ROCKLAND, Maine — A 19-year-old Spruce Head man awaiting trial for manslaughter in connection with a March 2014 fatal car crash in Warren admitted Monday to a separate driving offense.
Samuel E. Simmons pleaded guilty Monday in Rockland District Court to operating after suspension. According to court records, Simmons was stopped on the night of Dec. 7, 2014, in Rockport while driving with a suspended license.
Simmons’ license was suspended Oct. 17 for a three-year period due to “adverse report of driving” in relation to the fatal collision on March 20, 2014, in Warren which resulted in the death of 38-year-old Alison Low of Warren, according to the Maine secretary of state’s office.
A court hearing on the latest driving violation had been scheduled for Monday afternoon before Simmons decided to plead guilty and was fined $250.
Assistant District Attorney Christopher Fernald said Simmons argued that he believed his license suspension had been put on a hold because of an appeal he filed with the secretary of state’s office. The office confirmed Monday that the appeal had been filed, but that a hearing date had yet to be set.
Fernald acknowledged that in most cases of operating after suspension, such as for an operating under the influence, a suspension is stayed if the driver requests a hearing. He pointed out, however, that the severity of this offense prevented the suspension from being lifted.
Simmons faces a manslaughter charge for the crash that occurred when police said his 1997 GMC Sierra pickup truck crossed the center line of Route 1 near the intersection of Western Road and struck a southbound 2003 Subaru Forester driven by Low. Police have yet to release information about why the vehicle crossed the center line or why Simmons was charged with manslaughter.
In that case, Simmons’ attorney Eric “Rick” Morse filed a motion in January to have statements made by his client to police suppressed because his Constitutional rights were violated for failure to have his Miranda rights read to him. The defense also argued police had no reason to stop Simmons that night.
Low died at the the scene of the crash. Her 18-year-old son, Dustin Kimball of Warren, was seriously injured but was released from the hospital after a short stay. Kimball’s girlfriend, Olivia Blachet, 18, of Waldoboro, was also seriously injured. She spent more than five months at Maine Medical Center in Portland.
A grand jury indicted Simmons on Feb. 13 for the fatal crash. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charge on March 25.