PALMYRA – Police are investigating a complaint by the founder of the Maine Patriots website that she was surrounded by a group of people and threatened until she relinquished control of the site.

The site is reportedly popular among supporters of Maine’s tea party movement.

Amy Hale of Hartland, in a message on the site this week, wrote that more than 10 people cornered her and told her that “bad things” would happen to her if she didn’t give them the password to the website for the Maine Patriots.

Her message, posted on the website mainepatriots.ning.com, matches what she reported to Maine State Police, said Trooper Jon Brown.

The website features a Fox News feed, a blog, a history section and updates on tea party events. The flag image on its home page is inscribed with: “I am a proud Maine Patriot dedicated to restoring the Constitution, maintaining & defending state sovereignty and saving our Republic!”

Brown said police got the report at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, but he declined to say when and where the alleged incident occurred.

Efforts to reach Hale and three others associated with Maine Patriots by phone and e-mail were unsuccessful.

The group’s Facebook page says its goal is “to educate others about what is in the Constitution and what our government is doing to violate it.”

Messages posted on a related site, Maine Refounders, suggested the incident followed an internal dispute about Hale’s leadership.

Joseph DeCoste of North Anson has a website, teapartymaine.org, that links to Hale’s. He said he is familiar with the “growing pains” of Maine Patriots.

“The things that are happening are overshadowing the larger picture,” he said. “There’s very much concern that this type of infighting and dispute between siblings of the movement is clouding the big story.”