ROCKLAND — A South Thomaston man was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with all but three years suspended, for physically assaulting a woman Jan. 7 in Rockland.

Anthony M. Kaler, 43, was sentenced Dec. 7 by Justice William Stokes in Knox County Unified Court. Kaler will also serve three years of probation following his release. He was also fined $300 for an assault charge, and found guilty on two counts of criminal mischief, terrorizing and assault from an additional arrest Jan. 8.

Kaler, who has been free on bail since his arrest in January, will begin his sentence Feb. 1.

Rockland Police Detective Joel Neal arrested Anthony M. Kaler, 42, for a charge of gross sexual assault for an attack that occurred Jan. 7, according to the court document.

Earlier on Jan. 8, Kaler had been charged with aggravated criminal mischief, refusing to submit to arrest, criminal threatening and terrorizing for causing $2,000 in damages to a property, and assaulting Thomaston Police Officer Chris Hast. Kaler had been released on $250 bail for those charges, but later that day, the sexual assault was reported and Kaler was arrested again, charged with the new crime, and put back in jail.

Kaler made his initial court appearance Jan. 11 in Knox County Unified Court, with Judge Susan Sparaco presiding.

According to the police report, the victim sustained multiple injuries, including on her thigh, ear, forehead, lip and face when Kaler took her head at one point and smashed her into a window. Kaler also punched a hole in the bedroom wall.

The morning after the attack, Kaler texted the victim and told her “he had blacked out and assumed he owed her an apology.” 

Kaler told Neal that he met the victim a few years ago and was attracted to her, but a relationship did not develop and they were now basically just friends. When Neal asked Kaler about the details of the alleged assault, he said he did not know what happened and had no recollection of the details except that he remembered going to the victim’s apartment. Kaler said he had been drinking that night and took some klonopin and later passed out, according to the police report.

Sarah Shepherd can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com