Staff reports 7:54 a.m .
Tuesday, December 30, 2025 7:55 am
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DOVER - A Rochester man accused of pointing a loaded handgun at passing motorists on High Street in Somersworth last month is facing up to 20 years in state prison.
James Corbett, 45, of Sheridan Avenue, Rochester, was indicted on a single charge of criminal threatening with a firearm.
He is accused of placing motorists in fear of "imminent injury by means of a deadly weapon, and that deadly weapon was a firearm, by pointing said firearm at a motorist or motorists while stating words to the effect F--- Y--," according to court documents.
The terrifying incident unfolded around 12:50 p.m. on Nov. 20 when police were told that Corbett, who was said to be despondent, was shouting obscenities and pointing his weapon at motorists in the vicinity of the AT&T Mobility Store on High Street.
Upon arrival officers learned that the male subject had fled into the woods behind the store toward the City of Dover, Somersworth Police Captain Matthew Duvall said shortly after the incident.
While searching the area for Corbett, a Somersworth Officer encountered him walking on the sidewalk with the firearm still in his hand in Dover.
When confronted Corbett ran behind a residence off of Route 108 toward the Willand Pond recreation area where he was spotted at the water's edge."
Somersworth and Dover Officers negotiated with Corbett for around three hours before he peacefully surrendered and was taken into custody by members of the Strafford County Regional Tactical Operations Unit.
The Strafford County grand jury indictments for December were handed down on Dec. 18 and released on Monday.
An indictment is not an indication of guilt, only that enough evidence has been presented to move forward to trial.