RUMFORD — Police late Saturday night found the accomplice involved in Friday night’s robbery of a local resident.
However, investigating Sgt. James Bernard declined to name the man, because he didn’t arrest or charge him. “I’m going to go through the indictment process with him,” he said.
Bernard and Cpl. Donald Miller arrested
, 21, of Rumford on Friday on charges of felony robbery and criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon. He failed to post $8,000 cash bail and was taken to Oxford County Jail in Paris. Roberge will be arraigned on July 7 in Oxford County Superior Court in Paris.
Bernard said that at 8 p.m. Friday, he and Miller were sent to the area of a large fight on Waldo Street with weapons involved.
“When we arrived, we were confronted with a dozen people and within 10 to 15 minutes, the number of people doubled from people coming out of their homes to see what was going on,” Bernard said.
They had backup en route in several Maine State Police troopers and Oxford County deputies. Mexico and Dixfield police couldn’t help because they were tied up responding to a reported domestic assault strangling of a woman by a man on Porter Street at the same time.
Bernard said that his and Miller’s investigation into the fight determined that knives and crowbars were involved.
Chief Stacy Carter said Saturday morning by email that Bernard and Miller also learned that two men, one of whom was identified as Roberge, confronted a Waldo Street resident while he was working in his yard and demanded money. Roberge was armed with a knife and threatened the resident, he said.
A friend and family member of the victim tried to intervene and was also threatened by Roberge. After allegedly taking $60 from one of the victims, Carter said a man fled the area.
Armed robberies are rare in Rumford, he said. Bernard investigated the last one that involved Randall Chapman Pike a year and a half ago on Essex Avenue.
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