ROME — Police continue to search for a Rome man they say attempted to strangle his girlfriend with a shoelace before threatening her teenage daughter with a knife.

Ronald Willey, 28, is wanted on charges of aggravated assault and terrorizing, according to Capt. Daniel Davies of the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Department.

Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremy Day responded to a domestic violence complaint shortly before 11 a.m., Sunday at the Watson Pond Road home of Cher Simon.

“She had visible signs of injury consistent with an assault,” Davies said. “Simon reluctantly identified her boyfriend, Ronald Willey, as her attacker.”

Simon said she had been knocked unconscious when Willey wrapped a shoelace around her neck during the attack, Davies said.

Then, “Willey allegedly threatened Simon and her 13-year-old daughter with a knife…before fleeing the home,” Davies said.

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Simon went to a local hospital after the attack, but left before emergency room doctors could evaluate her, Davies said.

“Simon failed to disclose her attacker at the time of the emergency room visit,” Davies said.

Neither Simon nor her daughter suffered permanent injuries.

Police have been unable to find Willey, who is described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall, 160 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. His known addresses include Simon’s Watson Pond Road home and 247 Water St., Randolph.

“Willey has an extensive history,” Davies said.

Justice Joseph Jabar in March 2009 sentenced Willey to 34 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to criminal threatening, assault, negotiating a worthless instrument and violating conditions of release. Willey also was fined $300 and ordered to pay $238 in restitution in that incident.

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Several charges were dismissed before Willey’s sentencing.

Willey had been in jail since December 2008 when a Kennebec County Superior Court grand jury indicted him on charges of kidnapping, gross sexual assault, robbery, burglary, theft, assault, aggravated criminal trespass, two counts of domestic violence assault and three counts of criminal threatening, all of which occurred over a 12-day span in October 2008 in Farmingdale, Augusta and West Gardiner.

Published reports show several other indictments and convictions against Willey, including:

* August 2007, convicted of violating conditions of release, 30 days in jail.

* July 2006, convicted of operating a vehicle without a license, 60 days in jail

* June 2006, indicted on charges of aggravated driving to endanger, aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated assault.

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* May 2006, indicted on charges of eluding a police officer in a motor vehicle chase through Waterville into Fairfield, where he crashed into a house.

* July 2004, convicted of assault, 14 days in jail.

* April 2004, convicted of burglary and theft, 22 months in jail, $800 restitution and probation partially revoked

* January 2002, convicted of operating a vehicle without a license and theft, 12 days in jail, all suspended.

The Kennebec Journal incorrectly reported in Tuesday’s police log on page B3 that Willey had been arrested over the weekend.

Davies asked anyone with information on Willey’s whereabouts to call the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office at 623-3614 or 621-0166.

Craig Crosby–621-5642

ccrosby@centralmaine.com


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