A Brewer woman who locked herself in her bathroom because she thought two men were in her apartment trying to kill her was rescued with help from a neighbor Saturday, police said.

Brewer police were sent to the South Main Street home at 1:30 a.m. after the woman called the Penobscot Regional Communications Center to report the intruders.

But authorities determined early on that there were no intruders, as they could see into the small apartment and the only thing they observed was the woman’s aggressive chow dog standing guard.

The dog was barking and clawing at the windows and door, reported Brewer police Cpl. Levi Sewall. It kept police at bay for about 90 minutes as officers and firefighters reviewed numerous ways to reach the woman after telephone conversations failed to convince her it was safe to come out. Each approach – such as firefighters using a “door spreader” to open the door – ended the same way: in a confrontation with the dog.

The commotion of firefighters and police officers awoke neighbors, including a woman friend of the woman locked inside the bathroom. The friend had a key to the apartment and was familiar with and on good terms with the dog. She was able to secure the dog and the police went inside. The woman came out and was taken for an evaluation to a Bangor hospital.

A Brewer woman said that during an argument with her husband late Friday night, he grabbed her and wouldn’t let her go, according to police.

The husband, Clifford Huntley, 38, was seen leaving his Blake Street residence as Brewer police arrived. Sent to the home for a report of a family fight, police Cpl. Levi Sewall said he went first to check on the woman and, finding her safe, interviewed her briefly and set out in search of Huntley.

With other Brewer officers off on other calls, Bangor police officers assisted in locating Huntley, who was found walking on the railroad tracks near Wilson Street. Sewall said that Huntley admitted to having a knife on him and quickly put his hands in his pockets, which prompted police to order him to take his hands out. Sewall quickly arrested Huntley, charging him with domestic assault.

Sewall said Monday that Huntley and his wife had argued and that he had gone out to the porch. When his wife grabbed his lunch box, he became angry and grabbed her, according to police. She struggled to get away, and Huntley released his grip after she told a relative to call police, Sewall said.

– Compiled by NEWS reporter Doug Kesseli