Knox County Grand Jury Indictments: 15 counts for Washington crash tops the list

Fri, 06/17/2016 - 4:45pm

    ROCKLAND — The Knox County grand jury handed down their indictments June 8 which represented 14 defendants, including two inmates at the Maine State Prison, and one from Greenville, Tenn. An indictment does not imply guilt.

    Randall J. Weddle, 54, of Greenville, Tenn., two charges of manslaughter, three counts of aggravated operating under the influence, two counts of driving to endanger, and eight rule violations, including false record of duty status, ill or fatigued operator, use of alcohol while on duty, possession of alcohol while on duty. Weddle was driving a logging truck that caused a chain-reaction crash on Route 17 in Washington March 18 that killed two people and injured himself and one of the other drivers. Weddle’s tractor-trailer crossed the center line into oncoming traffic as it rounded the curve on Route 17, according to the accident report.

    One of the vehicles involved in the crash was a 1998 Chrysler van, driven by Christine Torres-York, 45, of Warren. Her vehicle was struck by the trailer and its load of lumber, causing the van to immediately burst into flames as it was pushed off the road into an adjacent field. Torres-York was pronounced dead at the scene. Paul Fowles, 74, of Owls Head, who was driving a 2009 Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck, was also pronounced dead at the crash scene.

    Weddle tested positive for alcohol and hydrocodone use following the crash. The blood sample taken right after the crash showed .09 grams of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, and the later sample at the hospital in Lewiston showed .073 grams of alcohol per 100 ml of blood.

    Additional indictments include:

    Eliot T. Boyce, 45, of Warren, aggravated assault.

    Brian R. Burch, 23, of Cushing, burglary; criminal mischief for a break-in and vandalism in April at Oceanside High School East.

    Randall E. Butler, 52, of Rockland, theft (by deception) of more than $1,000 in unemployment benefits from the Maine Department of Labor from March through May 2015.

    Robert A. Garrison, 55, of Owls Head, two counts of theft by misapplication of property.

    Steven Griffin, 21, Maine State Prison, three counts of assault on an officer.

    Scotch B. Hanning, 36, of Rockport, aggravated drug trafficking in heroin.

    Freedom Hamlin, 35, of Rockland, four counts of trafficking in schedule W drugs, methadone and alprazolam.

    Paul A. Heino, 41, of Thomaston, three counts of theft by unauthorized taking for stealing including food items from the Walmart store in Thomaston.

    Brandon E. Kavanagh, 31, of Warren, two counts of unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs.

    Nickolas E. King, 25, of Union, aggravated trafficking in Oxycodone within 1,000 feet of a school or safe zone; three counts of unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs, Oxycodone.

    Ryan Lane, 22, Maine State Prison, assault.

    Stephen J. Little, 28, of Warren, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person; unlawful furnishing of scheduling drugs; violation of condition of release.

    Reginald Perreault, 30, Warren, drug trafficking in cocaine; criminal forfeiture.

    Dustin B. Stimpson, 32, of Union, aggravated drug trafficking in cocaine.

    Reach Sarah Shepherd at news@penbaypilot.com