JAY — A woman is accused of operating a vehicle while under the influence and assaulting a police officer, the chief said Friday.
Police Chief Richard Caton IV said Crystal McNeil, 44, kicked a police officer in the chest Thursday afternoon as he tried to put her in the cruiser.
A passerby reported an accident at about 2:51 p.m. at the intersection of Davenport Hill and Morse Hill roads, where a vehicle had gone into a ditch, he said.
A vehicle driven by McNeil was traveling southwest on Morse Hill Road toward Dixfield, and appears to have attempted to turn left on Davenport Hill Road but instead drove into a ditch, Caton said. Jay’s in-house system indicates McNeil lives in Jay, but her license indicates a South Paris address, he said. The vehicle she was driving was registered in Skowhegan.
It appears she attempted to drive the vehicle out of the ditch but was unsuccessful, Caton said. McNeil was not cooperative with officer Dan Demers, and it is believed she was operating under the influence of alcohol, he said.
When Demers tried to put her in the cruiser, she kicked him in the chest, Caton said. She refused medical treatment at the scene. She became ill and Demers drove her to Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington to be checked out.
McNeil was issued a summons on charges of operating under the influence, assault and refusing to submit to arrest, using physical force against the officer, he said.
She is scheduled to make an initial appearance at a Farmington court in March.
A conviction on each of the charges is punishable by a maximum 364 days in prison. The accident remains under investigation, Caton said.
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