RUMFORD — Police said Tuesday afternoon that their posting of a surveillance video image of a man in a store on social media site Facebook helped solve a crime.

Based on the public’s help to identify the man, Mark Witherell, 52, was arrested at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday on John F. Kennedy Lane on a charge of aggravated criminal mischief, Detective Sgt. James Bernard said.

Witherell was released on $1,000 unsecured bail and will be arraigned on Jan. 8 in Oxford County Superior Court in Paris.

He is accused of keying or scratching the passenger side of a Rumford police cruiser on Nov. 6 while it was parked at a local business, Bernard said.

Damage was estimated at $1,300. Bernard said that due to the amount of damage, the charge is considered aggravated, which elevates it from a misdemeanor to a felony.

After the Nov. 6 incident, Bernard said surveillance videos from the police cruiser and the store gave police images of the suspect. They just didn’t know who he was.

So, on Sunday, Sgt. Douglas Maifeld posted a still image from the store video on the Rumford Police Department Facebook site.

“We are attempting to identify the person in the photo,” Maifeld wrote. “He is wanted in questioning regarding an ongoing investigation.”

Several people responded.

“With the help of Facebook and putting the still shot up of the surveillance video, we had several tips that led us to Mr. Witherell,” Bernard said.

On Tuesday, Maifeld issued a couple of statements on the department Facebook site. The first simply said, “Subject located! Thanks!”

In the second, he said, “Rumford PD would like to extend a big THANK YOU.”

“Those of you on our Facebook page who took the time to look at the photo posted on Sunday, assisted us in locating him.”

[email protected]