Maine prosecutors drop charges against ex-Wells pastor accused of endangering senior

WELLS, Maine — Prosecutors have dismissed charges against Peter Leon, 73, of Wells, a former local pastor who stood accused of endangering the welfare of an elderly woman and trying to take control of her finances.

As a result of a 2017 indictment, Leon had been facing charges of intentionally and recklessly endangering the woman, whom he had met at an assisted-living center in Kennebunk while he was volunteering as a pastor there. At the time, Leon served as pastor of Wells Branch Baptist Church.

Also related to the case, Leon had been facing charges of criminal restraint, criminal trespassing, criminal mischief, and theft by unauthorized taking or transfer, according to court documents.

The state dismissed all of the charges on July 11. Assistant Attorney General Kyle Myska was not available to provide the reason. He did not return a message left for him on Aug. 1.

During a recent interview, Leon said the charges should have never been brought forward in the first place.

“I was confident it was going to come to a favorable conclusion, without any guilt, because I didn’t do anything illegal,” he said.

In 2017, authorities said Leon allegedly had ingratiated himself with the elderly woman, who owned a home in Kennebunkport but was no longer able to live there, due to physical and mental incapacity.

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Police alleged that on at least two occasions Leon took the woman from her assisted-living center, even though he was not permitted to do so. One of those trips was to the woman’s bank, where she withdrew money. Leon was accused of using the money to change the locks on the woman’s Kennebunkport home.

Following these alleged interactions, the woman’s conservator contacted the Kennebunk Police Department and, on her behalf, sought a protection order against Leon.

The woman died in 2020, according a Portland Press Herald report.

During an interview in 2017, Leon said the charges against him, accusing him of trying to wrest control of the woman’s finances, were “alleged” and “not true.”

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Now, six years later, with the charges against him dismissed, Leon called himself a minister and a Christian and said he relied on a passage in the Bible, from Proverbs, to trust in God for a favorable outcome to his legal challenges.

“I’m very thankful to the judge, the prosecutors and my attorney for doing due diligence,” he said. “Especially, I am thankful to God for His deliverance from all of this.”

Leon said another charge against him — in this case, a 2019 one alleging he violated an order not to be in the vicinity of the woman — is expected to be dropped within 90 days.

Asked why the case against him took six years to play out, Leon mentioned a number of motions that were filed, issues related to his legal defense — at times he represented himself, and at others was represented by attorneys — and delays forced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leon has not always had an outcome favorable to him when faced with legal woes. In the fall of 2017, a jury in York County Superior Court found him guilty of assaulting a teenage girl at a McDonald’s in Sanford. According to the Class D misdemeanor charge brought against him, Leon allegedly touched the girl and made sexual comments to her in 2016.

During the trial, the jury watched surveillance video that showed a man, confirmed to be Leon, entering the fast-food restaurant, approaching the girl, appearing to speak to her, and touching her in the areas of her back and shoulders. The video also showed the girl leaving the restaurant, with her mother entering the place moments later and confronting Leon.

A judge fined Leon $300 and sentenced him to 60 days in jail, all of which were suspended. Leon also was ordered to seek counseling, including training on sexual harassment, and to stay away from the teenage girl and her family.

Several years ago, Leon coached tennis at the high schools in Wells and Kennebunk. In 2014, he ran as a Republican for the Maine Legislature but lost to his Democratic opponent.

During his recent interview, Leon said he is seeking legal remedies that would allow him to resume some form of ministry.

For some in the community of Wells, Leon has been a controversial figure during these years of court cases involving him. In its recent article, the Portland Press Herald reported that some of Leon’s former parishioners and neighbors, who were hoping to see him held accountable at a trial at York Judicial Center in Biddeford last month, were instead blindsided when the charges against him were dismissed.

When asked why he thought some people in Wells feel wary and apprehensive toward him, Leon said such individuals comprised a small group “that has been obstinate and opposed to my ministry.”

“They took the face value of the charges as being committed,” he said, referring only to the case involving the elderly resident at the assisted-living facility. “There are only a few people who feel adverse ... My family and friends support me.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Maine drops charges against ex-Wells pastor accused of endangering senior