LINCOLN, Maine — A local woman was charged with assault after she allegedly hit a police officer who was trying to keep her from jumping off a bridge into the Penobscot River Saturday afternoon, police said Sunday.
Myranda Armstrong, 18, of Lincoln was charged with assault after allegedly shoving and hitting Officer Andrew Scelso several times on the bridge on Bridge Road at about 3 p.m. Scelso suffered minor injuries, said Detective Mark Fucile, police spokesman.
Scelso likely saved Armstrong from serious injury or worse, Fucile said.
“It is a very large fall,” Fucile said. “He did a fantastic job protecting her and himself. He did everything he could to keep her safe.”
A part-time officer, Scelso was dispatched to a house on Main Street near the bridge on a 911 call reporting a domestic dispute. When he arrived, residents told him that Armstrong had walked off. He found her on Bridge Street, which leads over the river into Chester, Fucile said.
Scelso positioned his police cruiser between Armstrong and the bridge and tried to talk to her. Armstrong allegedly swore at him repeatedly and threatened suicide. She allegedly pushed Scelso off-balance and climbed over a guardrail on the bridge, Fucile said.
They struggled for a few minutes before Scelso pulled Armstrong away from the bridge and pulled her to the ground and handcuffed her, Fucile said. Scelso and other police officers who had just arrived put Armstrong into protective custody and took her to Penobscot Valley Hospital in Lincoln for evaluation.
When the evaluation was completed, police took Armstrong to Penobscot County Jail, where she was released on a promise to appear in Lincoln District Court on Sept. 8, officials said.