BETHEL, Maine — A Bethel man is in custody after he arrived at the scene of a woman lying unresponsive along the road and got combative with police.
Around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Rumford Police and Oxford County Sheriffs responded to a report of a woman lying unresponsive along Annis Road in Bethel.
As they were assessing the situation, Eric Cole, 52, arrived at the scene. According to the Oxford County Sheriff's Office, Cole began confronting officers and started pushing a deputy. After a brief scuffle, Cole was taken into custody and transported to the Oxford County Jail, where deputies said he was also combative while being processed. No officers were injured.
Cole is now charged with operating after suspension, assault on an officer, and obstructing government administration.
Initial investigation by the Oxford County Sheriff's Office showed that the 43-year-old woman lying unresponsive along the road was involved in a domestic incident earlier in the day on Tuesday and had left the residence on foot. The domestic incident is being investigated at this time. The woman was transported to a local hospital and released.
Cole is not a suspect at this time in the domestic assault.
Investigators are also looking into Cole, as they said he was claiming to be an Army officer while at the scene. According to the Oxford County Sheriff's Office, Cole was dressed in camouflage with Army insignia at the time of his arrest. However, the Oxford County deputy that was assaulted at the scene is a member of the Army National Guard and said he noticed that Cole wasn’t wearing an appropriate uniform or insignia.
Cole is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday via video conference. He remains in custody at the Oxford County Jail.
