FARMINGTON – A New Sharon woman in Franklin County custody was injured Monday while returning to the jail’s transport van in the parking lot of Superior Court after she stumbled on the last step to the parking lot, Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. said.
Carol Murphy, 71, appeared in Franklin County Superior Court Monday morning for a status conference on a contempt of court violation in connection to violating two court orders prohibiting her from possessing animals.
Her hands and legs were shackled, which is protocol when Franklin County inmates are transported to appear in court.
While Murphy and transport officer Cpl. Phil Richards were leaving, she stumbled on the last step in the parking lot and fell on her knees and head, Nichols said.
“Because she was bleeding, Phil did the right thing by calling 911 and getting rescue on scene,” he said. “She was then transported to (Franklin Memorial Hospital) for further evaluation.”
It occurred at approximately 11 a.m. Murphy was taken by a NorthStar EMS ambulance to the hospital.
Murphy was returned to the jail after being treated, he said.
Murphy has been held on $1,000 cash bail since Oct. 16, a day after she was arrested on a misdemeanor violation of condition of release, refusing to submit to arrest, refusing to stop for a police officer and refusing to sign a summons.
Those charges stem from an Oct. 15 incident when Deputy Andrew Morgan attempted to stop Murphy’s vehicle on Lane Road in New Sharon for having a tail light out. Murphy did not stop the vehicle until after pulling into her residence at 248 Lane Road.
Murphy refused to comply with Morgan’s verbal commands and had made several furtive movements when she got back in the vehicle, Chief Deputy Steven Lowell said previously.
She got out of the vehicle again and started walking toward her residence and was given several more commands and refused to comply, Lowell said.
Morgan deployed a Taser and it hit her in the back and she went down to the ground, he said.
She was arrested and was seen by NorthStar EMS ambulance personnel and refused to be taken to the hospital to be checked out.
In 2010, Murphy was convicted of assaulting Maine State Police Trooper Aaron Turcotte with a 975,000-volt stun gun to his face and neck when he went to her house to arrest her. She was also convicted of criminal use of an electronic weapon.
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