Man allegedly points gun at deputy> Lily Bay OUI arrest turns threatening

LILY BAY — A part-time Piscataquis County sheriff’s deputy had a moment of sheer terror Saturday evening when a motorist he had stopped for possible drunken driving allegedly pointed a handgun at him.

Arrested and charged with criminal threatening with a firearm and with OUI after the incident was Ronald Marsh, 63, of Brunswick, who owns a seasonal home in Greenville. He is incarcerated at the Piscataquis County Jail.

According to Sgt. Robert Young of the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department, about 6:30 p.m. a motorist reported that the driver of a 1992 Suzuki on the Lily Bay Road was intoxicated. The motorist had stopped moments earlier to aid Marsh, whose vehicle had been stuck in the snow, he said.

Grayln Smith, a part-time deputy with the Sheriff’s Department, was asked to respond to the incident since the county’s full-time officer in the region was busy at a domestic complaint.

Smith followed police procedure and determined that Marsh was intoxicated, said Young. The deputy arrested the Brunswick man and handcuffed Marsh’s hands in front of his body, Young said. He also called for a wrecker to pick up Marsh’s vehicle.

Marsh asked Smith if he could retrieve something from his vehicle before being taken to jail. Smith accompanied Marsh to his car, where Marsh got into the back seat and reached for an item, according to Young.

“When he came out, he had a revolver with his finger on the trigger, and he turned and pointed it at Grayln, who was right next to him,” Young said.

Smith grabbed the handgun and swung it away from Marsh, and it discharged.

“And they struggled over controlling the gun,” said Young.

Fred Annance, who went to the scene with his wrecker, heard the gunshot and went to Smith’s aid. The pair subdued Marsh until other officers arrived at the scene to assist, Young said.

Smith suffered minor cuts and burns when the gun discharged in his hand. He was treated at the Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital.

Marsh may appear in Dover-Foxcroft District Court today.