Maine Woman, Angry With Ironman Traffic, Strikes Hallowell Officer w/ Car

A 34-year-old Maine woman is in custody after an altercation with a Hallowell Police Officer led to her hitting him with her car during Sunday's Ironman event.

According to an article in the Kennebec Journal, Katherine D. Kelley, 34 of Belmont, Maine, is now facing felony assault on a police officer charges following the incident on Sunday.

Interim Hallowell Police Chief, Christopher Giles, states that Hallowell Police had halted traffic on Water Street down to Academy Street on Sunday in order for a group of runners participating in the Ironman 70.3 triathlon to safely pass by. However, Kelley, who was travelling southbound through the area became hysterically angry.

Giles told the Kennebec Journal in part,

“She was commanded by an officer to stop because of a potential safety hazard to several runners. She briefly stopped, had an exchange with the officer where she refused to comply with those commands and drove her vehicle at the officer, striking the officer in the leg.”

The KJ article goes on to say that Katherine D. Kelley, 34, of Belmont, Maine was taken into police custody and is facing charges of failing to follow emergency directions of a police officer, driving to endanger, felony assault on a police officer and failing to follow a traffic control device.

It's also worth noting that this was the only incident reported during the multi-town, multi-leg race that was run by thousands of people on Sunday.

This is a developing story and we will continue to keep it updated as more information becomes available to us.

All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.