ACTON, Maine — A New Hampshire man was arrested on hit-and-run charges Sunday after he allegedly drove his one-ton pickup truck into an elderly woman’s home, severely damaging part of the structure and leaving the woman stranded on the second floor.
Sgt. David Chauvette of the York County Sheriff ’s Office caught up with Aaron Lizotte, 46, of Northwood, New Hampshire, after Chauvette and an unnamed Newfield firefighter traced markings on the pavement into Wakefield, New Hampshire, said Sheriff Bill King.
Claire Bragg, 89, was sleeping on the second floor recovering from hip replacement surgery when the truck plowed into her house. She was not injured, but the chairlift she had been using to navigate the stairs was unusable, as the stairs had collapsed and there was too much debris for her to get out on her own, King said.
Rescue personnel from Acton and Newfield brought her out safely, and she is staying with friends, King said.
The crash into the Cape Cod-style home, located near the intersection of Acton Ridge and Mann roads, took place around 11 p.m. Saturday.
Once Chauvette and the Newfield firefighter had followed the roadway marks into Wakefield, Chauvette found a damaged vehicle stashed in a wooded area, said King in a prepared statement. Coordinating with New Hampshire authorities, Chauvette tried several times to contact Lizotte, the registered owner of the vehicle.
Eventually, Lizotte agreed to meet with Chauvette. Coincidentally, the vehicle was stashed on property Lizotte owns, although his listed residence is 30 miles away in Northwood, said King.
The sheriff said Lizotte admitted he was driving and left the roadway, striking the house. He apparently had a passenger in the truck whose name he said he could not recall, King said.
Lizotte was issued a summons for leaving the scene of a property damage crash, and has a court date scheduled for Oct. 25.
King said no other charges are anticipated, but officers will be consulting with prosecutors today on the matter.
On Sunday, firefighters from Acton and Newfield, along with neighbors, brought plywood, two-by-fours and other materials from their own homes to secure Bragg’s property, according to the Acton Fire and Rescue Department’s Facebook page.
Bragg’s daughter, Doris Joaquin, said this morning that her mother is shaken, but otherwise doing well.
“She is an amazing woman,” said Joaquin of her mother, who will be 90 years old in September.
Joaquin said the house will be examined today for structural damage. It appears to need a lot of work, she said.
Joaquin praised the work of fire and rescue officials for the care of her mother and their work to help secure the home. She also commended the York County Sheriff ’s Office and Wakefield, New Hampshire, police.
“I’m thankful they caught him, and mom is OK,” said Joaquin.