ROCKLAND, Maine — A Rockport man charged in connection with the death of a pedestrian Friday night in Rockland allegedly said he was unsure what he had hit and drove off because he panicked.
Criminal complaints filed Wednesday in Rockland District Court by the district attorney’s office charge 40-year-old Jeremy S. Stone with aggravated operating under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and illegal attachment of plates.
Daniel F. Cormier, 35, was struck from behind and killed at about 5:30 p.m. Friday while walking on the side of the road on Camden Street, near Pizza Hut. Cormier was wearing dark clothing, and it was dark and rainy at the time, according to police.
At a brief hearing Wednesday afternoon, Judge Patricia Worth agreed to raise Stone’s bail to $20,000 cash. The bail commissioner had initially set bail at $11,000 cash, but Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Baroody asked for the higher amount. Stone’s next appearance is March 25.
An affidavit filed by Rockland police Officer Scott Redmun states that he was at the scene of the crash when a woman approached him and said Stone, her ex-husband, had telephoned her and said he had messed up and believed he had hit someone.
Sgt. Donald Finnegan drove to a residence in the Sunset Terrace Mobile Home Park to meet with Stone, who allegedly told the sergeant he had struck something but was not sure what it was because it was raining and visibility was poor. Stone said he did not stop because he panicked since he had illegally attached false registration plates on his Jeep Cherokee, according to the affidavit.
Stone told police he had consumed three drinks of rum and ginger ale before leaving his residence off Route 1 in Rockport and heading to his friend’s residence in Rockland, according to the affidavit. Stone also said he regularly takes Suboxone and Klonopin, which he is prescribed, according to the affidavit. The driver said, however, that on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the most drunk, he believes he was at about a three, according to the affidavit.
There was front end damage to the Jeep, which was seized and towed from the mobile home park, according to the court document.
A blood alcohol test taken of Stone later that evening found his level at 0.09, according to the affidavit. A person is considered under the influence when the blood alcohol level is at or higher than 0.08. Stone told the officer that he had nothing to drink after the crash, according to the affidavit.
Court records in Waldo County show that Stone has a 2007 conviction for assault, criminal trespass and violating a protection order; a 2008 conviction for operating while his license was suspended; and two convictions in 2012 for operating while his license was suspended and attaching false plates.