BANGOR, Maine — A Brewer woman pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges in connection with a fatal hit-and-run on Bangor’s Main Street in June.
Patricia Giles, 51, is charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, a Class C felony, and falsifying physical evidence, a misdemeanor.
Giles was indicted June 27 by the Penobscot County grand jury.
She remains free on $10,000 unsecured bail. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 8.
Giles faces up to five years in prison if convicted of the felony charge.
Her attorney, Zachary Brandmeir of Bangor, said after Wednesday’s arraignment that he did not expect the case to be resolved quickly. Brandmeir said at an impromptu press conference outside the courthouse that he has not yet received discovery from the district attorney’s office.
“Unless and until we have an opportunity to see and review all that evidence, we’re not going to consider any other plea” than not guilty, he told reporters.
He said that Giles was doing as well as could be expected under the circumstances.
“Certainly everybody feels bad” about the incident], he said. “This has been a horrible tragedy. No one wants to hear about it. It’s a sad event for the community. I think [Giles] is quite shaken up by it but she’s doing the best she can given what’s alleged here.”
The Penobscot County district attorney’s office claims Giles struck Joshua R. Constantine, 37, of Bangor, a longtime employee of a downtown business, as he crossed Main Street near the entrance to Shaw’s supermarket around 10:30 p.m. Saturday, June 2.
Constantine, an employee of Herbal Tea & Tobacco, was killed instantly.
A woman who identified herself to a Bangor Daily News photographer as the victim’s sister did not address the court Wednesday and left the courthouse without speaking to the media.
Giles’ silver 2000 Pontiac Bonneville didn’t stop and didn’t brake, according to Deputy District Attorney Michael Roberts, who is prosecuting the case.
Giles surrendered to police on June 13 as part of an agreement with the district attorney’s office, according to a previously published report.
Roberts, who did not handle Giles’ first appearance in court Wednesday, said in June that Giles was not indicted for manslaughter because there was no proof she was criminally negligent when she struck Constantine.
Maine law defines manslaughter as “recklessly, or with criminal negligence, caus[ing] the death of another human being.”
Giles was headed home from being in the Main Street area of Bangor during a waterfront concert but did not purchase a ticket for the show, the prosecutor said.
“We have no evidence that she was in a bar drinking before the incident,” Roberts said.
A few weeks after the accident, the Bangor Public Works Department installed a crosswalk and a pedestrian signal at Patten Street, the entrance to Shaw’s.
Roberts said in June that even if Constantine had been in the crosswalk when he was struck, the driver would not have been criminally negligent unless it could be proven that person was impaired in some way, such as under the influence of intoxicants.
The day after the accident, police got a tip that Giles was involved and went to her residence, where they found the Bonneville in the garage.
Police found Giles had tried to remove the car’s windshield, and that is why she is charged with falsifying evidence, according to Roberts.
Initially, Giles told investigators she thought she had hit a dog, Roberts said in June.
“Ultimately, she acknowledged to the Bangor Police Department that she hit someone and then panicked,” Roberts said.
5 years for killing someone whilst probably drunk/high
damn
She will not see a day behind bars. Chalk this one up as a loss for the prosecution.
probably
I’m guessing that most of her sentence will be suspended so that she spends not more than 90 days in jail, not in prison, assuming she has no prior convictions or serious driving offenses.
If she had been drinking the night of the accident, fleeing the scene – though certainly immoral and unlawful – was the right decision as far as her own criminal exposure is concerned. Sometimes the law creates perverse incentives.
Like I said earlier, both my boyfriend and I saw the conditions that night, approximately 1/2 hr after the accident. It was very dark and there were people running all over Main St. and up the sidewalks while drunk and disorderly. We nearly hit three people in the same area where Josh died. The crosswalk was a good idea; most people we discussed this with thought there was already a crosswalk there, though the area was unlit.
All the more reason to drive slowly and carefully, and to stop if you hit someone.
Except driving slow would’ve made no difference to hitting people that night. We were driving slow and these people had no clue they were in any danger, drunk as skunks and laughing while running across the road in traffic. And as far as stopping, there would be no way I’d have stopped that night, possibly gone over to the PD if not in a panic state, but no, I would not have gotten out of the car down there with people out of control like that.
OK, you would have fled the scene, but then when you got home would you have tried to falsify evidence by attempting to remove evidence from your car and then, when caught by the police, would you have lied to them about what had happened?
Don’t honestly know. It’s never happened to me, and I hope to God it never does.
Fair enough. I think I would stop. I hope I would stop.
It would be easier for me, though, because I don’t drink. A lot of these cases result from drivers who have been drinking and, therefore, fear the consequences.
Evidence would indicate otherwise: the only dead body left on that street was that of Joshua Constantine. It appears that every driver on Main St. that night, other than Ms. Giles, managed to drive responsibly enough to not hit any “drunk as skunks” pedestrians.
Funny, you didn’t mention seeing the victim, Joshua Constantine, ” drunk as a skunk, laughing, and running across the road in traffic”before he was struck and killed? I hope you have relayed this ‘evidence’ to the Bangor PD about how he was asking for it by being a drunk in the road?
… But if this isn’t so and you have NO knowledge of Mr Constantine’s state why are you trying to blame the victim? I didn’t see you make any comments about the state Ms. Giles was in beforehand? She hit a person, a human being, hard enough to kill him instantly and didn’t bother to brake or stop! Then she went home and hid herself and the car and tried to destroy the evidence of her guilt, until the police came knocking at her door! How can you imply that it was the victims fault that he was run down. Put the blame where it belongs!
The last time I saw Josh Constantine, he was a 6th grader. I remember him as he was then and loved his sense of humor. I did not see him that night, if you had read my other comments you’d realize this, we went through there approx. 1/2 hour after he was hit. I certainly did not say he was asking for it, just that there was more than one aspect to this situation. Putting all the blame on Ms. Giles is wrong in my opinion, based on what I observed that night. There was shared blame that night. Possible over-serving of patrons at the concert, possible lack of controls for a large rowdy crowd, observed pitch black conditions near Shaw’s, lack of controlled crosswalk where there should’ve been one, and a possible malfunctioning crosswalk further down the street, in addition to lack of judgment of adults who were leaving the concert. Josh died, yes, but he may not have died if the other conditions did not exist. Unfortunately hindsight is 20/20 and we can’t go back.
And who should share the blame with Ms. Giles for “allegedly” leaving Mr. Constantine as road kill? Who shares the blame for “allegedly” attempting to remove the windshield from her vehicle?
Have you ever seen a mob turn on someone? I have. I saw normally peaceful law-abiding sober neighbors nearly drag a drunk driver out through the window of his car to beat him to death over a car accident in Bangor in which members of a family in the other car were killed. He was so drunk he thought he was on Eastern Avenue in Brewer and was sitting there laughing in his car. Luckily calmer people stepped in before the police arrived. I’m through talking about this. It’s too sad of a situation to go on about. RIP Josh.
Yes I have seen a mob attack. That does not change my mind about personal responsibility. Had Ms. Giles remained at the scene and demonstrated that she was not so drunk that she thought she was on Eastern Avenue in Brewer this would be a simple tragedy. However, Ms. Giles chose a very different course of action, which begs the question: why run if you have nothing to hide?
The actions of Ms. Giles transformed the tragedy of a simple accident into something much more sinister.
Oh I did realize exactly what you said but you obviously missed my sarcasm. Trying to put the blame on laughing drunks, the dark, no crosswalk, etc, etc…If she was truly innocent and it were those ‘outside’ factors and not her being drunk, then why didn’t she stop the vehicle after she hit someone, something, or whatever??? The front of the vehicle was damaged along with the windshield that poor Josh was thrown onto! …. A dog? Are you kidding me! I don’t know about you but I would most definitely stop to see what I had hit and if there was anything I could do to help! It seems that the only condition that existed that night was this man happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time! This (most likely intoxicated) woman sped down the street oblivious to anything or anyone in her path, struck him, saw this poor soul on her windshield, (oh I’d bet she did)and kept on going! None of those ‘conditions’ excuses will hold up for her now. She lost that right when she sped away leaving that poor man dead in the road.
~ My sympathies to his family and friends. I pray they at least get some justice from this tragedy.
If the victim had obeyed the law and not crossed illegally, he would likely still be alive.
If she did’nt stop after she hit someone, what makes you think she would stop for someone in a crosswalk? If she had’nt slammed into him with her car he would likely still be alive.
That’s some faulty logic there…
If you think that’s faulty logic then you have’nt studied logic, nice try though. When in doubt always revert to the personal attack.
Still blaming the victim? Pedestrians have the right of way even if there is no crosswalk.
Believe me, the full story isn’t out.
“Pedestrians have the right of way even if there is no crosswalk.”
Absolutely false.
MRSA Title 29-A, Sect. 2056(4)(A): “A pedestrian must yield the right-of-way to a vehicle when crossing a way other than
within a marked crosswalk.”
MRSA Title 29-A, Sect. 2056(6)(A): A pedestrian may not (A) Cross between
adjacent intersections at which traffic-control devices operate, except in a
marked crosswalk; (B) Cross an
intersection diagonally, unless authorized by official traffic-control devices;
or (C) Suddenly leave
a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle that
is so close that it is impossible for the operator to yield.”
Wow, look at you working hard searching online for Maine law then cutting and pasting it! Tell me, where was it printed that he stepped out in front of her vehicle? If a pedestrian is already crossing the road common sense would tell you to yield! If he was already crossing, which I think they may prove is the case, how was he supposed to get out of the way? Are you saying he was fair game because he jaywalked?… That is what I was talking about.
If he didn’t walk in front of her vehicle, how did he get there?
Really? Think man! …. He was already walking across the 4 lane road and couldn’t get out of her way or across fast enough.
I do think. That’s why I never cross four lanes of traffic at night without a crossing signal.
8. Due care. Notwithstanding other provisions of this chapter or of a local ordinance, an operator of a vehicle shall:
A. Exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian; [1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
B. Give warning by sounding the horn when necessary; and [1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
C. Exercise proper caution on observing a child or any obviously confused, incapacitated or intoxicated person.
i saw the accident scene after zac brown. i walked on the sidewalk, and saw the pool of blood. this was the 2nd person i’ve seen killed in bangor personally on the side of the road.
Unfortunately, I seriously doubt the drunk and disorderly will pay any attention to a crosswalk.
Exactly. I get totally sick when bad things like this happen and would’ve been very very angry that I had hurt or killed someone. Angry at myself for what my part in it was, and also at them for not being careful. These types of accidents never leave you unless you are a heartless person.
People need to be careful crossing streets, and that includes the “somebodies” that wander around downtown in the mornings with paperwork, coffee, and cellphones. Near-misses almost every day on Central St. at the Norumbega Park crosswalk and between delivery trucks further up. There are blind spots all over that two -lane, double-parked, curving one-way street and these people don’t even look around.
And drivers with their paperwork, coffee, cellphones, and 2000# missiles rarely slow down in the downtown area.
the city of Bangor is also liable in this – no crosswalk. people running all over the street during a concert?!? what the…
The city has immunity.
Even with the crosswalk, people still waltz into the street quite a distance from it. Just the other week I had some schmucks cross right in front of me. Their clothes were dark, making them more difficult to see. People just don’t get it.
I can’t wait to see what type of excuse her lawyers try to sell the jury for her behavior. It doesn’t matter what the conditions of the road were or whether there was a cross walk or not on the steet. It sure looks like she hit the guy hard enough to mess up her windshield, dorve off and then tried to hide the car. I don’t see any excuse that can get her off the hook for that.
Hitting a pedestrian at that time of the evening can be determined to be an accident and forgivable….driving away from such a happening and purposefully trying to hide the evidence and cover up one’s actions is not….she deserves the maximin punishment, IMHO…….
She’s going to get a lawyer (i’m surprised they didn’t list who is representing her) that will make up a good tale and Walk, Skip and Run out of the courthouse. She will not go to jail. Mark my words.
Sad but true!
Unless they would like to take this opportunity to use her as an example to people: “If you hit someone, don’t run and hide.” She ran because she was probably OUI. Smart. She is a drinker, even looks like she had a few for her mugshot.
I’ll counter you Mr. Limbaugh and say she will go to jail. Mark my words.
Edit: Her attorney, Zachary Brandmeir of Bangor, said after Wednesday’s arraignment that he did not expect the case to be resolved quickly.
They added his name.
I hope you are correct, Kevin.
They name him now: “Her attorney, Zachary Brandmeir of Bangor….” There is even a photo of her with her lawyer.
Did the paper add those in after your comment was posted?
She faces up to five years in prison if convicted of the felony charge.
Translation, she has already cut a sweetheart deal with Almy giving her at most 120 days in jail, with the rest suspsended and probation, would be my honest guess.
They say she wasnt reckless, but isnt it wreckless to hit someone, which she has admitted to, and then leave the person dying in the streets? Was there any drug, alchohol tests performed the next day when they realized who this was? Seems to me anyway, that a young man lost his life. It should be worth far more than her losing a couple years or less of her freedom.
Even if there was drugs and alcohol.
“I was so upset when I got home from hitting something, a dog, a person, that I came home and drank a bottle of Rum and had to take some benzos to go to sleep. Then I woke up with a killer headache so I took some Vicodin that my doc gave me for an occasional migrain, he is the script, right here officer, but I was 100% sober when I killed the kid, honest”.
That’s my guess how it went down.
Not guilty after admitting it. Heartless totally heartless!
She has to plead not guilty so it can go to trial. There is nothing unusual about someone pleading not guilty at their arraignment .
Shhhhhhhh. These kinds of people don’t want to think about that. At the end of the day, they just want people to go to prison.
One can commit a certain act that is arrestable, but sometimes under the circumstances, they are not legally responsible under the law, as written. I don’t all the specifics of this cas, but all a not guilty plea means is that she is asking the DA to submit proof that is criminally responsible either at trial, or via a plea deal.
I pray she doesn’t get away with this…She is a drunk from the word go….She tried to cover up the whole thing and got caught…She did get a blood test with the police the next day, but too late…. Joshua’s life should be worth some kind of jail time, but the way she gets away with stuff, only goes to show that she may this also…. SO SAD…
Of course Josh’s life is worth something but he crossed the street in the dark across multiple lanes and not in a crosswalk, didn’t he? Sorry to say it, but as sad as that is, there are more elements to this than just Ms. Giles behavior and judgment. I doubt you’ll find anyone excusing her for what happened.
funny how there’s a crosswalk there now… maybe the city should also be held liable.
Likely responding to the criticism in a timely way to mitigate the issue.
The city wasn’t obligated to provide a crosswalk there.
I am certainly NOT excusing Patty in any way shape or form. Hope she gets all that is coming to her….
Life is cheap in Maine.
This son of a —- Patricia Giles will get away with killing someone just like everyone else who kills someone with their car or truck in Maine.
Here are two stories from Miane newspapers just yesterday:
Saco man on probation after fatal hit-and-run arrested for drunken driving
http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2012/09/11/news/saco-man-on-probation-after-fatal-hit-and-run-arrested-for-drunken-driving/
Driver strikes plea deal in Unity Township fatal crashDavid Kimberlin, 22, was charged only with a civil violation”The reconstructionist said you were going 30 mph over the speed limit in a snowstorm. ”
http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/plea-deal-in-fatal-crash_2012-09-10.html
Drunk, sober, driving recklessly, driving defensively. You DON’T leave the scene of an accident and leave someone there to die! So she thought it was a dog? Well so what? You don’t leave a dog to die in the streets either! What is wrong with people???
I was contacted by one of her representatives early the following week after the accident to ask me if I was interested in purchasing a multi family property she had so she could get assets out of her name and raise cash. I was told this needed to be a quick cash deal, I said no thanks as I was not interested in this kind of arrangenent.
very interesting. good to know.
May or may not be true. Talktrash isn’t exactly a legitimate witness name.
Bet i know who that was and i bet anything that the “rep” was with her that night….
you know that guy down in belgrade whose sister and another person were killed has not been charged with anything yet he was drunk and speeding in belgrade. no charges. you should read his facebook
We have a huge problem in this state with dangerous roads, and impotent, incompetent Judicial members in the Maine courts that let individuals get away after slaughtering innocent people on Maine roads.
For every million miles driven on Massachusetts roads, 1 person is killed
For every million miles driven on Rhode Island roads, 3 people are killed
For every million miles driven on Connecticut roads, 7 people are killed
For every million miles driven on Maine roads, 16 people are killed
http://www.carinsurancecomparison.com/which-states-have-the-worst-drivers/
So if you drove a car 100,000 miles you would kill 1.6 people on average . I think the average person drives at least 250,000 miles in a life time . I know I have and have not killed anyone yet. With those stats more than half the people who die should die from a car. I think your numbers are off . On maine roads I would care to bet People drive about 10 billion miles . No way 10,000 are killed by cars in Maine
Insurance companies Lie . They take advantage of the fact the schools do not teach math . I would bet they are off by a factor of at least 100 times. Without even getting a pencil and paper out i would bet you a $1,000 they lie by at least a factor of 10 times . They should be charged with fraude for the out right lies . I am not educated but I know basic math.
Some of those accident victims may be hopelessly lost in a giant pothole just this side of Meddybemps. We’ll never know for sure as DOT has patched it 12,000 times.
Someone should ask (under oath) the people she was with that night. I guarantee (under oath) that certain someone would feel they had to be honest about her state of mind as well as state of sobriety. She murdered someone and should be held accountable.
Murder is the intentional killing of another person. There has been no evidence reported that she had any intention of killing anyone that night.
She knew she gravely injured someone as she drove away to the point that she felt compelled to try and “cover her tracks” by fixing the vehicle before she could be questioned. if you aren’t guilty of a crime, you don’t run and hide.
I really hope she gets more than five years. That mans kids get to grow up the rest of their life visiting their dad at the graveyard, and she MIGHT have to do five years? Those kids don’t get their dad back in five years. I think she should walk free when Josh Constantine gets to tuck his kids into bed again…
He died instantly, according to the authorities, and he was jaywalking. He was solely to blame for his death. She may only be found guilty of not stopping and reporting the crash. Don’t blame her for what he did wrong.
Even if you are jaywalking a car has to yield to a pedestrian, and if you don’t think she was drunk, you need to think again. To the people I know are going to come back and say I have no right to speculate, I say that Patty Giles lost her right not to have people speculate when she ran away. If she did nothing wrong she would have stopped. If she had stopped, no doubt the emphasis would have moved to Josh’s behavior, but she didn’t stop.
You’re crossing a very dangerous line when you accuse people of drunken driving without any evidence.
That said, under the law, the pedestrian did not have the right of way. Yes, victims can be at fault for their injuries and death.
I guess someone needs to give me another reasonable explanation as to why should would have run.
People panic and do stupid things even when they’re innocent, because they fear they won’t be believed.
Drunk as crap, high on drugs, sober as a judge, you cause another human being grievous injury and you stop. Another humans life should be worth more than your freedom, and if she was indeed sober it would have made her look a ton better to authorities and the public. You can say whatever you want about laws and what have you, but this isn’t about that, this is about what is right and what is wrong. This lady was wrong, and deserves far more than a slap on the wrist. I stand by my statement, she should be free to walk the street again when Josh Constantine gets to tuck his kids into bed again.
8. Due care. Notwithstanding other provisions of this chapter or of a local ordinance, an operator of a vehicle shall:
A. Exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian; [1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
B. Give warning by sounding the horn when necessary; and [1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
C. Exercise proper caution on observing a child or any obviously confused, incapacitated or intoxicated person.
You conveniently left out the part about the pedestrian not having the right of way in this case. Your citation speaks to negligence. The two are independent of each other.
I did not leave that out on purpose, you had already posted that in another place. My point is the first line that ”
Notwithstanding other provisions of this chapter or of a local ordinance, an operator of a vehicle shall”. It was obvious as you pointed out that there were alot of drunk people therefore she should have taken more due care.
you screwing her or what?
From what I heard a drunk man was crossing the street and he got hit by a car an died… Now what is everyone mad about? The loss of a friend do to poor judgement on his part??. This accident was not her fault, she was doing her part driving down the road when someone step in front of her car.. The only issue I see here is she left the scene because she was in shock… Leaving was the issue, hitting him was not, that was an accident and it was not her fault.
From what I heard Ms. Giles was high on bath salts. She was hallucinating and thought she hit a dog so she went home to hide from the dead dog. When the dog’s ghost started haunting her she tried to remove the bloody windshield. Certainly not her fault.
Certainly , she , like many others , in today’s lovely ” put the blame elsewhere” world , can justify her actions , the action of leaving the scene , the action of hiding the vehicle , the action of trying to remove a windshield. Josh was a human being , a good , kind person. He did drink. So what? He did NOT drive. He walked. We all walked across that street daily. We live here. Since you ” heard” about Josh , possibly you will listen very carefully and “hear” the sounds of “self preservation” on the part of the driver. The part , especially , where she hits & runs , hides her car & falsifies evidence. None of that indicates shock . Oh , & everyone is angry because a life was lost . A son , a brother ,a father & a friend. We feel that loss. We are angry because it is inhuman to leave a situation that you have a part in ( she did not brake , she did not stop) , knowing something happened , to save your own skin. Karma
I can tell you do not know her or you do and are trying to make the story better then what it is.
I can see you do not know her, or you do and are trying to make the story better then it really is.
Wow. Who is off their rocker.? Talk about a loose cannon. Your comment is to absurd for a response. Best of luck pal.
If you are going to make comments and assertions like that you should use you real name.
Devilduche
Apparently, you missed the point. I was not suggesting nor implying ill of the dead, at all. I have only the utmost respect for all the employees (AND the owner) of Herbal Tea and Tobacco. I’ve personally spent a lot of money there, one some very exquisite works of art. Triple digit expenditures, to be honest. I could go further into detail, but regardless, having spoken with Josh over the years, it was NOT my intention to speak ill of him, at all.
I was merely suggesting Bushfan’s typical attitude was curiously missing from these comments. Im not implying Mr. Constantine’s place of employment was in anyway related his untimely death. I was, however, pointing out that typically Bushfan would be screaming something to that effect. Here is a guy that agree’s that sending people to prison for marijuana related “crimes” is a good thing and a guy who frequently takes a very one sided, hard-nosed conservative view of everything. His common retort to my views is something related to Tin Foil Hats and Cool Aid. I don’t have the time to go searching now, but if you come around these comments often, pay attention.
Good day.
PS. Flag as needed.
PSS. If you really want to know who I am, then I’ll happily send you a message via facebook. Or, perhaps I might see you around, sometime?
They should talk to some of the people who were at Raena’s that night.
If you have real information that could lead to witnesses and evidence about Giles’s condition before she ran into Constantine, you should contact the police or the prosecutor.
Josh , my neighbor & friend , is gone. His life taken , by accident? Well yes , but , after the fact , conscience tells me that the decent thing to do is stop , try to help , be remorseful, frightened , something! All the extenuating circumstances in the world do not excuse a person for not doing the right thing. What a horrible self serving way to behave. How cold . It is very painful for our family that Josh is no longer a part of our “extended family” , physically present. It is much more painful to think there is a person who could immediately turn to her own needs , thinking so little of human life. Karma .
Your words indicate a deep love and friendship for this man (whom I did not know) and the pains suffered when losing such a friend take much time to begin to heal…..I agree that when the tragedy occurred this woman neglected her personal responsibility to humanity by negligently leaving that horrible scene and trying to cover-up her involvement…..the problems (many of them) of today’s society seem to be, IMHO, a lack of respect for another’s life and a basic disregard of one’s own personal responsibility towards action and consequence for such action…..I trust that she will receive justly what she deserves, may you and this man’s other friends and family hold onto his life, memories and good times shared together, and may his positive influence on each of you cause your pain to be lessened as the days go by….Peace to you….