SANFORD - A Springvale District Court judge upheld the $1 million bail for a man who recently moved to Maine from Texas and now stands accused of trying to murder his girlfriend Sunday.

Geoffrey D. Reese, 26, had his initial court appearance today, appearing via video from the York County Jail.

Reese is charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting Tanya Y. Garza, 32, then leaving her beside the road in Saco. Police said she was shot twice in the torso.

Garza's condition was upgraded today from critical to serious, according to a spokeswoman at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Prosecutors described Reese as a “a career criminal with no ties to the state of Maine” in arguing to maintain the unusually high bail.

Geoffrey D. Reese / Source York County Jail

District Court Judge Michael Cantara opted to keep Reese’s bail at $1 million. In the event he is released, he is to have no contact with Garza and may not drink or use drugs.

Reese and Garza are domestic partners, from the same Texas community near Houston, according to Saco Police Sgt. David Loranger.

A status hearing for the case was set for July 16 in York County Superior Court, unless Reese is indicted by a grand jury before then.

Garza was discovered at about 3:13 a.m. Sunday by a man on his way to work who found her on the side of Cascade road two-tenths of a mile east of Route 1, and remained with her until help arrived. Loranger said she had been there only a few minutes.

Garza was conscious, Loranger said, and was able to identify her attacker.

Reese was arrested about an hour later as he was leaving the couple's room at the Seabreeze Motel in Old Orchard Beach. According to court testimony, the couple had been there since January.

Loranger said Reese appeared to be trying to get rid of Garza's belongings, some of which were boxed up and some found in a dumpster.

The couple appeared to be about to leave town, Loranger said. Their rental car, which police searched later Sunday, was due to be returned on Monday, he said. They were in the car the night of the shooting, Loranger said, and evidence taken from the rental car will be analyzed by the Maine State Police lab.

When police searched the motel room, they found a pistol hidden in the ceiling tiles, Loranger said.

Reese said little during his court appearance. He said he could afford a lawyer but taken no steps to get one and was counseled by the court’s lawyer of the day.