BANGOR, Maine — A Southwest Harbor man was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court to six months in federal prison in connection with a May 2014 drunken-driving crash in Acadia National Park, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
In addition to prison time, Justin Bent, 29, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $2,520 in fines and $300 in court costs.
U.S. District Judge John Woodcock ordered Bent to begin serving his sentence immediately.
Bent pleaded guilty in February to one count each of operating under the influence of alcohol, causing serious bodily injury, operating a vehicle without due care and destroying trees and other natural resources.
Bent was drunk May 14, 2014, when he drove a 2002 Dodge Caravan off Seal Cove Road in the park and crashed into some trees, causing serious injury to a passenger, according to court records. The passenger was flown to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, where he underwent emergency surgery for a severe leg fracture.
Bent’s blood alcohol content was 0.14, nearly twice the 0.08 legal limit to drive in Maine, according to a previously published report.
He faced up to six years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on the OUI and causing a serious bodily injury charges and up to six months for the lesser violations.
The investigation was conducted by National Park Service Rangers as well as the police departments of Southwest Harbor and Mount Desert Island.
BDN writer Bill Trotter contributed to this report.