WALDOBORO, Maine — A Washington man charged with striking and killing a Waldoboro bicyclist Saturday told police he was on his way to pick up the cyclist — a friend — when the fatal incident occurred.
Jeffrey R. Moran, 27, was charged with Class B felony operating under the influence. He was released Monday from Two Bridges Regional Jail on $10,000 cash bail, according to a jail official.
Moran was operating a 1999 GMC Yukon on Feyler’s Corner Road in Waldoboro when he allegedly struck Jessie Hayden, 31, who was riding a bicycle on the roadway, according to a release from the Waldoboro Police Department.
Moran initially told police he found a bike in the roadway and saw a male lying in the ditch who was unresponsive and not breathing. Waldoboro police and Waldoboro EMS responded at approximately 8:34 p.m. Saturday, and Hayden was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the release.
Hayden lived on Feyler’s Corner Road, “a short ways up the street from where the accident was,” according to Police Chief Bill Labombarde.
Moran was traveling toward Washington Road (Route 220) at the time of the incident, and Hayden was in the middle of the road traveling in the opposite direction, Labombarde said.
Moran did not cross the centerline when he allegedly struck Hayden with the driver’s side of the vehicle’s front bumper, Labombarde said. Hayden wore neither reflective gear nor a helmet, according to the chief.
Waldoboro Police Officer Thomas Bartunek said in an affidavit that Moran allegedly told him he was driving the Yukon and was on his way to pick up his friend, Hayden, when he hit him.
A 13-year-old male also was in the Yukon at the time of the incident, Bartunek wrote.
“While [Moran] was talking with me, I observed his eyes were bloodshot and glassy,” and Moran allegedly admitted to having one drink that night, Bartunek wrote. Bartunek said he also observed several unopened beer cans behind the driver’s seat.
Bartunek administered a field sobriety test, and a subsequent breath test showed Moran had a blood alcohol content of 0.09 percent, according to the arrest affidavit.
If convicted of the felony, Moran could face up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.