BIDDEFORD, Maine — A Westbrook man went before a judge virtually from the York County Jail Wednesday afternoon after his vehicle struck three state troopers and a trooper recruit in Hollis Sunday night.
Tyler Croston, 24, of Westbrook is charged with aggravated OUI, aggravated DTE (driving to endanger), and reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, which is the vehicle.
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, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said.
As of Wednesday, the three troopers are still in the hospital and Trooper Dakota Stewart, 33, is recovering at home with a broken foot, Moss said.
Croston was taken to Maine Medical Center as well, where he took tests at the hospital which showed Croston was under the impairment of a narcotic, according to the York County Sheriff Office's Chief Deputy, Jeremy Forbes.
"We'll also be doing a search warrant from the hospital for his blood record which will show hopefully what he was under the influence," Forbes said at a press conference Monday afternoon.
Croston is being held at the York County Jail with a $250,000 cash bail. If he posts bail, he must meet bail conditions that require no possession of alcohol, marijuana, and no use of drugs. Upon suspicion, searches and drug testing may be done. Croston also is not allowed to operate a motor vehicle.
"All too often these tragedies occur and they're preventable. And when you have something that's preventable, the more education we can get out there and use examples like this, as unfortunate as they are, to get the word out that people need to pay attention, slow down, and move over," Colonel William Ross with the Maine State Police said.
Officials said at the time of the incident, Croston was out on bail from a previous arrest in Cumberland County involving domestic violence and substance use.
Croston's next hearing is a dispositional conference on Dec. 14 at 1 p.m. at the York Judicial Center.