LINCOLN, Maine — A New Hampshire man arrested in June driving his Hummer the wrong way on Interstate 95 pleaded guilty Tuesday in Lincoln District Court to charges related to the incident, according to the Penobscot County district attorney’s office.
Justin Blais, 37, of Portsmouth pleaded guilty to one count each of operating while under the influence of intoxicants, failure to stop for an officer and driving to endanger.
He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 8.
Blais was released June 29 from the Penobscot County Jail on $1,000 unsecured bail after appearing before Superior Court Justice Ann Murray at the Penobscot Judicial Center in Bangor.
Blais came to the attention of Maine State Police about 3 a.m. June 28 when a driver reported a vehicle driving north in the southbound lanes of I-95, according to the affidavit signed by Trooper Andrew Peirson.
The trooper, who was driving south in the southbound lanes, encountered Blais at one point but the wayward driver did not stop. Peirson finally found Blais about 3:43 a.m. in Edinburg.
His green Hummer was stopped in the middle of the passing lane of the southbound lanes, with the front end of the vehicle facing the median, the affidavit said.
Blais was arrested about 4:13 a.m. after failing a field sobriety test, and taken to the jail where a breath test was administered. His blood alcohol level was .22 percent, according to the affidavit. The legal limit is .08 percent.
Blais faces a mandatory 48 hours in jail and a fine of between $500 and $2,000 on the drunken driving. On the other charges, he faces up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.