OXFORD — Eight people were arrested, two police officers were assaulted and one man was charged with escaping from custody during a melee at the Oxford Plains Speedway early Friday morning.
Oxford Police Chief Rickie Jack said the trouble began around midnight when police tried to arrest a Sumner man for driving drunk in the speedway parking lot.
At the time, police were at the track on an underage drinking detail during activities in preparation for this weekend’s Oxford 250.
“They observed this guy in a diesel pickup truck,” Jack said. “He had been hammering around the parking lot all night long, so they were going to make contact with him and tell him, to knock it off. They didn’t want somebody getting run over or anything.”
The man in the truck, police said, was 32-year-old Jason Cyr of Sumner. He was found to be intoxicated, Jack said, but arresting the man was no easy matter.
“As they started doing field sobriety tests, they noticed they were starting to get surrounded by like 20 people, roughly,” Jack said. “And things started going down hill.”
Police were preparing to take Cyr into custody, police said, but the officers were also attempting to deal with the growing — and hostile — mob around them.
“In the meantime,” Jack said, “he ran off. He ran off to a camper. The person who was at that campsite hindered the officers from making contact with the escapee inside his camper. So he ended up getting arrested, too.”
By that point, all available officers were at the scene from the Oxford, Norway and Paris police departments and the Oxford County Sheriff’s Department.
After he was located, Cyr was charged with driving while intoxicated and escape. Seven others were arrested on a variety of charges, including obstructing government administration.
One man, Travis W. Verrill, 43, of 86 No. 6 Road, Oxford, was charged with assaulting a police officer, in addition to two counts of disorderly conduct and a charge of obstructing government administration.
Two people accused of being involved in the fracas were arrested after they were tracked down to a nearby restaurant, police said.
Those arrested were taken to the Oxford County Jail in South Paris. The list of their names was incomplete early Friday evening as the incident remained under investigation. Among those arrested were:
• Kyle G. Hewins, 34, of 216 Whittemore Road, Oxford, on a charge of obstructing government administration.
• Russell D. Jordan, 32, of 424 Park St., South Paris, on a charge of obstructing government administration.
• Gregory S. Sessions, 45, of 24 Shepherd Acres Estate, South Paris, on a charge of obstructing government administration.
Jack said for the most part, events at the track Thursday night were peaceful and orderly and said alcohol use was a likely factor in the brawl that erupted at the end of the night.
“It was quite a showdown out here,” Jack said.
The chief said he has been in touch with track officials since the mayhem. With big crowds expected to show up at the speedway for the Oxford 250 this weekend, plans were discussed to maintain the peace during the race and related activities.
“I don’t expect any further issues like we had last night,” Jack said. “We’re all for having a great time, but when I’ve got two officers getting assaulted, that’s going a little bit too far.”
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