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Troopers Arrest Man Accused Of Chainsaw Attack

Russell Cornelius, age 40, was arrested on multiple assault charges last Friday.

State Troopers arrested Russell Cornelius in St. Mary’s on Friday after looking for him for almost three weeks.

Cornelius, age 40, is accused of threatening his girlfriend with a loaded rifle, attempting to stab her with a machete, and chasing her through St. Mary’s with a chainsaw. Sergeant Kevin Yancey found Cornelius within hours of the alleged attack, but Cornelius ran into the woods and disappeared when he saw the officer.

The Troopers couldn’t find him for weeks and suspected that someone was helping Cornelius hide from them. In the end, the Troopers didn’t find Cornelius hiding in the woods or running from the law. On Friday, several officers knocked on the door of a St. Mary’s home and Cornelius answered the door. They arrested him promptly without further incident.

Cornelius has been convicted of assault six times in as many years and his girlfriend’s sister accuses him of stabbing his girlfriend in the past. He was arraigned in Bethel on multiple assault charges earlier this morning.