Orrington man pleads guilty, avoids additional jail time in 2019 shooting

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - An Orrington man previously on trial for attempted murder had that charge and others dropped on Monday.

In exchange, 36-year-old Jordan Bishop pleaded guilty to three remaining charges in connection with the 2019 Downtown Bangor shooting.

Bishop admitted to three felonies: elevated aggravated assault, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, and aggravated criminal mischief. The charges of aggravated attempted murder, attempted murder, and aggravated assault were dropped.

Bishop will serve no additional prison time under the plea deal that a Penobscot County judge accepted on Monday.

In May 2019, Bishop shot and wounded another man outside a restaurant on Harlow Street.

His trial began in Bangor last week. On Friday, jurors said they were deadlocked and were supposed to resume deliberations Monday morning.

Instead, lawyers reached a deal.

”It appeared that at least one or maybe more of the jurors were prepared to exonerate this man for this egregious conduct, and that made us a little concerned. So, we decided that we would enter into this agreement where he pled guilty to some serious felonies and put on probation for a long period of time,” said Christopher Almy, Penobscot County district attorney.

”Jordan is a really good guy, a veteran. He served the country. He suffers from PTSD, and the resolution we reached results in some serious convictions. He’s got a lot of jail time hanging over his head, but the important thing is he can continue with his treatment. He has his freedom. He’s on probation. So, I think everything worked out well,” said Don Brown, defense attorney.

Bishop’s sentence includes six years of probation and an order to pay up to $6,000 in restitution.

He faces nearly two decades in prison if he violates that probation.

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