This story will be updated.
Bangor High School Principal Paul Butler was charged Saturday with drunken driving and leaving the scene of an accident, according to Bangor police.
Butler is on administrative leave because of what happened on Saturday, Bangor School Department Superintendent James Tager said Monday.
A Bangor police officer on duty at the Bangor State Fair saw a pickup truck strike a cement barrier, then leave Bass Park Boulevard and turn left on Main Street toward downtown, Sgt. Wade Betters, spokesman for the Bangor police said Monday.
An officer stopped Butler on Main Street near Lincoln Street and saw front end damage to the truck and saw that the driver’s air bag had deployed, Betters said. The officer also allegedly smelled alcohol and noticed signs that Butler seemed to have been drinking.
After failing a field sobriety test, Butler was taken into custody and driven to the police station where he was given a breath test to determine the level of alcohol in his system, according to Betters. Betters did not release the results of Butler’s breath test.
Butler was charged with operating under the influence of intoxicants, a Class D crime, and leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, a Class E crime, and issued a summons. He was not placed under arrest and taken to jail but instead was released from custody at the Bangor Police Department.
The legal blood alcohol content limit for drunken driving in Maine is .08 percent but a person may be charged with any level above zero percent if the charge is supported by other evidence of impairment.
Butler’s attorney, Terence Harrigan of Bangor, said Monday that his client’s blood alcohol level was .07 percent, below the legal limit to drive. He also said that Butler was driving to an empty parking lot to report the crash when he was pulled over by police.
“He was cooperative with the police and also reported the police contact to his superintendent immediately,” Harrigan said. “He has been cooperative and acting responsibly with respect to this matter. We will investigate and let the process work so that what actually happened can see the light of day.”
Butler’s arraignment date is Oct. 13.
If convicted, he faces up to a year in prison and fine of up to $2,000 on the OUI charge. The mandatory minimum fine for a first offense OUI is $500. If convicted of the leaving the scene charge, he faces up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
The Bangor School Department also is investigating the allegations against Butler and plans to appoint someone to take on Butler’s role at the high school during the investigation, Tager said. That person has not yet been chosen.
Tager declined to comment further, saying “that’s what I have so far.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story listed the wrong class of crime for leaving the scene of an accident.
Police: Bangor High principal charged with OUI after hitting concrete barrier at Bass Park - Bangor Daily News
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