3 arrested in robbery of Howland woman

HOWLAND – Three people, including a juvenile, were arrested over the weekend in connection with the robbery and assault of a local woman, who may have saved herself from further injury by faking a 911 call from an inactive cell phone, police said.

The 58-year-old woman was treated on Saturday for minor injuries at Penobscot Valley Hospital in Lincoln and later released. Maine State Police Trooper Patrick Munzing said Monday that the woman used good judgment in scaring the suspects away with a faux phone call.

“She more or less saved herself by thinking quickly,” the trooper said.

Joshua Spaulding, 19, of Howland has been charged with robbery and aggravated assault. John Herlihy, 31, also of Howland, faces a robbery charge. A 15-year-old Howland boy also was involved and will face juvenile charges.

Herlihy and Spaulding are scheduled to make their initial appearances today in 3rd District Court in Lincoln.

The attempted robbery, which Munzing said the three males planned out ahead of time, happened at about 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The woman, who was alone at her Valley Avenue apartment, recognized one of the males and didn’t take the threat seriously at first.

Spaulding, however, was serious and he hit the woman over the head with a piece of wood when she resisted, police said. The woman continued to fight back and then noticed a cell phone next to her. Even though the phone was not active, she yelled into the receiver that there was an emergency. The trooper said that her shouts probably scared the suspects off.

“When one of them heard that, they said, ‘It’s time to get out of here,'” Munzing said.

The men originally demanded money but ended up taking a small amount of marijuana from the woman’s apartment, Munzing said. The trooper said charges may be pending against the woman for possession of marijuana.

The woman was able to accurately describe all three and police tracked Spaulding down at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday. With his help police arrested Herlihy late Sunday evening.

Both were taken to the Penobscot County Jail in Bangor.