WILTON – If the rumors were true, the shooter behind the December killing of a contractor here would be behind bars and the local police department would be out an officer.

But as usual, the rumors are just that and the homicide of Raymond E. “Butch” Weed, 40, who was found dead in the entryway of his 32 Main St., Wilton, home on Dec. 23, is still unsolved.

Sgt. Walter Grzyb of the Maine State Police said on Wednesday morning that his phone didn’t stop ringing Tuesday with people calling to ask if it was really true that an arrest had been made in the case.

Numerous calls have also come into the Sun Journal’s office pointing a finger at a Wilton Police Department officer.

Grzyb said that’s the rumor he has been hearing, too, but stressed that, “There is no truth to that.”

While the grapevine in the tri-county area has pinned the crime on several people in the months since the shooting, none of the accusations have spread as quickly or caused as much damage as this newest rumor.

“It took off like wildfire,” Grzyb said of the rumor. “I don’t know how this one got started.”

Grzyb said that the cop in question was absolutely not a suspect, a sentiment confirmed by the chief of Wilton’s police department, James Parker, who said that all of his officers and their families have been cleared by state police detectives.

While Parker says he hasn’t gotten any calls at the station about whether one of his officers had been arrested, he did say that the town manager and selectmen’s phones have been ringing off the hook.

On Wednesday afternoon, Parker admitted that he’s had better days, saying that the rumors hurt both the officer named and the department.

“The rumors are unfounded and unwarranted,” he said. “The Wilton Police Department was the first on scene and we protected the scene until the state police got there. These rumors are unfortunate. It’s unreal.”

Parker pointed out that others beside his officer have been named as the suspect by gossipers, but that doesn’t take away the sting.

“Everyone is talking about it behind our backs, but they won’t ask any of us. The family of the officer is very upset,” he said.

There have been four homicides in the town over the last eight years and all but the Weed shooting have been wrapped up in a few days. This is the first one, Parker pointed out, that is taking time.

As a result, he said, people are getting frustrated. “They’re not getting the answers they need so they start rumors like this one. Hopefully, it will die down, we will get through this and they’ll find the person responsible. This rumor is completely far-fetched.”

While rumors often trigger a break in a case, they can also distract detectives and tie up resources. State police spokesman Stephen McCausland said the rumor in question had no validity and was only a minor diversion for detectives. “It did have a life of its own,” he said.

McCausland said the case remains open and active and that the state police will continue to devote as many resources as they can to solving it. Their resolve today is as strong as it was in December, he said.

In the meantime, police in Wilton are hoping the public will stop speculating on the case until an arrest has been made.

“We want this case to be solved,” said Parker. “But spreading rumors around about my department isn’t going to do any good.”

sdepoy@sunjournal.com

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