HERMON, Maine — An intoxicated local man who dropped off a friend early Friday sped off and struck a telephone pole just down the street, said Deputy Steve Saucier of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office.
Matthew Watson, 28, was driving a 2008 Pontiac Grand Am when police say he hit the pole on Vafiades Avenue just after 1 a.m. Friday. The car was totalled, Saucier said.
“There was damage to the pole and some wires came down,” the deputy said. “He got out and contacted a family member and they ended up calling us.”
Watson, who has one previous drunk driving conviction, was arrested and charged with operating under the influence and was taken to Penobscot County Jail in Bangor.
Speed and Watson’s level of intoxication are factors in the crash, Saucier said, adding that the prior conviction “aggravates the penalties, if convicted.” (Nok-Noi Ricker, BDN)
Strike two! Third strike should be severe. Once is a mistake, twice is dumb, third is just plain stupid. Hope he doesn’t reach the third.
Driving drunk is never a mistake.
Didn’t learn the first time, spend some time in jail and shell out some money, might learn something
Telephone poles always seem to be in the wrong place , at the wrong time.
Another Maineiac Brainiac. I just glad his friend was dropped off before he hit the pole. Though I would not have gotten into the car with someone who was under the influence to begin with.
I agree that any SOBER person wouldn’t have. However, if his passenger was drunk too, his/her judgment was probably as compromised as his was.
Yup.
Could have been a case of “You drive, you’re too drunk to sing.”
There ain’t nothing like dropping your buddy off and getting a fast wake up call. driving buzzed or drunk very very dum. know from experiance. lucky to be here today.you get a way with it for so long then times up heads or tails live or die in between could be worse.
All I will say is,the united states of america needs to make a law that takes away a persons licence for the rest of their lives after the first drunk driving offence. Just remember everyone,someone could kill a family member at any time driving drunk.
I’m not disagreeing with you, but unfortunately, not having a license doesn’t always prevent someone from still driving.
It would if we had alot tougher laws. Just have a law that says if you get caught driving without a licence ,you get death. I look at this as though it was a family member of mine that gets killed. I have no family left at all,so I know what it feels like.
Just have a law that says if you get caught driving without a licence ,you get death.
… Er… yeah, that’s not psychotically disproportionate in any way. No way that would run afoul of the Eighth Amendment or anything.
“Somebody might’ve gotten hurt! So you must die!” Sheesh. Back away.
All I will say is your thoughts and all others would change if a family member got killed this way.I hope and pray it doesnt happen.
… Yeah, you know what, tough guy, have it your way. If you don’t see how crazy that is, you’re not gonna.
I know what it is sir,i had family die because of another drunk driver
Experience shows that “zero-tolerance” laws about anything tend not to have the intended effect – in fact, they often make matters worse by ratcheting up the desperation level in people who would otherwise have been borderline cases. Back a rat into a corner and it’ll fight, y’know?
When the rat starts to attack ,kill him before he kills.
I’m not sure violence is necessarily the answer to stupidity either, but I suppose it was my metaphor that started it. Anyway, point is, you make somebody a permanent outlaw at the very first offense like that, chances are you’re buying more trouble than you prevented in the long run.
Well they could kill someone the second time,think about it.
This is 21st-century Maine, not Spain in the 1400s. We don’t put people to death because they “could kill someone”.
you would feel alot different if someone close to you died because of another drunk driver
If I ever feel that differently, it’ll be because I’ve lost my damn mind.
He probably realized he was to drunk to drive and was texting a cab !