One of the men allegedly assaulted an officer who was trying to arrest him.

RUMFORD – Police responding to a reported fight in progress at the Barnboard Restaurant and Lounge early Sunday morning ran into more than they expected.

When the dust cleared four people had been arrested on a variety of charges, including assault on an officer.

Those arrested were:

• Christopher Tyler, 36, of Bethel, on a charge of disorderly conduct by officer Daniel Garbarini. He was released on $300 unsecured bail.

• Scott Pawlowski, 24, of Peru, on a charge of disorderly conduct by officer Garbarini. He was released on $300 unsecured bail.

• Michael Chiasson, 27, of Rumford, on charges of assault on a police officer, disorderly conduct and failure to submit to arrest by officer James Bernard. He was released on $10,000 surety bail.

• Diane Bouchard, 23, of Rumford, on charges of disorderly conduct, refusal to submit to arrest, and obstructing government administration by officer Bernard. She was released on $300 cash bail.

According to Sgt. Tracy Higley, Rumford police were called to the Barnboard on Oxford Avenue at 12:30 a.m. Sunday to resolve a fight in front of the lounge.

When Garbarini arrived, he saw State Trooper James Nolan handcuffing Tyler, who had allegedly been fighting with Pawlowski.

While Garbarini, Nolan, Bernard and Rumford officer Eric DeWitt were attempting to restore calm, another fight broke out, according to Bernard’s report. However, the combatants broke it off and cooperated with police, leaving the scene, Higley said.

Then a third incident arose wherein Chiasson reportedly confronted Bernard and became aggressive, he added.

“Officer DeWitt stepped in to assist Officer Bernard and Chiasson assaulted DeWitt,” Higley said. “While Chiasson was fighting with both officers, who were attempting to arrest him, Bouchard, Chiasson’s girlfriend, began fighting them.”

Neither officer was injured.


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