{"data":{"id":"us-me/17-a-m.r.s.-15","jurisdiction":"us-me","citation":"17-A M.R.S. §15","heading":"Warrantless arrests by a law enforcement officer","body":"1.   Except as otherwise specifically provided, a law enforcement officer may arrest without a warrant:\nA.  Any person who the officer has probable cause to believe has committed or is committing:\n(1)  Murder;\n(2)  Any Class A, Class B or Class C crime;\n(3)  Assault while hunting;\n(4)  Any offense defined in chapter 45;\n(5)  Assault, criminal threatening, terrorizing or stalking, if the officer reasonably believes that the person may cause injury to others unless immediately arrested;\n(5-A)  Assault, criminal threatening, terrorizing, stalking, criminal mischief, obstructing the report of a crime or injury or reckless conduct if the officer reasonably believes that the person and the victim are family or household members, as defined in Title 19‑A, section 4102, subsection 6 or dating partners as defined in Title 19‑A, section 4102, subsection 4;\n(5-B)  Domestic violence assault, domestic violence criminal threatening, domestic violence terrorizing, domestic violence stalking or domestic violence reckless conduct;\n(6)  Theft as defined in section 357, when the value of the services is $1,000 or less if the officer reasonably believes that the person will not be apprehended unless immediately arrested;\n(7)  Forgery, if the officer reasonably believes that the person will not be apprehended unless immediately arrested;\n(8)  Negotiating a worthless instrument if the officer reasonably believes that the person will not be apprehended unless immediately arrested;\n(9)  A violation of a condition of probation when requested by a probation officer or juvenile community corrections officer;\n(10)  Violation of a condition of release in violation of Title 15, section 1026, subsection 3; Title 15, section 1027, subsection 3; Title 15, section 1051, subsection 2; and Title 15, section 1092;\n(11)  Theft involving a detention under Title 17, section 3521;\n(12)  Harassment, as set forth in section 506‑A;\n(13)  Violation of a protection order, as specified in Title 5, section 4659, subsection 2; Title 15, section 321, subsection 6; former Title 19, section 769, subsection 2; former Title 19, section 770, subsection 5; Title 19‑A, former section 4011, subsection 3; Title 19‑A, former section 4012, subsection 5; Title 19‑A, section 4113, subsection 3; and Title 19‑A, section 4114, subsection 5;\n(14)  A violation of a sex offender registration provision under Title 34‑A, chapter 15;\n(15)  A violation of a requirement of administrative release when requested by the attorney for the State;\n(16)  A violation of a condition of supervised release for sex offenders when requested by a probation officer;\n(17)  A violation of a court-imposed deferment requirement of a deferred disposition when requested by the attorney for the State;\n(18)  A violation of a condition of release as provided in Title 15, section 3203‑A, subsection 9;\n(19)  A violation of a condition of supervised community confinement granted pursuant to Title 34‑A, section 3036‑A when requested by a probation officer;\n(20)  A violation of a condition of placement on community reintegration status granted pursuant to Title 34‑A, section 3810 and former section 4112 when requested by a juvenile community corrections officer;\n(21)  A violation of a condition of furlough or other rehabilitative program authorized under Title 34‑A, section 3035 when requested by a probation officer or juvenile community corrections officer;\n(22)  A violation of preconviction or post-conviction bail pursuant to Title 15, section 1095, subsection 2 or section 1098, subsection 2 upon request of the attorney for the State;\n(23)  Failure to appear in violation of Title 15, section 1091, subsection 1, paragraph A;\n(24)  A Class D or Class E crime committed while released on preconviction or post-conviction bail;\n(25)  A violation of a condition of release from a community confinement monitoring program pursuant to Title 30‑A, section 1659‑A; or\n(26)  A violation of an extreme risk protection order issued pursuant to Title 25, section 2244, subsection 3 or an emergency extreme risk protection order pursuant to Title 25, section 2245, subsection 2; and\nB.  Any person who has committed or is committing in the officer's presence any Class D or Class E crime.\n2.   For the purposes of subsection 1, paragraph B, criminal conduct has been committed or is being committed in the presence of a law enforcement officer when one or more of the officer's senses afford that officer personal knowledge of facts that are sufficient to warrant a prudent and cautious law enforcement officer's belief that a Class D or Class E crime is being or has just been committed and that the person arrested has committed or is committing that Class D or Class E crime.  An arrest made pursuant to subsection 1, paragraph B must be made at the time of the commission of the criminal conduct, or some part thereof, or within a reasonable time thereafter or upon fresh pursuit.","path":["TITLE 17-A: MAINE CRIMINAL CODE","PART 1: GENERAL PRINCIPLES","CHAPTER 1: PRELIMINARY"],"source_url":"https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/17-A/title17-Asec15.html","current_through":"January 1, 2026","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-04T15:12:28Z","sha256":"a3e09573dac33a8fa93685371637a1f0b07bb35ce72c80f482cd854c8dfcb5f4","source_id":"us-me","stale":false,"prev":"us-me/17-a-m.r.s.-14","next":"us-me/17-a-m.r.s.-15-a"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}