warrant for Traynham, charging gross
sexual assault, was issued late Monday, said Sanford Deputy Police
Chief Craig Sanford.

The Journal Tribune does not identify victims of sexual assault.

Traynham
allegedly assaulted his girlfriend, from whom he was recently
estranged, at her Sanford apartment and then left with the little girl.
He is said to be driving a green 1998 Dodge 1500 pickup truck with
Maine registration 8629 NB.


After the alleged assault, Connolly said the three walked out of the apartment together. Traynham was allegedly intoxicated.

“The
mom was trying to turn the tension away because of Hailey. They exited
the apartment together and when they were outside, he took Hailey and
left,” said Connolly.

State, county and local police across New England have been on the outlook for Traynham and Hailey.

“My question is, ‘Where is he?’” said Connolly this morning. “Somebody must have seen her.”

The truck is stolen – Traynham had borrowed it from a co-worker, Connolly said.


State
Police issued the Amber Alert for Hailey late Monday afternoon. At that
time, police believed Traynham may have been in the Lakes Region of New
Hampshire. The Vermont State Police activated its Amber Alert system
just before midnight Monday.

Police said Traynham is 5 feet, 11
inches tall and weighs about 230 pounds. He is balding and has brown
hair, hazel eyes and a dark goatee.

Hailey has shoulder length
blond hair, blue eyes and weighs between 35 and 50 pounds, according to
a statement issued by Maine State Police.

Police described the
assault on the girl’s mother as “violent.” Deputy Chief Sanford
acknowledged a knife was involved, but he did not elaborate. The woman
was treated at Goodall Hospital Monday and released later that night,
Connolly said.

“She was very seriously assaulted,” said Connolly.

Traynham is considered dangerous, but Connolly said police have no indication he is armed with a particular weapon.

Connolly said police received several calls Monday night of possible sightings of the truck.

“None turned up any good, investigative leads,” he said.

Maine Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland this morning said the public is taking a keen interest in the case.

“It is anticipated that will continue. Our hope is this will end peacefully and quickly,” said McCausland.

As
well as the FBI and police agencies across New England, the appropriate
border authorities have been alerted, the police chief said.

Traynham
was arrested on a warrant Oct. 26 charging he negotiated a worthless
instrument – a bad check. Connolly said Traynham has some traffic
infractions and that police had been called to the residence that day
for domestic issues, but at that time, the disputes were not physical
in nature.

“There were domestic disagreements, but nothing like this,” said Connolly.

Both Traynham and the child’s mother have accounts on the social networking Web site Facebook.

This morning, his friends urged him to come home and release Hailey, whom both his parents referred to as “Peanut.”

“Do what’s right,” one friend urged.

Traynham
and the mother of his child have been estranged for the past couple of
weeks, said Sanford. He has apparently been living in Kennebunk. Police
said the couple had no custody agreement.

Traynham posted a
message on his girlfriend’s Facebook page Oct. 26: “Off to good ol’
work. See you and Peanut when I get home. Love ya very much. xoxo.”

Traynham, 38, is a graduate of Sanford High School.

Reached by telephone this morning, a spokeswoman said the family had no comment at this time.

The incident marks the first use of Amber Alert in Maine since it was adopted in 2008, police said.

Traynham has an older child from a previous relationship. Deputy Chief Sanford said the family had been notified.

“All I want is that little girl safe,” said Sanford.

“We’re
trying to do everything we can to locate them,” said Connolly at press
time. “Now, the most important thing is for someone to see him and call
us.”

Police say a missing 2-year-old Maine girl who was allegedly taken by her father has been recovered and is OK.

Police tell Foster's Daily Democrat that Hailey Traynham was found in a
Milton home. The girl was found with her father, 38-year-old Gary
Traynham, who has been arrested and is due to appear in court later
this week. State police say he's being held in New Hampshire on a
fugitive charge from Maine.

Traynham was reportedly hiding in
the woods with his daughter when he was spotted by a hunter, who took
them to a home, where they waited for police.

Hailey
disappeared Monday after Traynham allegedly assaulted the girl's mother
at her Sanford apartment. He faces a gross sexual assault charge in
connection with that attack.

A 2-year-old Maine girl has been reunited with her mother after her
father allegedly abducted her, triggering the state's first Amber Alert
and a 30-hour manhunt that spanned three states.

Hailey Traynham and her mother were reunited Tuesday night in Sanford
after a deer hunter spotted her and her father in a pickup truck on a
logging road in New Hampshire.

An Amber Alert was issued Monday after police said 38-year-old Gary
Traynham of Kennebunk assaulted the girl's mother — his estranged
girlfriend — and fled in a stolen pickup truck.

Hailey's mother filed court papers
Nov. 4 seeking a custody hearing for Hailey. In court documents, she
said the three had stopped living together as a family Oct. 26.

The mother of the little girl who was the subject of Maine's first Amber Alert is speaking out.
Lisa Gould, 32, wanted to publicly thank law enforcement officials,
the public who searched for her daughter and the hunter who found her.
An Amber Alert was issued Monday after police said 38-year-old Gary
Traynham of Kennebunk assaulted the Gould -- his estranged girlfriend
-- and fled with their daughter Hailey in a stolen pickup truck.
Gould said she is really thankful Hailey is home and safe. She said
her daughter is in great shape, and hasn't said anything about what
happened to her while she was missing for a day and a half. She would
not discuss the confrontation that happened before Traynham allegedly
fled.
Gould spoke with Michael Grant on the phone. He's the hunter
who found Hailey and her dad in the pickup truck a dirt road in Milton,
New Hampshire. She said, "I thanked him and started crying." They are
planning on meeting each other face-to-face.

Gary Traynham made an initial court appearance via closed circuit
video in New Hampshire on Thursday. He did not speak. He is being held
on a fugitive of justice charge. Maine, New Hampshire and federal
prosecutors are all involved in the case.
In Maine, Traynham is charged with gross

sexual assault and burglary. Those charges are expected to be upgraded.

A 38-year-old Maine man who allegedly abducted his 2-year-old daughter
and triggered the state's first Amber Alert is being held without bail
in New Hampshire pending his extradition to Maine.

Gary Traynham of Kennebunk, Maine, is wanted on charges of gross sexual
assault and burglary. He was arrested in Milton, N.H. on Tuesday after
a hunter found Traynham and his daughter in a green pickup truck down a
dirt road.

Traynham was arraigned by video feed from county jail in Rochester District Court on Thursday.

Foster's Daily Democrat reports prosecutor Kathryn Smykowski requested
no bail, typical for those held as a fugitive from justice.

Traynham has an extradition hearing Nov. 20.

The man accused of kidnapping his
2-year-old daughter and triggering Maine's first Amber Alert is
scheduled to be in a New Hampshire court room Friday afternoon.Gary Traynham is scheduled for an extradition hearing in Rochester at 1 p.m.Traynham faces charges of gross sexual assault and burglary in Maine.Police said he assaulted his daughter Hailey's mother before taking the child.Last
week, Traynham made his initial court appearance in New Hampshire. He
faces fugitive from justice charges in New Hampshire.A hunter found Traynham and his daughter in Milton, N.H., a day after the Amber Alert was issued.

The man who disappeared with his daughter for 30 hours and prompted
Maine's first use of the AMBER Alert system waived his extradition back
to that state Friday.

Gary Traynham, 38, of 72 Old Falls Road in
Kennebunk, Maine, is wanted on warrants out of Sanford on charges of
gross sexual assault and burglary. Rather than fight his extradition in
Rochester District Court Friday, he waived his hearing and can be
handed over to Maine authorities.

Defense attorneys Cynthia
Robinson and Pamela Jones represented him in Rochester. His hearing was
over in a matter of moments. Strafford County Sheriff's officers then
guided him back to a vehicle that would return him to Strafford County
jail. As he walked back to the vehicle, he declined to comment about
his case.

After the hearing Robinson had little to say, citing
her client's right to confidentiality. She would only say that he
decided to waive extradition but would not elaborate on how he came to
that decision.

Traynham is accused of breaking into Lisa Gould's
Sanford apartment on Nov. 9. During a news conference last week, Gould,
Traynham's ex-girlfriend, said she and their 2-year-old daughter Hailey
returned from a morning of shopping to find Traynham already inside her
apartment. They had recently broken off a five-year relationship, she
said.

During the confrontation, Traynham allegedly assaulted
Gould before taking their daughter in a stolen pickup truck across
state lines. Authorities put three states on notice that Hailey was the
subject of Maine's first AMBER Alert. Emergency television and radio
broadcasts, electronic signs posted along major roadways and an
increased police presence along those roads were constant reminders of
Hailey's turmoil.

The search was particularly intense in
Strafford County and the Lakes Region. Police had information Traynham
could be headed for the Lakes Region and focused their efforts on
patrolling Route 11 on Nov. 10.

Late that afternoon, Mike Grant
Jr., a hunter from Milton, came across the green pickup with Traynham
and his daughter inside. Grant convinced Traynham to give himself up
and brought him to the home of former Wakefield Police Chief Timothy
Merrill. Police soon converged on the home, arrested Traynham and
returned Hailey to her mother in Maine.

Traynham has stayed in county jail since his arrest. With extradition waived, he now will be handed over to Maine authorities.

It
is standard for the York County Sheriff's Office to retrieve a suspect
from county jail and return him or her to Maine, Strafford County
Administrator Ray Bower said.

It was not immediately clear when
Maine authorities intend to pick Traynham up. They had not done so as
of 3:30 p.m. Friday and Bower said there was no information on when
they would arrive.

According to Sanford Police Sgt. Jason
Wagner, Traynham will likely be arraigned in Alfred Superior Court by
video from York County jail either Monday or Tuesday, depending on when
he arrives in Maine.

The man who prompted the state's first AMBER Alert earlier this month
returned from New Hampshire without incident Tuesday afternoon.

Gary
Traynham, 38, of 72 Old Falls Road in Kennebunk, is scheduled to be
arraigned in Alfred Superior Court by video from York County Jail at
8:30 this morning.

Sanford police issued warrants for Traynham
on charges of gross sexual assault and burglary stemming from a Nov. 9
incident in which he allegedly broke into the apartment of his
ex-girlfriend, Lisa Gould, and took their 2-year-old daughter, Hailey,
in a stolen pickup truck across the New Hampshire border.

As a
result, officials from three states — Maine, N.H. and Vermont — called
an AMBER Alert and scoured Strafford County and the Lakes Region until
Traynham and Hailey were located about 30 hours later by Mike Grant
Jr., a hunter from Milton, N.H., who came across them in the truck,
which was parked in the woods.

Grant convinced Traynham to
surrender and brought him to the home of former Wakefield Police Chief
Timothy Merrill. Authorities arrested Traynham and returned Hailey to
her mother in Maine.

Traynham, held in Strafford County Jail in Dover, N.H., since his arrest, waived extradition in Rochester District Court Friday.

Strafford
County Administrator Ray Bower said he saw Traynham leave in the
custody of York County authorities Tuesday afternoon. He added the
transfer occurred without incident.

"We didn't have any problems with his incarceration at all," Bower said.

Milton
Police Chief Mark McGowan said New Hampshire officials must wait for
Traynham's case in Maine to be completed before going forward with a
fugitive from justice charge against him.

He added the case is in the hands of the Strafford County Attorney's Office.

The man who triggered Maine's first AMBER Alert made his first
court appearance in the state Wednesday morning, less than 24 hours
after he was returned to Maine from Strafford County Jail in Dover, N.H.

Gary
Traynham, 38, of Kennebunk, Maine, was arraigned in York County
Superior Court in Alfred on a charge of gross sexual assault — a class
A or felony offense — and is being held without bail in York County
Jail.

Attorney Amy Fairfield represented Traynham at the hearing.

Justice
Paul A. Fritzsche informed Traynham of the charge against him and told
him he was not expected to enter a plea at the hearing. Fritzsche told
Traynham that his next court appearance would be Feb. 26, and that if
he was indicted by a York County grand jury by that time, he would be
expected to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty.

Traynham, a
Sanford native, is accused of violently assaulting his former
girlfriend in her Sanford apartment on Nov. 9 and abducting their
2-year-old daughter, Hailey. Traynham then fled with Hailey.

After
gathering evidence from the apartment and interviewing Hailey's mother,
Sanford police requested a warrant for Traynham's arrest and determined
that the abduction met the criteria for an AMBER Alert.

As
police received information indicating that Traynham might be in New
Hampshire, the AMBER Alert was extended to that state and then to
Vermont as well.

Traynham and the child's mother, Lisa Gould,
were together for about five years and had broken off their
relationship a few weeks before the Nov. 9 incident.


It is the policy of Foster's Daily Democrat not to name victims of
sexual assaults; however, Gould, who is 32, talked to reporters at a
Nov. 12 news conference about the search for her daughter, the impact
the alleged abduction had on Hailey, and especially, the outpouring of
help and support she received from the community.

In
a police affidavit, Gould said she left her apartment at about 9:30
a.m. on Nov. 9 and returned at about 10 a.m. She did not lock the door,
she said, because she planned to return shortly and knew that the
outside doors to the apartment building are always locked. When Gould
and her daughter returned Traynham was hiding in the apartment. She
told police that he flung her across the living room and she landed on
the dining room floor. He then fastened the deadbolt on the door as
Hailey stood by it screaming, according to the affidavit.

He
straddled her as she lay on the floor and strangled her with his hands
to the point that she blacked out, Gould told a Sanford police officer.
She said she "thought this would be it," according to the affidavit.
She said Traynham told her that "he didn't care what happened and that
what he was about to do to her would totally end his chances with her,
but he didn't care because his chance was already over." He also told
her he had spent the night in the laundry room of the building, which
is directly below her apartment.

He then forced her into the
bedroom where she saw "duct tape, a large knife, vodka, and cranberry
juice all laid out on the nightstand table." She told police that the
items had not been there when she had left the house earlier.

Gould told police that Hailey was also in the bedroom and that she begged Traynham not to hurt her in front of their daughter.





He forced her onto the bed and again strangled her "to the point where
she saw stars and felt her body relax," Gould said. When she awoke, she
said Traynham was sexually assaulting her.

Gould
said she was yelling, thinking that her neighbors would hear her and
call for help. Traynham cut pieces of duct tape with the knife and put
them over her mouth, but she kept pulling it off as she fought him,
scratching his face, neck, chest and arms. He also attempted to silence
her by putting duct tape, as well as his hands and the bottle of vodka
in her mouth.

Finally, she told police, she began telling
Traynham "what she thought he wanted to hear in an effort to save
herself and Hailey." She said she tried to convince Traynham that they
should all go to the park and was able to get him and Hailey out of the
apartment.

Seeing the maintenance supervisor for the building,
Gould said she motioned to him to come help her. She said she attempted
to call 911 on her cell phone, but Traynham took the phone from her. As
the maintenance supervisor approached Traynham, Gould ran to the next
building and went to the manager's apartment. The woman called 911 and
would not let Gould leave "for her own safety," according to the police
affidavit.

The maintenance supervisor saw Traynham put Hailey in a green Dodge pickup truck he had borrowed.

About
30 hours after Traynham took Hailey and drove away, the green pick-up
truck was spotted on a dirt road in Milton, N.H. by Mike Grant Jr., an
area resident who was out hunting. Gary and Hailey Traynham were in the
vehicle. Grant convinced Traynham to turn himself in and drove him and
Hailey to the nearby home of a friend.

Gary Traynham was charged
with being a fugitive from justice and taken to Strafford County Jail
pending an extradition hearing and was transported back to Maine on
Tuesday.

According to court documents, after spending the night in the laundry
room below his ex-girlfriend’s apartment, Gary Traynham, the man behind
Maine’s first Amber Alert, allegedly strangled her and took her into
her bedroom where there was a bottle of alcohol, duct tape and a knife
where he sexually assaulted her in front of their 2-year-old daughter.
Traynham was ordered held without bail during his initial appearance in York County Supreme Court on Wednesday, Nov. 25.
Traynham,
38 of Kennebunk, allegedly took his daughter, Hailey, to New Hampshire
after police say he sexually assaulted his ex-girlfriend Nov. 9.
According
to an affidavit filed by Sanford Police Det. Sarah Roberts, Traynham
was hiding behind the door of his ex-girlfriend’s apartment on Nov. 9
when she came home with their daughter. Traynham then repeatedly choked
and assaulted the woman, according to the affidavit.
After the
assault, police said the woman convinced Traynham to go to the park
with her and their daughter. Once outside, the woman motioned to her
apartment’s maintenance man and escaped while Traynham was distracted,
according to the affidavit. Traynham then put Hailey into a green 1998
Dodge pickup, borrowed from his friend, according to the affidavit.
After
running to her landlord’s apartment and notifying the police, the woman
was taken to Goodall Hospital in Sanford while the Sanford Police began
their search for the missing child, according to the affidavit.
Deputy
Chief Craig Sanford said his department received the call and had to
find enough information before proceeding with the investigation.
“If someone tells you something, you got to look into it make sure its accurate. People say a lot of things,” said Sanford.
Sanford said there was no paperwork for the custody of Hailey.
“If there is nothing in writing, both of you have the right to the child,” he said.
Sanford
said the police had no reason to believe Traynham had left the state at
first, but after tracing Traynham’s cell phone, police realized he was
most likely in New Hampshire.
The Amber Alert System is a voluntary
partnership between law enforcement and broadcasters. The alert system
is intended for serious child abduction cases for the public’ss help
locating a missing child. According to the system’s Web site, it has a
number of guidelines before it will go into affect: Police must confirm
abduction, the child must be 17 years old or younger, police must
believe the child is at serious risk and there must be sufficient
descriptive information. The State Police controlled Amber Alert
System had been available for seven years in Maine, but was not used
until the Nov. 9 call to find Hailey.
Sanford said after the alert
was activated, police received a flood of phone calls claiming alleged
sightings of the truck from as far away as Florida and one possible
valid sighting of Traynham and his daughter at a McDonald’s restaurant
in New Hampshire.
The next morning, Michael M. Grant Jr., 40, of New Hampshire, came upon the truck in the woods, according to Sanford.
Traynham is expected to make his next court appearance on Feb. 26 to enter a plea. He is being held at the York County Jail.

ALFRED, Maine — The Kennebunk man who prompted Maine's first Amber
Alert when he absconded across state lines with his daughter after
allegedly assaulting his former girlfriend was indicted this month.

A
York County grand jury indicted Gary Traynham, 38, formerly of 72 Old
Falls Road in Kennebunk. The indictments, released this week, charge
Traynham with four counts in connection with a Nov. 9 break-in at the
residence of Lisa Gould, his former girlfriend and mother of his
2-year-old daughter Hailey.

Traynham was indicted on a charge of
gross sexual assault, a Class A crime, alleging he "engaged in a sexual
act with Lisa Gould, who submitted as a result of compulsion." He was
indicted on a charge of aggravated assault, a Class B crime, for
allegedly causing bodily injury to Gould "under circumstances
manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life."

An
indictment on a Class B charge of burglary alleges he broke into
Gould's Sanford apartment and a Class D indictment claims he committed
criminal restraint when he restrained Gould.

It is the policy of
Foster's Daily Democrat not to publish the names of alleged victims of
sexual assault. However, in the days following the disappearance and
discovery of Traynham and Hailey, Gould spoke to media outlets at a
news conference about the alleged abduction and its impact on her and
her daughter.

A Sanford Police affidavit filed in court states
that officers were called to an apartment at 17 Timber Ridge Ave. to
investigate a reported gross sexual assault on Nov. 9. Gould told
responding officers that Traynham broke into her home, sexually
assaulted her and left with Hailey, the affidavit said.

When
Gould entered her apartment at 10 a.m. that day, Traynham was allegedly
already inside. According to the affidavit, he was hiding behind the
door, flung Gould across the living room and dead-bolted the door. He
then allegedly straddled Gould on the floor and strangled her to the
point of unconsciousness. He then forced her into the bedroom, where
duct tape, a large knife, vodka and cranberry juice were laid out on a
nightstand. Those items were not there when Gould left the house
earlier that morning, the affidavit said.

Gould continued to
struggle as Traynham allegedly sexually assaulted her. The affidavit
claims Hailey was standing in the bedroom when the assault occurred and
Traynham called to her, "Hailey come over."

Gould attempted to
talk to Traynham to stop the attack, the affidavit said. They
eventually made their way outside, where a maintenance person
intervened. He watched Traynham place Hailey without a child's car seat
in a borrowed green Dodge 1500, the affidavit said.

While Gould
went to the hospital for an evaluation, the green pickup truck became
well known to people in three states over the next 30 hours.
Authorities issued Maine's first Amber Alert, putting Maine, New
Hampshire and Vermont residents on the lookout for the truck containing
Traynham and Hailey. The alert was issued through television, radio,
cell phone text messages and other means. Local communities,
particularly in northern Strafford County, N.H., were saturated with
the reports.

The saturation paid off for authorities the next
afternoon, when Mike Grant Jr., a hunter from Milton, located the truck
down a dirt road off Route 153. Grant said he knew right away what he
had come across and he managed to convince Traynham to turn himself in.
They spoke about relationships for some time and Traynham cried during
the talks, Grant said.

After turning himself in, Traynham waived
extradition to Maine. He remains incarcerated in York County Jail. His
next court appearance is scheduled for the last week in February, when
he will enter a plea to the four charges he was indicted on this month.

-- The man connected to Maine's first Amber Alert appeared in court Friday morning to answer to the charges against him.
Gary Traynham, Jr., 38, pleaded not guilty to charges of gross
sexual assault, aggravated assault, burglary and criminal restraint.
Prosecutors say that in November, Traynham broke into the Sanford
home of his ex-girlfriend, sexually assaulted her and took their
2-year-old daughter.
Traynham and the girl were found the following day in New Hampshire by a hunter.

Judge to decide on bail for Traynham

Nov. 5, 2010
ALFRED, Maine -- A judge is expected to decide next week whether or not Gary Traynham will be allowed to go free on bail before his trial.

Traynham faces several charges included gross sexual assault, burglary and criminal restraint.

Prosecutors say in November 2009, Traynham attacked and raped his ex-girlfriend before taking off with their 2-year-old daughter.The incident triggered Maine's first-ever Amber Alert.

Traynham has been held since his arrest. A trial date has not been set.

Bail denied for Mainer who triggered Amber Alert

November 16, 2010

PORTLAND, Maine—A 39-year-old man who triggered Maine's first Amber Alert after allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend and abducting their 2-year-old daughter has had his bail request denied.

According to the Portland Press Herald, Superior Court Justice G. Arthur Brennan ruled that Gary Traynham, of Kennebunk, will remain in jail as he awaits trial on charges of gross sexual assault, aggravated assault, burglary and criminal restraint.

Prosecutors say Traynham broke into his ex-girlfriend's Sanford apartment last November, sexually assaulted her and took off with their daughter, which sparked the state's first Amber Alert.

Traynham and the girl were found the following day in New Hampshire.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in the trial of Gary Traynham.Police
said after Traynham assaulted his former girlfriend in November of
2009, he took their 2-year-old daughter, triggering Maine's first Amber
Alert.Traynham faces charges of gross sexual assault, aggravated
assault, burglary and criminal restraint. He is accused of physically
and sexually assaulting his former girlfriend in her Sanford apartment.Police said following the attack, Traynham took the couple's daughter, Hailey.Nearly
30 hours after Hailey was reported missing, a hunter in New Hampshire
recognized the truck Traynham was driving as well as Hailey and notified
police.Traynham turned himself in a short time later and has been held at the York County Jail ever since.

http://www.wmtw.com/r/27021785/detail.html

Prosecutors told jurors today that the man who prompted Maine's first Amber Alert raped the mother of his child and choked her.

Gary Traynham, 39, of Kennebunk is on trial in York County Superior
Court on charges of gross sexual assault, aggravated assault, criminal
restraint and burglary. He is not charged with any wrongdoing in
connection with taking his daughter, Hailey, from Sanford to New
Hampshire, where he ultimately turned himself in.

Traynham's lawyer, Amy Fairfield, told jurors that Traynham is a devoted
father, who was often prevented from seeing or speaking with his
daughter by her mother, Lisa Gould.

Fairfiled said that Traynham and Gould fought the morning of Nov. 9,
2009, but there is no evidence that Traynham raped his ex-girlfriend.

http://www.pressherald.com/news/Opening-arguments-in-trial-Amber-Alert-trial.html

The jury in the trial of Gary Traynham deliberated for three hours on Friday before adjourning for the weekend.

The
trial, being held in York County Superior Court, began Tuesday and
wrapped up Friday morning with closing arguments by Assistant District
Attorney Thad West and Traynham's defense attorney, Amy Fairfield.

Traynham,
39, is charged with gross sexual assault, aggravated assault, burglary
and criminal restraint, for allegedly breaking into the Sanford
apartment of his former girlfriend, Lisa Gould, assaulting her and then
fleeing in a borrowed pickup truck with their 2-year-old daughter.

The
November 2009 incident triggered Maine's first Amber Alert, and
resulted in widespread news coverage both in Maine and neighboring New
Hampshire, where Traynham and his daughter were finally found.

The
activation of the Amber Alert system triggered emergency television and
radio broadcasts and information on electronic signs on major highways
to alert the public that a child had been abducted. Police patrols were
also increased in targeted areas.

Sanford Police responded to a
911 call following the alleged incident and, after gathering evidence
from the apartment and interviewing the victim, they requested a warrant
for Traynham's arrest. They also determined the abduction met the
criteria for an Amber Alert.

Traynham and his daughter were
located 30 hours later on a dirt road in Milton, N.H., by a hunter who
recognized the vehicle from the description given in the Amber Alert.
The hunter convinced Traynham to turn himself in.

Traynham has
been held at the York County Jail in Alfred since his arrest. A request
in November 2010 that he be free on bail while awaiting trial was
denied.

Addressing the jury on Friday, Thad West reviewed the
charges against Traynham, pointing out that, according to Gould's
testimony as well as the testimony of other witnesses, Traynham was
guilty of a violent rape with an attempt to strangle the victim.

Reviewing
evidence presented during the previous three days, West mentioned the
pickup truck that Traynham borrowed the morning of Nov. 9, 2009, saying
he had an appointment with the Department of Health and Human Services.

"Instead he bought beer," West said.

Traynham
was seen that morning in the parking lot of Gould's apartment complex,
West said. And his cell phone records show that he had made several
phone calls to Gould the morning of Nov. 9 and in the days leading up to
that time — evidence that Traynham was "stalking" Gould, West said.

West
acknowledged that although an internal test (rape test) did not find
Traynham's DNA on Gould, she had his DNA under her fingernails from her
struggle with him. West drew jurors' attention to a photo of Traynham
showing the cuts and scratches inflicted by Gould.

He also
referred to strips of duct tape that were found in Gould's apartment and
with which, Gould said, Traynham had allegedly bound Gould during the
assault.

West pointed out that much of the evidence supports
Gould's testimony, but that in Maine jurors do not have to rely on the
amount of evidence presented.

"If you believe her, that is enough," West said.

During
her closing arguments, Amy Fairfield portrayed Gould as either a woman
with a "selective memory," a liar, or both. Fairfield cited Gould's
frequent responses to questions during her testimony — "There was a lot
of, 'I don't remember,' and 'I can't recall,'" Fairfield said.

"I think what it comes down to is, can you believe Miss Gould?" Fairfield asked the jurors.

Fairfield
said her client admitted that he and Gould had an altercation, that
they had argued, and that when he and his daughter were found, he
admitted to Michael Grant (the hunter who found them) that he had taken
his daughter from Gould and fled. But, Fairfield pointed out, Traynham
also told Grant — "a complete stranger" — that he did not sexually
assault Gould.

Fairfield pointed out several inconsistencies in Gould's statements.

She
recalled for the jury that Gould said (during her testimony on
Thursday) that she was not able to yell for help because of the injuries
she sustained when Traynham strangled her. But, Fairfield pointed out,
another witness, a neighbor who lived upstairs from Gould, said he had
heard Gould yelling, "Don't take my baby!"

Fairfield also
recalled that a doctor had stated that Gould's windpipe was fine, that
there were no internal injuries and that her injuries were consistent
with being grabbed around the neck.

She pointed out
inconsistencies in Gould's responses to questions about the alleged
sexual assault. Asked when it had happened, Fairfield said Gould had
said during her testimony that "it must have happened when she passed
out." When asked about it again, Fairfield said Gould had responded, "I
think something happened."

As for the numerous phone calls from
Traynham, Fairfield said her client was calling because he wanted to see
his daughter. She read a summary of calls Traynham made to Gould
between Oct. 27 — the day after he moved out of the apartment he and
Gould and their daughter shared — and Nov. 9, 2009. The summary showed
that Traynham called several times a day, and one day he called 14
times.

"Yes, he was calling her because he wanted to see (his daughter)," Fairfield said.

"Things aren't always as they seem," she said.

After
about an hour of deliberation on Friday, the jury sent a note to
Justice G. Arthur Brennan requesting clarification on issues concerning
items found at Gould's apartment and on Traynham's right of access to
the apartment.

The jury will reconvene on Monday at 9 a.m.

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110305/GJNEWS_01/703059920

A York County jury Monday afternoon
found the man accused of triggering Maine's first Amber Alert guilty on
two charges, but could not reach a verdict on two others.Gary
Traynham was convicted of aggravated assault and criminal restraint.
The jury deadlocked on the charges of gross sexual assault and burglary.Prosecutors
said Traynham sexually assaulted Lisa Gould in front of their daughter,
who was 2 at the time, and then took the child to New Hampshire.That triggered Maine's first Amber Alert.A hunter found Traynham and his daughter the next day.Traynham's lawyer said his client adamantly denies that he sexually assaulted Gould.Traynham will be sentenced in two weeks.Prosecutors have not said if they will retry Traynham on the gross sexual assault and burglary charges.

http://www.wmtw.com/r/27103660/detail.html

The Maine man convicted of aggravated assault and criminal restraint for
assaulting his former girlfriend and then fleeing with the couple's
2-year-old daughter has asked the court to overturn the jury's decision.

Gary Traynham, 40, has filed, through his attorney, a motion for judgment of acquittal on the charge of aggravated assault.

Traynham
was charged with gross sexual assault, aggravated assault, burglary and
criminal restraint for allegedly breaking into the Sanford apartment of
his former girlfriend, Lisa Gould, assaulting her and then fleeing in a
borrowed pick-up truck with their daughter.

The November 2009
incident resulted in Maine's first Amber Alert and in widespread news
coverage in Maine and New Hampshire, where Traynham and his daughter
were found 30 hours later.

The Amber Alert system triggered
emergency television and radio broadcasts and information on electronic
signs on major highways to alert the public that a child had been
abducted. Police patrols were also increased in targeted areas.

Jurors
heard more than three days of testimony during the weeklong trial
earlier this month. They deliberated for more than eight hours over two
days before returning guilty verdicts on the charges of aggravated
assault and criminal restraint, but were unable to reach a unanimous
decision on the charges of burglary and gross sexual assault.

In
her motion for a judgment of acquittal, Traynham's attorney, Amy L.
Fairfield, argued that no reasonable jury could have concluded that,
based on the evidence presented at the trial, Gould's injuries met the
criteria for aggravated assault as described in Maine law.

When
Traynham was indicted by a York County grand jury in January 2010, he
was charged with "aggravated assault/indifference," or, according to the
statute, intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causing bodily injury
to Gould "under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the
value of human life."

Those circumstances, according to the
Maine Criminal Code, "include, but are not limited to, the number,
location or nature of the injuries, the manner or method inflicted, or
the observable physical condition of the victim."

Fairfield's
motion for acquittal states that, based on the evidence presented at
trial, the jury could have concluded that Gould "sustained bruising and
red marks on her neck consistent with... having had pressure applied to
her throat by a human hand or hands, that pressure was in fact applied
by a human hand or hands...," but also "that she suffered no long-term
injuries, and that her objectively observable injuries were...
relatively unremarkable in appearance."

Traynham does not dispute
that Gould suffered "bodily injury" during the Nov. 9, 2009 incident,
according to the motion, but that the evidence does not show that the
injury was inflicted with "extreme indifference to the value of human
life."

According to the motion, the Maine Law Court has held that
extreme indifference requires "a serious impairment to life as a
value..." and that even if the assault did not result in death or
serious bodily injury, death or bodily injury was "reasonably likely to
result from the defendant's conduct in light of all the circumstances
surrounding it."

Fairfield points out in the motion that a
medical doctor, George Stockwell, D.O., testifying for the defense, said
Gould's injuries were relatively minor and that there was no evidence
of petechiae — small red dots caused by damage to tiny blood capillaries
right under the skin — "which would very likely have resulted from a
strangulation taken to a point at or near unconsciousness... "

Fairfield also points out that the state's medical witnesses did not contradict Stockwell's observations.

The motion asserts that "no reasonable jury could therefore conclude beyond a reasonable doubt"
that Traynham's conduct showed an extreme indifference to the value of
human life. Fairfield asks that the court therefore enter a judgment of
acquittal on the charge of aggravated assault.

A hearing on the motion has been scheduled for April 14 in York County Superior Court in Alfred.

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110330/GJNEWS_01/703309949&template=RochesterRegion

Traynham Attorney Seeks Acquittal

Gary Traynham Convicted Of Assault


POSTED: 3:26 pm EDT April 20, 2011
UPDATED: 4:02 pm EDT April 20, 2011

ALFRED, Maine -- The lawyer for the man accused of sparking Maine's first Amber Alert was in court Wednesday asking a judge for a motion for judgment of acquittal.

Gary Traynham never faced any charges in connection with taking his daughter across state lines, but he was convicted last month of aggravated assault and criminal restraint related to a fight involving his daughter's mother.A jury dead-locked on the more serious charges of gross sexual assault and burglary.

Traynham's lawyer argued Wednesday that the victim's injuries did not rise to the level of an aggravated assault charge and the conviction should be thrown out.If the judge grants the acquittal on the aggravated assault conviction, the defendant will be sentenced solely on the criminal restraint conviction, which carries a maximum of one year in prison.

The judge said he would have a decision by Friday.

A York County Superior Court judge has denied a bid by a Kennebunk
man to overturn a jury’s guilty verdict on an aggravated assault
charge.

Gary Traynham, whose flight to New Hampshire with his
2-year-old daughter, Hailey, in November 2009 sparked Maine’s first
Amber Alert, was originally charged with four counts involving his
former girlfriend, Lisa Gould. A jury in March deliberated more than
eight hours and convicted Traynham of aggravated assault and criminal
restraint, but deadlocked on two other charges: Gross sexual assault and
burglary.

His attorney, Amy Fairfield argued Wednesday that the
evidence in the case did not support the aggravated assault charge of
bodily injury inflicted “under circumstances manifesting extreme
indifference to the value of human life,” as required by statute.

Justice
G. Arthur Brennan wrote that there was “no question” that Traynham
intentionally and knowingly caused some measure of harm to the victim.

“The
issue is whether the evidence supports the jury finding that the bodily
injury occurred under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to
the value of human life,” Brennan wrote in the order denying the
request for a judgment of acquittal.

Traynham and Gould had been a couple, but reportedly split up about two weeks before the Nov. 9, 2009 incident.

Traynham
was accused of assaulting Gould in her Sanford apartment, throwing her
across a room and choking her. She testified at trial that she blacked
out, and said when she regained consciousness she was being sexually
assaulted. She was treated at hospital.

Fairfield, Traynham’s attorney, noted that no follow-up medical care was ordered.

Following
the incident, Traynham then scooped up their 2-year-old daughter and
drove away. The pair was found by a hunter on a woods road in Milton,
N.H. about 30 hours later. None of the charges Traynham faced involved
the little girl.

Brennan noted that three doctors testified at
trial and agreed that manual strangulation is dangerous and can cause
death or serious injury.


“The degree of risk involves the amount and duration of the
pressure applied to the neck, with loss of consciousness an important
factor,” Brennan wrote. “Extreme indifference requires a showing, under
all circumstances surrounding the event, of serious impairment to life
as a value; a showing that while death or serious bodily injury did not
occur, nevertheless a grave result was a reasonably likely outcome.”

He
concluded that on the facts presented – viewed most favorably to the
state as required by law – a rational jury could conclude that the
bodily injury suffered by the victim met the requirements of the
statute.

Assistant District Attorney Thaddeus West told reporters
following a hearing Wednesday that he had not yet decided whether to
recharge Traynham with gross sexual assault and burglary, the two
charges that had the jury deadlocked.

Sentencing on the aggravated assault and criminal restraint charges has not yet been set.

Aggravated
assault is a Class B felony and carries a maximum sentence of 10 years
in prison. Criminal restraint is a misdemeanor, which carries a maximum
sentence of 364 days in jail.

http://www.journaltribune.com/articles/2011/04/23/news/doc4db2217b1ba4a334707017.txt

Man in Maine Amber Alert case sentenced to 6 years in prison

June 07, 2011 - 2:31 pm
ALFRED, Maine — A Maine man who triggered the state's first Amber Alert is going to prison for six years.

Gary Traynham, of Kennebunk, was sentenced Monday in
York County Superior Court for assaulting his former girlfriend and
taking off with their 2-year-old daughter to New Hampshire in November
2009. He was convicted in March on charges of aggravated assault and
criminal restraint.

According to WMTW-TV, Traynham will be on probation for five years once his sentence is complete.

The 39-year-old Traynham broke into his ex-girlfriend's
Sanford apartment and took off with their daughter, setting off a
30-hour manhunt across three states. Traynham and the girl were found by
a hunter the following day on a logging road in Milton, N.H.
___
Information from: WMTW-TV, http://www.wmtw.com