The man accused of driving while intoxicated and killing twin 2-year-old boys tried to blame the crash on his girlfriend, according to court records.
Benjamin Lancaster, 44, is charged in Kennebec County Superior Court with manslaughter and six additional felonies after he allegedly hit a family of three who were walking on Hussey Road in Albion shortly after 5 p.m. Friday.
One boy, Bradley, died at the scene. His twin brother was pronounced brain dead Sunday, and died Tuesday, police said. Their mother, Mollie Egold, 33, was seriously injured and remains hospitalized.
Lancaster fled the scene after the crash, police said. After police found him, he allegedly told them that his girlfriend was the one driving the car and that she had said she hit a telephone pole, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in court.
The girlfriend told police that Lancaster was the one who was driving the car and that he had hit a mailbox, the affidavit said.
When police interviewed Lancaster, “his pupils were constricted, his face was pale, his mouth was extremely dry and his speech pattern was slow and low toned,” the affidavit said. Those are consistent with somebody under the influence of narcotics, according to the officer who is a certified drug recognition expert instructor.
The officer told Lancaster that he hit and killed a child, to which Lancaster said, “I didn’t do it, I wasn’t driving,” the affidavit said.
Lancaster’s brother called 911 after Lancaster came home, according to the affidavit. Once Lancaster got home, he started screaming at his girlfriend that he “had just hit someone” and was asking what to do, which is when the brother called dispatch.
Security camera footage showed the car with no damage to the front right side at 5:01 p.m. on Robbins Road. That road intersects with Hussey Road, where the crash happened. Hussey intersects with Main Street, where an additional camera at the general store captured a man who appeared to be Lancaster wearing identical clothing driving at 5:08 p.m.
Damage to the car can be seen in a screenshot from the second camera.
The Albion community is grieving for the family and raising money to help Egold. A GoFundMe has raised more than $29,000 as of Tuesday. A spaghetti dinner is planned from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Albion Christian Church.
Lancaster was granted a $100,000 cash bail, which he has not posted as of Tuesday afternoon. He is being held in the Kennebec County Jail.