Police: Crim threat case unfolded during child visit

William Riffert (Courtesy photo)

LEBANON - More information has come to light in a criminal threatening case alleged to have occurred in Lebanon in November.

William Riffert, 22, of 69 Bolton St., 2^nd Floor, Portland, Maine, was indicted in January on a charge of felony criminal threatening after he allegedly pointed a handgun at a man on Holtby Lane on Nov. 10.

Police allege that Riffert drove his car to a residence along Holtby Lane and pointed a handgun at a male victim who came outside to confront Riffert while the victim's estranged wife was inside the house on a visitation with children.

Holtby Lane is a private dead-end road that runs east off Center Road just north of Heath Road.

When the victim saw the gun "he ducked and ran and called 911," said Maine State Police Trooper Adam Schmidt. "The estranged wife then left the property."

Schmidt said State Police quickly developed leads that made Riffert a suspect, and police also learned that Riffert was a suspect in a Portsmouth (NH) criminal threatening case as well.

"We put out a BOLO (Be on the lookout) for an Audi sedan and later got a call from Milton Police who had stopped him in Milton," said Schmidt, who indicated the estranged wife had recently moved to Milton.

During the stop in Milton, police discovered a Taurus 380 handgun on Riffert and another handgun, a Glock .22 - also referred to as a 40-caliber Smith and Wesson - in his car, Schmidt said.

Riffert was convicted of a similar reckless conduct case in Maine in 2004, according to court documents.

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