Jeremy Clifford Franklin County Detention Center photo
FARMINGTON — A local man accused of threatening his grandmother with a knife and biting a police officer’s leg was hit twice with a stun gun after resisting arrest Wednesday.
Jeremy Clifford, 26, of Farminton is charged with domestic violence threatening with a dangerous weapon, assault on an officer and refusing to submit to arrest, according to Officer Jesse Clement’s affidavit.
Clement and officer Ryan Rosie responded to 118 Thompson Walton Court, Apt. 25, about 1:20 p.m. for a complaint of someone threatening with a knife. They met Clifford’s older brother who lives there and who said Clifford threatens the family with knives all the time. He showed police a photo of the weapons.
According to the affidavit, the brother gave the officers permission to enter the apartment and when they knocked on a bedroom door, Clifford came out, went to the bathroom, returned to the bedroom to put on a sweatshirt and walked out with his hands in the pocket. He was ordered to remove his hands from the pocket, but refused until Rosie removed his Taser from its holster and repeated the order.
Clifford was searched for weapons and none were found.
Asked what happened, “Clifford made some comment about the ‘blood in his head kept arguing with him’ and that ‘my brother kept threatening me so I kept a knife on me,” Clement wrote.
When Clement tried to arrest him, “Clifford made a mad dash towards the bedroom so I grabbed his arm to prevent him from leaving the room.” Rosie grabbed Clifford’s other arm and the officers were able to keep him from getting Clement’s Taser out of its holster.
As Rosie pulled Clifford to the ground he was bitten in the leg, prompting Clement to hit Clifford in the stomach with the Taser. Then, after refusing to put his hands behind his back, Clifford was stunned again and handcuffed, according to the affidavit.
An ambulance arrived to treat Clifford and Rosie’s bite.
State police, Farmington police,University of Maine police and Wilton police assisted.
In the bedroom, police found a large knife, which the grandmother confirmed was the one used to threaten her.
Clifford was taken to jail and Thursday a judge set bail at $1,000.
Convictions for threatening and assault on an officer are each punishable by up to five years in prison; a conviction for refusing to submit to arrest is punishable by up to 364 days in jail.
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