MACHIAS, Maine — Criminal charges against a Trescott woman who was accused of getting into a roadside altercation last October with then-sheriff Donnie Smith have been dismissed, according to her defense attorney.
Jeffrey Davidson, who represents Deborah Bousquet, said in an email Thursday that his client’s criminal case “was dismissed last week.” He did not provide further details about the dismissal.
Bousquet had been charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction of government administration after an incident on Oct. 8, 2014, in which a school bus driver transporting students from Lubec to high schools in East Machias and Machias reported that students were fighting on the bus and then stopped the vehicle in Lubec at the intersection of routes 189 and 191.
Both Smith and Davidson have indicated since the Oct. 8 incident that there never was a fight on the bus and that the driver’s complaint was prompted by a dispute between the driver and one or more students over playing music on the bus.
Smith, who lives in Lubec, responded to the scene and encountered Bousquet, whose daughter was on the stopped bus and had called Bousquet about the incident. He later said that he was trying to “defuse the situation” when Bousquet verbally accosted him and hit him in the head. He arrested her and indicated she would be charged with assault.
Bousquet countered that Smith incited the situation by yelling at students and placing his hand on his firearm while it was in its holster, according to court documents filed by her attorney. She said she never assaulted Smith but that she did yell and swear at him.
The Trescott woman later notified Smith that she intends to sue him on the grounds that she was falsely arrested and that he used excessive force, among other things. Davidson, who also represents Bousquet in the potential civil lawsuit, said in Thursday’s email that they plan to push ahead with Bousquet’s complaint if the matter is not resolved through negotiation. It couldn’t be determined Thursday if that lawsuit had been filed yet.
Davidson did not respond to a voicemail message left at his office early Thursday afternoon.
The following month, Smith lost his re-election bid as sheriff to Barry Curtis, a retired state trooper from Cherryfield.
Attempts to contact Smith since the election have been unsuccessful. Information about whether Smith had an attorney representing him in the matter could not be confirmed Thursday afternoon.
Smith also has been named as a defendant in a separate lawsuit that was filed two weeks before the election. In that case, 17 former Washington County employees accuse Smith of improperly releasing confidential personnel information that later was posted online for a short time by the Bangor Daily News.
Information about the status of that case also was unavailable Thursday afternoon.
