After being arrested Saturday by Pittsfield police, a suspect who was being driven to jail became violent, kicked and damaged windows and doors on the cruiser and assaulted the officer who was behind the wheel, according to police.
Kristopher M. McWilliams, 31, had been arrested on domestic violence terrorizing charges earlier — at 12:52 p.m. — at the Pittsfield Trailer Park on B Street, police said.
Kristopher M. McWilliams
Officer Hunter Quinlan was driving McWilliams to the Somerset County Jail in Madison when McWilliams grew out of control, according to Chief Pete Bickmore of the Pittsfield Police Department.
Bickmore said other officers had responded twice to deal with McWilliams before Quinlan responded to a third call.
“When en route to the jail, (McWilliams) became really aggressive and started kicking the rear doors,” Bickmore said Sunday of the Ford sport-utility vehicle, which has a partition between the front and rear seats.
“He was handcuffed and he was kicking the door frame of the rear driver’s side pretty hard, so it’s damaged really badly. And he did it to the other door, also.”
Bickmore said McWilliams also headbutted Quinlan in the face and kicked him twice in the chest.
Quinlan called for assistance after stopping the cruiser on Main Street in Canaan, and officers from the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office and Skowhegan Police Department responded, according to Bickmore.
“They were able to help subdue the prisoner and, subsequently, he was transported to Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan for evaluation and taken to Somerset County Jail,” Bickmore said.
Pittsfield is 21 miles from Skowhegan, and Canaan is about halfway between those two towns. Quinlan was traveling on U.S. Route 2.
Bickmore praised Quinlan’s actions, saying he used good judgment and common sense. He also praised the teamwork of deputies and police officers who arrived to help.
“In this day and age, it’s another reason why officers have to work together and be well-trained so they can deal with situations like this,” Bickmore said. “Officer Quinlan and the other officers did an amazing job.”
Quinlan was examined at the hospital and “didn’t have any known injuries,” according to Bickmore.
McWilliams was booked at 6:22 p.m. Saturday at the jail. In addition to being charged with domestic violence terrorizing, he was charged with aggravated criminal mischief, aggravated domestic violence assault, assaulting a police officer, criminal mischief and refusing to submit to arrest or detention.
The arrest report does not list where McWilliams lives, and Bickmore said he was not certain of McWilliams’ home address.
Information on McWilliams’ bail and court date were not available Sunday.
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