By Rebecca Goldfine,Staff Writers

PARIS – An Oxford County grand jury has formally accused a Bethel man of felony theft, a charge that stems from an investigation of missing money from the Bethel Rotary Club.

William Craig Alford, 48, was arrested in April after Rotary Club officials suspected he might be embezzling funds from their organization. Alford served as treasurer for the club for the past four years.

About $62,000 is missing from the club’s coffers, Police Chief Alan Carr said.

The June grand jury also indicted 48 people on various charges,

Richard T. Hamilton, 53, of Norway, was indicted on four charges of felony gross sexual assault after allegations arose that he had sexually assaulted a child under than 12 years old in 2005.

Kurt W. Sturtevant Sr., 40, of Mechanic Falls was indicted on two counts of gross sexual assault and three counts of unlawful sexual conduct against a minor under 14, crimes allegedly committed in 1998, 2003 and 2005.

Jason Michael Brown, 28, of Paris was indicted on the charge of trying to convince a witness on May 29 to give false testimony or withhold information while an official criminal investigation was pending. He was also indicted for possessing a firearm after he had been prohibited from having one due to prior convictions of assault and terrorizing in 2003 and 2005, and for the charges of stealing drugs and violating a protective order.

Three men – Timothy Scott Caldwell, 21, of Cornish, Danny M. Harmon, 27, of Hiram and Kenneth D. Harmon, 26, of Hiram – were indicted on charges of breaking into the home of Shawn Baldwin in Brownfield on March 25 and reportedly stealing tools, a generator and diesel gasoline, valued at more than $10,000.

William J. Kangas, 22, of Greenwood, and Aaron S. Heath, 19, of Hebron were indicted on charges stemming from a break-in of Everett Chase’s home in Greenwood on March 23 while Chase was in jail on charges of kidnapping his estranged wife and leading police on a car chase. Police found that tools worth more than $1,000 were stolen from a storage trailer on Chase’s property.

Heath was indicted on additional charges of theft and burglary for entering the property a day earlier, March 22, and allegedly stealing a compound bow. He was also indicted on a charge of violating his conditions of release.

Michael Scott Landers, 21, of Oxford was indicted on charges of assaulting an officer, assault, refusing to submit to arrest, two counts of criminal mischief, and terrorizing, after he got into a harrowing fight with Norway officer Harry Sims at an apartment building in Norway on April 15.

Donald D. McMahon, 18, of Brownfield was indicted on charges of stealing prescription drugs, two firearms and $7,000 in cash June 1 from his uncle Herbert Rollins’ safe, stashed in Rollins’ Brownfield home.