Man charged with violations after accident

A Hampden man was driving his pickup truck without a license the wrong way on a one-way street in Bangor Wednesday evening when he was struck by another vehicle, according to police.

Anthony Ragonesi, 31, was charged with these violations, as well as for leaving the scene of an accident and for failure to provide evidence of insurance following the 4:30 p.m. incident on Middle Street.

Ragonesi and his pickup truck were found about an hour later on Second Street.

Ragonesi eventually admitted to being in an accident, but told Officer Catherine Rumsey that after speaking with the other driver, it was decided tat the damage was minor and that they would both go their separate ways.

Rumsey reported that white scuff marks were found on Ragonesi’s pickup truck, on the right side near the rear tire.

Ragonesi told police he had a Florida driver’s license, but a computer check revealed that license had been suspended.

The other driver told Officer Brad Johnston that he had pulled onto Middle Street and struck the pickup truck. He said that after speaking briefly with Ragonesi, Ragonesi drove off.

Someone apparently used a BB gun to shoot out three spotlights outside the First Baptist Church on Center Street in Bangor. A church official narrowed the time the damage was done to between Nov. 15 and Nov. 30. The damage was estimated at $500.

After investigating a three-car accident on Broadway late Wednesday night, Bangor police charged a 49-year-old woman with drunken driving.

Linda L. Beck of Essex Street was driving north on Broadway by John Bapst Memorial High School when she struck a parked car that in turn struck another car parked in front of it.

One woman in the first parked car suffered minor injuries. Beck had a bloody nose and too much to drink, according to witnesses and police.

Beck told Officer Chad Foley that she had consumed two classes of wine about 35 minutes earlier. However, she rated her sobriety as nine on a scale of one to 10, with one being completely sober and 10 being falling down drunk.

One motorist reported that when Beck approached her after the accident her speech was slurred and she could barely walk. Foley also reported that to be the case when he spoke with Beck and had her perform field sobriety tests.

A blood test was taken at Eastern Maine Medical Center, where Beck told Foley, “Maybe I had too much to drink, maybe you did me a favor.”

A Veazie man lent his car out Wednesday night and both he and the driver were summoned after Orono police stopped the car on College Avenue.

Officer Sam Blalack reported that the car was operating without headlights or running lights about 11:30 p.m. when he pulled the driver over. Blalack also said that he could smell marijuana coming from inside the car when he approached it.

The driver, Zoeth Rich, 20, of Falmouth, initially denied smoking marijuana but mentioned that others in the car had been smoking.

Searching the car, Blalack found that a water pipe with marijuana residue in it was stashed in the pocket behind the driver’s seat. Confronted about the pipe, Rich acknowledged that it was his, according to police.

Blalack also found several beer bottles, some of them open, as well as a bottle of medication used to remove eye redness.

According to the officer, the car’s registration had expired and the inspection sticker had been altered.

Rich told Blalack that he and the car’s owner, Erik Halber, 24, of Veazie had talked about the car not being registered or inspected earlier that day, and yet he still drove it.

Someone other than the four people inside the car was allowed to come and drive the car away. Blalack followed it back to the University of Maine, where he summoned Halber for allowing the operation of an unregistered motor vehicle.

Rich was summoned for illegal transportation of alcohol by a minor and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Compiled by NEWS Reporter Doug Kesseli