ELLSWORTH, Maine — A Bucksport man with a substance abuse problem has been sentenced to serve two years behind bars for setting fire to a restaurant and trashing a municipal recreation center.
Christopher Allen, 21, appeared Monday in Hancock County Superior Court to enter guilty pleas to eight charges stemming from his drunken acts of destruction in Bucksport last fall and winter.
In all, he received a sentence of eight years in prison with all but two years suspended and six years of probation. He also was ordered to pay more than $4,000 in restitution and fines.
Last September, Allen was arrested after police saw him walking away from Crosby’s Drive-In restaurant on Route 46 and then noticed smoke coming from the building. A police officer had stopped Allen to talk to him but then put him in his cruiser when he saw the smoke. The officer fought the blaze with a fire extinguisher until the Fire Department arrived, helping to prevent extensive damage from the flames.
Allen, who police said smelled like alcohol and diesel fuel, had piled cardboard into a kitchen sink at the eatery, doused it with diesel fuel and set it on fire, according to police. He told police he had been working on a lawn mower earlier that day. He subsequently was charged with arson, burglary and criminal mischief.
On Feb. 22, Allen was arrested for causing extensive damage to the town’s recreation center on Bridge Street. Allen smeared driveway sealant inside the building and on outside walls, broke windows, discharged a fire extinguisher, overturned a metal cabinet and tore a phone and paper towel dispenser off the walls, according to court documents. The damage occurred after a town employee, knowing Allen was drunk, allowed him into the building and then left him there alone.
Allen was gone when the employee returned later in the day. The employee called police, who soon discovered a car had been stolen from an adjacent parking lot. Allen’s photo identification was found in a pile of broken glass left on the ground from the car’s window.
A short time later, police found Allen at a local house along with the car. Driveway sealant and fire extinguisher material were on Allen’s clothes. Police tested Allen for alcohol consumption and determined his blood alcohol content was 0.17 percent, twice the legal driving limit in Maine, according to officials. He was charged with burglary of a motor vehicle, theft, criminal operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of intoxicants, criminal mischief and violating bail conditions from his earlier arrest.
Attorneys involved in the case said Tuesday that given Allen’s relatively young age, his substance abuse problems and his close community ties in Bucksport — where he used to be a town employee — having to spend two years behind bars made sense.
Jeff Toothaker, Allen’s defense attorney, said that Allen already has served 10 months in jail for his crimes.
“Hopefully, he grows up while he’s in jail and stays away from booze,” Toothaker said.
Carletta “Dee” Bassano, the prosecutor in the case, said that Allen might have been a candidate for drug court, which would allow him to avoid incarceration, if not for the severity of the property destruction he left in his wake. She said Allen would have access to good substance abuse counseling programs while behind bars.
“He’s obviously a kid that has a severe drug abuse problem,” Bassano said. “The goal is to rehabilitate him. There’s a lot of community support for him.”
During Allen’s sentencing, Allen did not address the court other than to enter guilty pleas and to tell Justice Kevin Cuddy that he had a GED and had worked for the town of Bucksport for four years.
Allen’s grandmother told the judge that Allen is loved by his family and has a good support system.
“He’s had a problem with alcohol and drugs, and he needs help,” she said.
Cuddy told Allen that he needs to stop “accepting the invitation” to screw up. He admonished Allen for his criminal deeds and warned him that, if he does screw up, he could end up facing a lot more time in prison. He also ordered Allen to find a full-time job within 90 days of his release from prison.
“This is a chance to separate you from an environment that has not worked for you,” Cuddy told Allen about his time behind bars.
