SMITHFIELD — A Smithfield man was arrested Saturday for attacking a family member, following a tense standoff with police.

Ronald Lane, 62, was charged with aggravated domestic assault, a class C felony, after police say he attacked a family member, strangling her during the incident. The family member escaped and ran to a neighbor’s home where they called police, according to the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office.

When deputies responded to the neighbor’s home they were informed that Lane was in possession of several firearms. As they approached Lane’s house on Village Road, Lane came to the door and began shouting at the deputies, saying he would shoot them if they came any closer.

Somerset deputies and Maine State Police established a perimeter outside Lane’s home and called in a tactical team. Fire teams from Smithfield and Oakland also responded, shutting down Route 8 until approximately 2:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Upon the arrival of the tactical team, negotiators spoke with Lane who continued to threaten police, saying he would shoot to kill if any officers approached his property. During the standoff, Lane also sent text messages to the victim of the assault, threatening her and saying he would burn his house down around him.

At around 2:30 a.m., nearly 10 hours after the initial call, the Maine State Police tactical team entered Lane’s home and arrested him. After receiving medical clearance at Redington-Fairview Hospital, Lane was transported to Somerset County Jail.

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Lane was not armed when police arrested him but had a loaded rifle within reach as well as a number of other guns in the home, according to Chief Deputy James Ross of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office. In an email, Ross said officers had previously responded to Lane’s address on multiple occassions for domestic disputes and Lane was arrested during at least one of those incidents.

A search of Lane’s criminal history showed he was arrested in 2005 for operating under the influence, a class D misdemeanor. He was found guilty on that charge and fined $500 in addition to a 90 day suspension of his license.

Kate McCormick — 861-9218

kmccormick@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @KateRMcCormick


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