BELFAST — Belfast Police Chief Bobby Cormier said Oct. 5 that an arrest had been made in the Aug. 12 incident that left a 30-year-old bicyclist injured in a ditch.

At approximately 8:51 p.m. that night,  Belfast Police responded to a 911 call of a bicyclist being struck by a motor vehicle in the area of  238 Belmont Ave in Belfast. 

Bicyclist Tristen Fontenelle, of Searsmont, was found injured on the side of the road by residents who lived in the area, heard the crash, and dialed 911.

The driver of the vehicle that struck the victim left the scene immediately without stopping, leaving the victim was laying injured in a ditch off the side of the road, according to Cormier, in an Oct. 5 news release. The victim was transported by the Belfast Ambulance Service and treated the Waldo County Hospital.  

Following the incident, Belfast Police put out information to the public that they were looking for a possible GM Model pickup truck circa 2014-2018 and which was missing the passenger side mirror.

“We believed the passenger window was also smashed,” wrote Cormier.

“After a lengthy investigation which included several interviews, review of video surveillance recordings in the area and collected numerous pieces of evidence, both at the scene and other locations, we eventually located the suspect vehicle, a 2014 GMC Sierra pickup truck,” the Chief wrote. “At the conclusion of the investigation, this week, Zacahriah Bormet, 23, of Belmont has been charged with Leaving the Scene of a Personal Injury Accident and Failure to Report an Accident.  He was arrested on a warrant and an arraignment date has been set for December 9, 2022.”

Cormier said the investigation and subsequent arrest was the result of excellent teamwork by several police department members, “who wanted to bring the suspect to justice for the victim who was simply trying to get home from work that night.”

He thanked anyone who assisted the police with the case.