BELFAST, Maine — A man involved in a head-on crash on Route 1A last March that caused serious injuries to a woman has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the accident and will be sentenced in March.
William Hinkle Jr., 35, of Frankfort, pleaded guilty last week to aggravated driving to endanger and to operating under the influence.
According to documents filed at Waldo County Superior Court in Belfast, he also pleaded guilty to unlawful trafficking in marijuana and possession of cocaine.
Hinkle had been attempting to pass another vehicle in his Chevrolet Blazer in Frankfort on March 23 when he crashed into a Subaru Legacy driven by 59-year-old Louise Boudreau-Bouchard of Searsport.
She suffered extensive injuries and had to be cut out of her crumpled vehicle before being airlifted to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
Other media outlets have said that Boudreau-Bouchard lost part of her hand after the crash, but police and Waldo County Deputy District Attorney Eric Walker have been unable to verify the report.
Eyewitnesses told officers in March that they thought Hinkle had been driving too fast when he pulled out to pass the car. At the accident scene, police observed marijuana in Hinkle’s vehicle. They searched his home and found cocaine residue there, according to police reports.
Hinkle is scheduled to be sentenced at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 2. His attorney is Peter Baldacci of Bangor.
i can see at least a couple days in jail here then in a year he can do it again….. goooo eric walker
Only thing I can say is, at least you had the sense to plead guilty. Just say NO to drugs.
He took the deal, knew he was in the wrong, and has to feel really bad over the whole thing, or he could of had this case drag in on the court room for a year anyways. I have to say, I kinda respect him for pleading guilty.
This accident happened right in front of the business i work for, it wasnt a good sight to see i heard from the guy in the office who called the crew i was on in Auburn at the time and told us it happened ! He said the landed life flight in our parking lot and someone that saw the accident said he was driving way too fast and erratically ! There was a car a few years ago that lost control there and jumped the ditch and landed right into the side of a piece of equipment we had parked by the road ! Cars and trucks fly down that stretch daily !
Hope she completely recovers from this, but man, she’s lucky to even be alive, by the looks of that car.
This was no accident. An accident happens when your vehicle does something you didn’t intend it to do. This guy intended to drink, intended to smoke, and intended to pass a vehicle without properly assessing the situation first. Again, this was no accident.