BELFAST —There were several jaywalkers crossing Route 1 in Belfast Sunday morning around 10 a.m., and they weren’t messing around with rules and regs.

The young cows had broken out of their fencing near Perkins Road July 2, making their way across Route 1 and down to the waterfront, according to Sergeant Daniel Fitzpatrick, of the Belfast Police Department.

The cows were initially spotted by concerned citizens, who alerted law enforcement of the hoofed gang and their whereabouts.

After arriving on scene, Fitzpatrick was told that in addition to the two cows on Route 1, there were two others making their way toward the rocky shore.

Even after being located, the calves didn’t make the task of corralling them an easy one.

“They were very stubborn,” Fitzpatrick said.

Not content with the view, some of the group decided to wade in the water, prompting Officer Rick Smith to follow them into the chilly bay.

“They were definitely submerged when we got there, they were having a great old time,” Fitzpatrick said with a laugh.

Smith was able to startle them back towards the shore, where efforts to lasso them continued.

“There seemed to have been a group leader who was the one who kept eluding our grasp,” Fitzpatrick said.

“We had to pick off his cohorts and pull them back using ropes usually used in water rescues,” he added.

Though it took three Belfast Police officers with assistance by Maine State Police, the four cows were successfully returned to their pasture after close to two hours of wrangling.

While law enforcement considered the cow caper resolved, the ringleader of the group apparently had other ideas. The leader of the first jailbreak managed to re-escape his pasture around 3:30 p.m., along with two all new accomplices.

“Initially they escaped through a piece of fence that wasn’t electrified down in the corner of [their enclosure], and I saw first hand that the younger [cows] would go right along the edge of the fence testing to see where they could get out,” Fitzpatrick said of their first escape.

Though the owners repaired that section of the fence, Fitzpatrick said he thinks they may have forgotten to take into consideration the significantly smaller stature of the cows involved in the intrepid escape.

Belfast Police put their earlier experience to good use, managing to corral and return all three to their enclosure in 45 minutes.

For their part, Fitzpatrick said the owners of the hooved fugitives were incredibly appreciative of the efforts of law enforcement.

“They were beside themselves with our ability to help and what we did. It was a humid day and both Officer Smith and I went through two uniform changes due to the heat, mixed with dirt,” he added.

While it isn’t often one sees renegade cows on Route 1, Belfast Police have proved they’re up for the challenge.

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com