Police say Joel I. Franck’s occupation has nothing to do with the charges.

LEWISTON – A local neurosurgeon was arrested late Tuesday night charged with attacking a woman in her Webster Street home.

Police arrested Dr. Joel I. Franck shortly before 11 p.m. on charges of assault, terrorizing and criminal mischief.

Franck, who practices at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, was taken to the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn. Because the doctor was on call for emergencies at the time of his arrest, he was released within a half hour on $200 bail, jail officials said.

The woman Franck is accused of assaulting did not require hospitalization, police said. Officers were continuing to speak with her about the incident on Wednesday as the investigation continues.

Police were called to the single family home on Webster Street at about 10 p.m. Tuesday, according to arrest reports. Franck, who lives with his wife on Auburn-Pownal Road in Durham, was arrested a short time later.

Investigators on Wednesday were not discussing details about Franck’s relationship with the woman he is accused of assaulting and terrorizing.

Police also said Franck’s standing in the medical community was not a factor in their investigation.

“It really isn’t pertinent to us what he does for work,” said police Chief William Welch. “It was a domestic violence situation and the officers had probable cause to make an arrest.”

Franck began practicing medicine in Lewiston in 1986, working mostly at Central Maine Medical Center. In 1992, he filed allegations of malpractice against another physician at the hospital and a court battle began.

CMMC administrators accused Franck of improperly disclosing another physician’s patient records. Franck accused the hospital of flinging accusations in order to oust him from the practice.

In 1993, a federal judge ruled that CMMC was legally entitled to expel Franck from its hospital community. The doctor went to work as an independent physician working in the St. Mary’s medical community shortly after.

Franck has at least one patent for a device he co-developed to help treat tremors and other neurological disorders.

“He’s proven himself to be a fine neurosurgeon in our eyes,” said St. Mary’s spokesman Sean Finland.

He did not have details about Franck’s arrest and there was no comment about the incident from the hospital.

Lewiston police Officer Tom Murphy, the arresting officer, was continuing to investigate the charges against Franck on Wednesday.

The doctor could not be reached for comment at his home and did not return phone messages Wednesday night.

It wasn’t known when Franck was expected to appear in court on the charges against him. The charge of assault alleges offensive physical contact with the victim. Terrorizing alleges a communicated threat of violence while criminal mischief pertains to alleged property damage.

As part of bail conditions, Franck was ordered to stay away from the alleged victim as well as her home.

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