RANGELEY – A Rangeley man faces numerous charges after police say he left the scene of an accident early Sunday. The charges include assaulting a police officer.
Marcus R. Hughes, 20, was arrested and also charged with operating under the influence, assault, disorderly conduct, refusing to submit to arrest, failure to report an accident and leaving the scene of an accident, Police Chief Phil Weymouth said Monday.
Police received a call Sunday from a Rangeley resident who said a green car had struck his truck and took off, Weymouth said.
While officer Aaron Turcotte was looking for the suspect, who was believed to be Hughes, Weymouth said, Turcotte saw three people walking into town, including Hughes.
The officer tried to get Hughes to turn around and stay still so he could pat down his pants legs, the chief said. Hughes spun around and attempted to punch Turcotte and ended up assaulting the officer, he said.
Hughes was belligerent and was not cooperating, Weymouth said, and Turcotte warned him that he would have to use pepper spray on him if he didn’t calm down. Turcotte did use the spray to bring him under control, Weymouth said.
It was the second weekend in a row in which police officers have been assaulted after responding to emergency calls in Rangeley, Weymouth said.
“I think we’re going to end up running a couple officers on the weekend until things calm down,” Weymouth said.
Weymouth said he’s also considering coming out at night to keep an eye on the situation.
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