HOLLIS, Maine — A Westbrook man is facing multiple charges after three Maine state troopers and a trooper recruit were hit by a car in Hollis Sunday night.
It happened shortly before 11:15 p.m. at the intersection of Hollis Road (Route 202) and Star Lane, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said in a release Monday, Aug. 28.
Troopers Jake Mowry, 28, and David Lemieux, 33, and Trooper Recruit Shane St. Pierre, 22, were taken to Maine Medical Center with serious injuries not considered life-threatening, Moss stated. As of Monday morning, they were still at the hospital.
Trooper Dakota Stewart, 33, was treated for several broken bones in his right foot before being released from the hospital, according to Moss.
Three of the troopers, including the trainee, were just hired this year.
Tyler Croston, 24, of Westbrook, was driving the car eastbound when it crashed. He was taken to Maine Medical Center with minor injuries, while his passenger, Amber Gedaro, 27, of Westbrook, was treated at the scene of the crash and released, York County Sheriff William King said.
Officials said Croston has been charged with the following class C crimes:
- Aggravated OUI
- Aggravated DTE (driving to endanger)
- Reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon
The troopers and trainee had been called to the scene Sunday night for a domestic dispute happening between two sisters about an hour before the crash. The girls' mother, Donna Miller, spoke to NEWS CENTER Maine on Monday, explaining what she witnessed.
"All we heard was a big impact – a big, huge like explosion almost. It was like an explosion," Miller said about the crash.
Miller said she ran over to the road to make sure her daughter, Misty Huger, who was talking to one of the troopers in the breakdown lane, was alright. She said that's when she saw all four of the troopers had been "wiped out."
"It was awful. It was very scary," Miller said, later adding, "The ambulances came, and they were here until at least 6 o’clock [in the morning] doing the crime scene."
Miller said she saw Croston at the scene, coming out of his car with a bloody face.
"He just kept screaming, ‘It’s not my fault. It’s not my fault,'" Miller said.
King said it doesn't appear as though Croston slowed down when he saw police lights, since there are no skid marks on the road.
"[The car] didn’t brake or anything like that. It just kept going," King said.
King said it's a reminder that people need to drive safely.
"It just kind of highlights the dangers that troopers and all law enforcement face when they’re out on rural patrol," King said, later adding, "We get complaints constantly about speeding cars and erratic driving and things like that."
At a press conference Monday afternoon, Colonel William Ross with the Maine State Police said this number of injuries in one incident for their force is "unprecedented." He said the crash took place on a straight stretch of road, and the troopers were very visible.
"The best way to describe it is like threading a needle from the rear end of that cruiser parked in the driveway to the vehicles parked in the breakdown lane," Ross said about how the crash happened. The car did not hit the cruisers or a group of mailboxes on the side of the road.
The York County Sheriff's Office is investigating this crash and will work with the York County District Attorney's Office. The scene was reconstructed by Kennebunk police, Moss said.
Croston had two sets of bail conditions and has been charged with violating those conditions of release. For this reason, Croston is not eligible to be released on bail prior to his first court appearance, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Aug. 30, according to King.