RUMFORD – A cell phone caller driving on the East Andover Road Wednesday reported that cows were in the middle of the road.

Officer Paul Casey was dispatched to 384 Andover Road to “round up the herd.”

Upon arrival, however, the “herd” turned out to be one stubborn brown and white cow, that, according to its owner, preferred being on the wrong side of the pasture fence.

According to Casey’s report, he advised the owner to keep the cows out of the public way and the rancher agreed to “try and mend the fence to keep the cows inside.”

Oct. 20: Smashed window

RUMFORD – Upon getting an 11:56 a.m. complaint Monday that a man had just punched out the Swift River Health Care door, police dispatched two officers to find him.

About an hour later, the suspect, Norman Johnson, 32, of Rumford, was located on Falmouth Street, arrested and charged with criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, and violation of conditions of release. He was transported to Oxford County Jail in Paris.

Police said Johnson had reportedly gone to the health care clinic at 430 Franklin St. and demanded a refill for a prescription narcotic medication that he had been taking for an injury. When staff refused, Johnson allegedly became upset and swore, breaking the glass door as he left.

According to officer Peter Casey’s report, no damage estimate was listed for the shattered door.

Johnson was arrested by Casey on Oct. 17, charged with operating after suspension and violation of conditions of release, and transported to the county lockup.

Oct. 19: Tire tampering

RUMFORD – At 10:22 a.m. Sunday, police fielded a criminal mischief complaint from a Rumford Avenue resident who claims that someone has been letting air out of her car tires.

According to the investigating officer’s report, the resident said that people had been tampering with her vehicle’s tires all summer long.

But on Sunday, she said that valve stem caps on two of her front tires were missing, and, that recently, she bought a new tire and that has lost air as well. The victim said the amount of air released each time was from three to four pounds.

Oct. 19: Paintball attack

RUMFORD – At 8:53 a.m. Sunday, a Fourth Street resident reported that someone had shot paintballs at his residence overnight, doing $700 worth of damage to vinyl siding.

The complainant said he’d noticed that two different walls had been peppered with between 20 and 25 shots of blue paint. Because the paint could not be washed off, the siding had to be replaced, according to the investigating officer’s report.

Police, who have a suspect in the case, said paintballs, which are normally water-soluble, do not wash off on vinyl siding.

Oct. 17: Bomb threat

RUMFORD – At 10:44 a.m. Friday, a Mountain Valley High School custodian filed a terrorizing complaint, saying that the school had just received a bomb threat.

Police were told not to use light or sirens upon arrival. Investigating officer David Bean reported that someone had written on a wall in the first-floor boys’ restroom that a bomb was in the school. The Hancock Street facility was searched by school staff, who found no explosives.

As of Wednesday, police still had no suspects in the case.

Oct. 11: Rape charge

RUMFORD – At 1:15 p.m. on Oct. 11, police received a call from a young Rumford woman who said she had been raped overnight and assaulted.

After the assaults, the 19-year-old girl alleged that her assailant had also cut all the phone lines in the house so she couldn’t contact police and attempted to lock her in a room.

At 2 p.m., following an investigation, John A. Lee, 20, of Rumford, was arrested and charged with gross sexual assault, domestic assault, criminal restraint and violation of conditions of release.

At the time of his arrest, Lee had been out on bail after being arrested in Franklin County for eluding a police officer and refusing to submit to arrest.

After failing to post either $15,000 cash or $150,000 surety bail on the Oct. 11 charges, Lee was transported to Oxford County jail.

Oct. 7: Arrest warrant

RUMFORD – Kris Welch, 21, of Rumford, was arrested Oct. 7 on an Oxford County Superior Court warrant for failure to appear for trial four days earlier.

After failing to post bail of either $1,000 cash or $20,000 surety, Welch was transported to Oxford County Jail. But the story didn’t end there.

A Superior Court clerk said Wednesday that the warrant was issued after Welch failed to show for an Oct. 3 trial concerning alleged charges of misdemeanor assault and criminal restraint, said to have occurred on Nov. 27, 2002, in Rumford.

Welch did show up for the rescheduled trial on Oct. 15, but the prosecuting district attorney dismissed the case for lack of evidence.

“He was given a date to appear and when he did appear, the district attorney dismissed it,” the clerk said.

According to the clerk, the victim, who was 16 years old at the time of the purported incident on Nov. 27, 2002, said she couldn’t remember details of the matter now and “doesn’t want to testify.”

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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