Coverage spread: 2 sources — 1 center · 1 right
Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.
Where they agree
- Troy Jackson has publicly acknowledged punching a man during a 1988 altercation in Fort Kent, Maine.
- The fight stemmed from a dispute involving his longtime partner, Lana Pelletier.
- Both Jackson and Pelletier dispute the police report’s claim that he “pushed her around” afterward.
- The report was first surfaced by the Bangor Daily News, nearly 40 years after the incident.
Where they differ
- The New York Post provides a detailed play-by-play of the 1988 fight, including the kicked-in door, throat grab and threat; The Hill’s account is much shorter and omits most specifics.
- The New York Post ties the story to Jackson’s broader reputation, citing a separate water-bottle-throwing accusation against a female colleague; The Hill does not mention this.
- The New York Post includes full quoted statements from both Jackson and Pelletier, while The Hill offers only a brief paraphrase of their response.
- The New York Post notes Jackson and Pelletier are second cousins and details the case’s legal outcome (a possible $50 fine, destroyed court file), details absent from The Hill’s report.
A 1988 police report obtained by the Bangor Daily News shows Maine Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson, then 19, broke into a home in Fort Kent, Maine, and punched a romantic rival during a dispute over his longtime partner, Lana Pelletier. Jackson has confirmed the fight took place and said he “took responsibility” for it at the time and still does, while he and Pelletier both deny a separate line in the report stating he “pushed her around” afterward.
What does the police report say happened?
According to the report, at around 2 a.m. on March 12, 1988, Jackson went to a house in Fort Kent, a small town on the Canadian border, apparently over Pelletier, described in the document as his girlfriend at the time. When the man inside told Jackson to leave, Jackson kicked in the door, grabbed the man by the throat and punched him in the face, cutting him when the blow knocked his glasses into his skin. Jackson reportedly warned the man to “stay away from” Pelletier “or else.” A friend eventually pulled the two apart after the victim grabbed Jackson’s arm. The report also states that Pelletier told police Jackson shoved her following the altercation and that she planned to seek a “cease harassment” order against him, though there is no record she ever followed through.
What do Jackson and Pelletier say now?
Jackson, now 58, told the New York Post that “nearly forty years ago, when I was 19 years old, I got into a fight with another man. I took responsibility for it then, and I take responsibility for it now.” He denied ever being violent toward Pelletier or any other woman and said the incident does not reflect who he is today. Pelletier, who The Post notes is also his second cousin and the mother of his two adult children, disputed the specific claim that he pushed her, saying she does not remember making that statement to police and that it isn’t accurate. She said the two have built a life and family together and vouched for the man he has been over the decades since.
What happened to the case legally?
The Bangor Daily News reports this 1988 incident is the only criminal case ever tied to Jackson, and the underlying court file has since been destroyed. There are indications he paid a $50 fine to resolve the matter, though no formal charges or record of a conviction remain accessible today.
Why is this surfacing now?
Jackson is the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, set to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins. He became the nominee last month after the party’s original pick, Graham Platner, dropped out following rape allegations from a former girlfriend. The report’s re-emergence adds to existing questions about Jackson’s temperament: The New York Post notes he has previously faced accusations of throwing a water bottle during a heated exchange with a female colleague in the Maine Senate, an incident his campaign has acknowledged occurred but says was not directed at her.
Where do the two outlets differ?
The New York Post’s account is far more detailed, laying out the specific sequence of the 1988 fight, quoting both Jackson’s and Pelletier’s full statements, and tying the story to Jackson’s broader reputation, including the water-bottle incident and the circumstances of his nomination after Platner’s exit. The Hill’s coverage is brief, essentially confirming that Jackson acknowledged the punching incident and that he and Pelletier dispute the pushing allegation, without providing the fuller narrative, direct quotes, or campaign context found in The Post’s report.
What’s not yet clear
The identity of the man Jackson punched has not been reported, and neither outlet indicates he has spoken publicly about the incident. It’s also unconfirmed whether Pelletier ever pursued the harassment order she reportedly told police she intended to seek, and there’s no additional documentation beyond the police report itself, since the original court file no longer exists.
Sources
Featured photo: Allagash High School via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)