Milford man without a license accused of OUI, marijuana possession

HAMPDEN, Maine — A Milford man with a less-than-stellar driving record was arrested in Penobscot County after a motorist called Waldo County dispatchers to report that a pickup truck was operating erratically on U.S. Route 1A.

At the time of his arrest Saturday evening, James Cote, 46, lacked a valid driver’s license, Hampden police Officer Ben Eyles said Monday night.

Cote also had a marijuana pipe on his person and an open container of a hard ice tea beverage in the pickup he was driving, which is registered to a relative, Eyles said.

According to Eyles, police began looking for the pickup after a woman called from Stockton Springs to report that an older model red pickup with a white cap was weaving from one shoulder of the road to the other and engaging in “extreme tailgating.”

The pickup passed her while still in Waldo County and she lost sight of it for a distance, Eyles said. She eventually caught up to the truck, which was pulled over on the side of the road, and passed by.

The woman kept in touch with Waldo County dispatchers until she neared the Penobscot County line, where Penobscot County Regional Communications Center dispatchers took over and alerted officers in their coverage area, including Eyles, to be on the lookout.

When the woman reached Hampden, she reached a stretch of highway that had double traveling lanes. There, Cote passed her again, the officer said.

Eyles said he caught up with the pickup on Main Road South near Hampden Academy.

“After I stopped him, I asked for his license. He said, ‘You got me. You got me.’ He readily admitted that he did not have one,” Eyles said. Eyles said he detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage and found an open container in the truck.

The officer said that Cote performed poorly in field sobriety testing, during which Cote either dropped — or tried to discard — his pot pipe.

Intoxilyzer test results conducted later in the evening indicated that Cote’s blood alcohol content level was .12, above the legal limit of .08, Eyles said.

“His story was that he was installing floors in Cape Cod and while he was on his way home, he had stopped to visit a couple of friends,” Eyles said.

Cote, who is out on bail, is charged with Class C operating under the influence and Class C operating after suspension or revocation, the charges elevated to aggravated because Cote’s driving record includes three OUI convictions and more than three operating after suspension or operating after revocation convictions, Eyles said.

Cote also is charged with possession of a usable amount of marijuana and an open container driving violation, Eyles said.