South Lebanon man indicted in pair of assaults

Richard Knox

ALFRED, Maine - A South Lebanon man has been indicted in the assault of his roommate and her boyfriend after a dispute over rent and ownership of a mobile home where the suspect and she had lived.

Richard Knox, 60, of 54 Blaisdell Corner Road, saw his charged elevated to felony status because he had been involved in prior assaults, Maine State Trooper David Coflesky said today.

The assaults occurred on Nov. 23 when Knox and his female roommate got into a fight about rent and ownership of the trailer, said Coflesky. He said Knox punched his roommate’s boyfriend in the mouth and then traded blows with his roommate, at one point pulling her hair so hard it came out of her scalp.

Knox then fled the scene and hid at his ex-wife’s Sanford home where State Police caught up with him later in the day.

Both counts are Class C felonies and could draw five years in jail and a $15,000 fine apiece.

An indictment is not an indication of guilt, only that a grand jury has found sufficient evidence to warrant a trial.