CHASE MILLS, NY - Police arrested Douglas D. Clothier, 61, of Chase Mills yesterday in what has to be the strangest local arrest so far this year. 

Sheriff's deputies say they were contacted by the driver of a dump truck operating on County Route 44 in the Town of Madrid who stated that a resident had been throwing chunks of wood out into the roadway in front of dump trucks as they came down the road.

The truck driver said that when he stopped the truck and got out to remove the wood from the road, he was confronted by the man with a shotgun at which point he left the area and called 911.

Other drivers subsequently came forward with similar complaints.  Police visited Mr. Clothier at his residence on County Route 44.  Clothier told deputies that he was upset about the amount of heavy truck traffic on the rural road and felt that the trucks were both speeding and overloaded.  

Police charged Mr. Clothier with 2nd-Degree Menacing and 2nd-Degree Reckless Endangerment.  He was arraigned before the Town of Lisbon Justice Patricia Fletcher and released to reappear in the Madrid Town Court on November 27th. Deputies state that further charges are possible as well.

Sheriff Kevin Wells indicated that they did and are investigating Mr. Clothier's claims as well regarding the increased truck traffic but that while increased patrols in the area have noted a large seasonal increase in the truck traffic, they appear to be under legal load limits and legal speed limits.