Man’s run-in with tree leads to arrest, charges

An Exeter man who ran his car into a tree Wednesday afternoon on Stetson Road in Stetson ended up in the Penobscot County Jail, facing half a dozen charges after he entered a nearby residence, tried to steal a firearm and resisted arrest, according to police.

Randy Curtis, 49, was charged with operating after suspension, violating conditions of release, theft, resisting arrest and several traffic infractions, Maine State Trooper Paul White said Wednesday night.

He was not injured in the accident, the trooper said.

Curtis apparently left the accident and went to a nearby house, where he asked the resident not to call police, White said. When the woman told him that she already had, Curtis used her phone to make several calls, then, allegedly tried to steal guns.

The firearms were properly secured but were visible, White said.

The woman called police again to report that White allegedly was trying to steal a gun.

While Maine State Police troopers and deputies from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office made their way to the scene, the husband of the woman who had reported the incidents returned home. When police arrived, the husband was holding a gun on Curtis, White said.

Curtis resisted arrest when officers arrived, according to the trooper.

Information on Curtis’ criminal history was not available Wednesday night. (Judy Harrison, BDN)