Boduc Inmate Allegedly Killed In Fight Over Cigarettes

Prison officials say an inmate at the Bolduc Correctional Facility was allegedly killed in a fight over cigarettes.

According to Centralmaine.com, witnesses told authorities 28-year-old Dana Bartlett of Lewiston was put in a choke hold by 34-year-old Zachary Titus on June 24, 2018. Bartlett and Titus were cellmates, along with two other men. At the time of his death, Bartlett was serving a 16 month sentence for driving a motor vehicle after his license had been revoked as a habitual offender.

Officials say, after the fight, Titus told a corrections officer that Bartlett needed help, but didn't explain what had happened. The officer performed CPR and administered Narcan to Bartlett, as part of a typical emergency response in the prison, but was unsuccessful in reviving him.

The two men had been having difficulties, according to prison officials. A court affidavit states that there was evidence that Bartlett had allegedly punched Titus in the mouth during an altercation a few days earlier. And in a recorded phone call on the day of the fatal fight, Titus accused Bartlett of stealing cigarettes from another cellmate. Correction officers conducted an investigation into the death and said that both Bartlett and Titus had scratches and bruises, while the other cellmates did not.

Titus was charged with murder and has pleaded not guilty.