CORNISH, Maine — The York County Sheriff's Office responded to a strange call early Tuesday morning -- and ended up rescuing a horse on the loose in Cornish.
Around 3 a.m. on Tuesday, April 9, the York County Sheriff's Office got a call that a horse was walking in the middle of Route 25. The caller was concerned that the horse may get injured.
The horse had no halter, bridle, or identification.
Sgt. Steve Thistlewood responded and tried to calm the horse, who had started to become skittish. Using some rope in his car, Thistlewood fashioned a halter and lured the horse in using some almonds he had.
Once the horse was close enough, Thistlewood put the halter on him.
Thistlewood called some people in the area to try to find the missing horse's owner. One rancher agreed to hold the horse for the sheriff's office until his rightful owner was found.
As York County Sheriff William L. King put it -- Thistlewood could not fit the horse in the backseat, so he walked about a mile with the horse in tow to the hospitable rancher.
The 32-year-old horse was returned to its owners later Tuesday morning.