SKOWHEGAN — A South African man who got into a scuffle with a Skowhegan police officer in September has been indicted by a Somerset County grand jury on three criminal charges.

Khotso Solomon Ramafola, 28, most recently of Dracut, Mass., is charged by the grand jury with burglary, attempted theft and refusing to submit to arrest Sept. 28 in Skowhegan.

Ramafola was approached by police Officer Herb Oliver at Laney’s Pit Stop on Waterville Road the morning after the burglary because he matched the description of the burglar. Ramafola allegedly resisted arrest and ended up cracking heads with Oliver in a struggle. Oliver was taken to a local hospital, where he received three stitches for a cut above the eye. Ramafola also was examined at the hospital and released to the jail.

Ramafola is accused of walking into a home on West Front Street and trying to steal items near the door. Burglary is a class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Ramafola had been kicked out of the men’s homeless shelter in Skowhegan, police said. Court records say he is a resident at Breezy Acres Motel in Skowhegan.

Ramafola remains held at the Somerset County Jail in East Madison in lieu of $25,000 cash bail or $50,000 worth of property, said his lawyer, John Martin, of Skowhegan. Ramafola has filed a complaint with the court alleging that he is not allowed to practice his religious rituals at the jail. Martin said he did not know what religion Ramafola practices.

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Ramafola has a Nov. 20 hearing scheduled in Skowhegan court and a Feb. 4, 2014, trial date. Martin said U.S. Immigration officials have made inquiries into Ramafola but have not put a hold on him at the jail.

Also indicted by the grand jury was James L. Mayo II, 42, of Skowhegan. Mayo is charged by the grand jury with two counts of terrorizing, violating the conditions of release, refusing to submit to arrest and two counts of criminal mischief in connection with an incident Sept. 2 at Cornville Regional Charter School. Mayo, who is accused of threatening teachers and a deputy sheriff, is awaiting a psychiatric evaluation before his trial can begin, according to court records.

There were no children at the school at the time of the incident.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt, but is a determination by the grand jury that enough evidence is present to proceed with a trial.

Others indicted by the grand jury Oct. 31 are:

• Craig A. Breingan Sr., 28, of Skowhegan, charged with burglary and theft, Dec. 30, 2012, in Solon.

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• Christopher A. Tibbetts, 20, of Skowhegan, charged with burglary and theft, Dec. 30, 2012, in Solon.

• Molly L. Gillis, 26, of Canaan, charged with theft, June 27 in Canaan.

• Katia L. Graves, 24, of Newport, charged with burglary of a motor vehicle and theft, June 9 in Palmyra.

• Katia L. Graves, 24, of Newport, charged in a separate indictment with burglary and theft, June 9 in St. Albans.

• Katia L. Graves, 24, of Newport, charged in a third indictment with burglary and stealing drugs, May 14 in Cambridge.

• Patrick H. Dube, 31, of Anson, charged with failure to report to custody and with violating conditions of release, July 27 in Madison.

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• Bethany L. Randall, 29, of Canaan, charged with stealing drugs, falsifying evidence and possession of drugs, Sept. 9 in Skowhegan.

• Jason E. Libby, 33, of Madison, charged with burglary, Aug. 13 in Skowhegan.

• Jeffrey D. Butler, 46, of Skowhegan, charged with domestic-violence assault, with prior convictions, Oct. 1 in Skowhegan.

• John E. Labbe, 46, of Fairfield, charged with three counts of burglary and theft, Sept. 4 in Fairfield.

• James R. Batey, 27, of Smithfield, charged with theft, criminal mischief and criminal trespass, Aug. 23 in Smithfield.

• Kevin Paul Wyman II, 21, of Norridgewock, charged with theft, criminal mischief, criminal trespass and violating conditions of release, Aug. 23 in Smithfield.

• Bruce Trienan, 48, of Palmetto, Fla., charged with criminal trespass and two counts of criminal threatening, Oct. 19 in Cornville, and with two counts of aggravated forgery, Oct. 20 in Madison.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367dharlow@centralmaine.comTwitter: @Doug_Harlow

 


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