Ex Portsmouth Cop Pleads Guilty to Assault

Aaron Goodwin, a former Portsmouth police sergeant who was fired in 2015, has pleaded guilty to assaulting a local bank executive last November outside Gilley’s Diner.

The victim of the assault, Mamadou Dembele, is an executive with Bangor Savings Bank.

Last December, Dembele, who is Black, alleged the incident was a ‘racist’ attack.

Aaron Goodwin was never accused by prosecutors of uttering racist or discriminatory remarks during the late-night encounter.

Goodwin admitted guilt in Hampton District Court Tuesday morning to a single count of simple assault on November 22, 2023, the evening before Thanksgiving.