Resisting Arrest
17-A M.R.S. § 751-B — refusing to submit to arrest or detention, a Class E or Class D crime
- Refusing to stop on an officer's request or signal, meaning to hinder, delay or prevent one's own arrest or detention, is a Class E crime.
- Using physical force against the officer, or creating a substantial risk of bodily injury to the officer, is a Class D crime.
- Reasonably believing the person making the arrest was not a law enforcement officer is a defense. For refusing to stop, so is the officer acting unlawfully in attempting the arrest or detention.
Who handles this in Maine: legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Maine directory.Holding a paper like this? Read my paper can read one for you, free with an account.
Force against an officer, even in an illegal arrest. No one is justified in using nondeadly force against someone they know, or reasonably should know, is an officer making an arrest or detention, whether or not the arrest is legal. The exception is defending against force the officer was not justified in using.
Interfering by force, violence, intimidation or any physical act with a public servant doing an official job is obstructing government administration, a Class D crime. It does not cover refusing to submit to one's own arrest.
Sources for this section (3)
- 17-A M.R.S. § 751-B — Refusing to submit to arrest or detention
- 17-A M.R.S. § 751 — Obstructing government administration
- 17-A M.R.S. § 108 — Physical force in defense of a person
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Maine attorney.