Maine Police Say Driver on Drugs Swerved Off Road, Hit 4 Troopers

A motorist who veered off a highway and struck four state troopers was charged with operating under the influence of drugs, officials said Monday, as two of the troopers remained hospitalized.

Three troopers and a trooper-in-training were at the end of a driveway while investigating a family dispute when the car sped off Route 202 and “threaded the needle” by avoiding three parked cruisers with flashing lights to hit the law enforcement officers late Sunday, Col. William Ross, the state police chief, told reporters at a briefing in Augusta.

York County Sheriff William King said there was no evidence that the motorist, Tyler Croston, 24, of Westbrook, tried to brake but he could not say whether the crash was an intentional act.

Trooper Jake Mowry and trainee Shane St. Pierre remained at Maine Medical Center with serious injuries Monday morning, while Troopers David Lemieux and Dakota Stewart were discharged earlier, Ross said.

All four troopers had injuries including broken bones in their lower extremities when they were struck, but the people they were interviewing about the domestic disturbance avoided the impact, he said.

Croston was also treated at the hospital before being taken to the York County Jail, where he was booked on aggravated operating under the influence, aggravated driving to endanger and reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, officials said. He was jailed without bond for violating bail conditions, and it was unclear if he had an attorney.

There was evidence that Croston had been using marijuana, and a drug recognition expert at the hospital indicated he was under the influence of narcotics, York County Chief Deputy Jeremy Forbes said. Croston gave a blood sample.

The crash was being investigated by the York County Sheriff’s Office and the Kennebunk Police Department was conducting the crash reconstruction. Investigators are conferring with the York County District Attorney’s Office.