Knox County court news: Upcoming court hearings scheduled for manslaughter in fatal school bus incident, plow truck assault at a public protest
ROCKLAND — The following comprises recent court activity in Knox County with the upcoming court dates for dispositional conference hearings in two ongoing cases including a former bus driver accused of manslaughter and a man arrested for allegedly driving his plow truck in a reckless manner too close to protestors.
The dispositional conference is defined as a meeting with the prosecution, defense attorney, and judge to discuss the status of the case and explore possible resolutions, such as a plea agreement, before it goes to trial. It allows negotiation and discussion of case resolution options to possibly avoid the need for a trial.
Former school bus driver who plead not guilty to manslaughter retains new attorneys
Jeffrey Colburn, 65, of Camden, who was the driver of the bus that fatally struck 12-year-old Brayden Callahan in Rockland on Nov. 21, 2025, and who plead not guilty to the charge of manslaughter, has retained two new attorneys.
A dispositional conference is scheduled for May 26 in Knox County Court.
Colburn discharged his first attorney, Jonathan Goodman of Portland in March. Goodman represented Colburn when he made his initial court appearance at a hearing held via Zoom held from the Two Bridges Jail in Wiscasset on Jan. 16. Justice Patrick Larson presided at the hearing held at the Knox County Courthouse.
Attorneys Jeremy Pratt of Camden and Caitlyn Smith of Bangor have been appointed by the court as co-counsel to represent Colburn. The Public Defender Service has approved the funds for the legal representation.
Colburn was released on $2,000 cash bail after the January 16 hearing. Justice Larson recommended that Colburn not be held in jail until his trial since the offense was not intentional.
As a condition of bail, the prosecution requested that Colburn cannot operate commercial vehicles including a school bus and not have any contact with the parents of the child who died.
Since the time of the incident, Rockland Police, including Rockland’s Criminal Investigation Division have continued to investigate the incident with the Knox County District Attorney’s Office. The investigation included interviews of numerous witnesses, legal process and review of relevant records, consultation with subject matter experts and assistance from the Maine State Police, Bureau of Highway Safety, Office of Chief Medical Examiner, Maine Health & Environmental Testing Laboratory, Bureau of Motor Vehicles and RSU-13.
The investigation findings report has not yet been made available to the public.
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Rockland man arrested for allegedly driving a plow truck too close to protesters, causing snow, ice to knock some down makes his initial appearance in Knox County Court
Michael Robinson, 65, of Rockland, who was arrested for felony reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and driving to endanger on Feb. 21 for driving his plow truck (with the plow down) close to citizens gathered in a downtown park made his initial appearance in Knox County Court April 27. He has also been charged with assault.
Robinson was released following his arrest after posting $1,000 bail on Feb. 21.
Attorney Eric B. Morse of Strout and Payson, P.A. in Rockland is representing Robinson as his defense attorney
Police said that Robinson drove his plow truck too close to approximately 75 citizens at Chapman Park on Feb. 21 and his action caused snow and ice to strike multiple people, some with enough force to knock them to the ground. To date, a police affidavit has not been filed in Knox County Court.
The Rockland Police Dept. issued the following news release concerning the arrest of Robinson and additional incidents of criminal activity targeting those exercising their First Amendment rights.
Robinson is scheduled to appear in court again on June 18 for a dispositional conference.
Reach Sarah Shepherd at news@penbaypilot.com
