It was like an obstacle course along a section of Union Street in Bangor early Tuesday morning as a tree and trash bags were strewn across the road, left in the wake of an angry man.

Shortly before 1 a.m., Bangor police were alerted to a man who had been walking down Union Street, kicking trash bags as he went. Officer Brent Beaulieu followed the trail of trash and debris, swerving once around a tree thrown into the road and then again a short distance to avoid trash bags left in his path.

By James and Union streets, trash bags had been ignited, the fire rising about 5 feet and covering an area of about 5 to 6 feet in diameter.

By Sixth Street, Beaulieu found the reported cause of the fire and debris, 42-year-old Michael Demmons, who Beaulieu said appeared agitated and appeared to be having an argument with himself.

Asked about the fire, Demmons told Beaulieu that he had done it and that he had done it because he was angry at a friend, according to the police report.

Among the items in Demmons’ pockets was a blue lighter and a pack of matches, with one match missing. There was only one strike mark on the back of the matchbook.

Demmons faces charges of arson and disorderly conduct.

A Birch Harbor man claimed he had stopped at the Veazie Variety store Monday night after being forced to drive there “half-pickled” by three people wearing white hats.

Veazie police Officer Todd Jamison said he couldn’t find any evidence of the three, even when the man claimed that two of them were in the truck and the third was in the convenience store. What Jamison did find, according to his police report, were indications that the driver was inebriated. An Intoxilyzer test taken later at the Penobscot County Jail showed just how inebriated, registering the man’s blood alcohol content at 0.30 percent, or nearly four times the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

The driver, Frank Miller, 41, of Birch Harbor, was charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicants.

Miller suggested it wasn’t his fault, telling Jamison that the three people had forced him to drive places from Bunkers Harbor. He pulled into the Veazie store to fuel up.

So had Jamison, who reported seeing the man sitting in the running pickup truck, looking out the passenger window, while he pumped gas into the cruiser. The clerk inside told the officer that Miller had tried to use the bathroom, but that when she refused to let him, he left and began beeping the truck’s horn.

In talking to Miller, Jamison could smell alcohol coming from him and reported that the man’s eyes were bloodshot and glassy.

Miller admitted he shouldn’t have been driving, but claimed he was forced to do it, according to the police report.

“Do you think I would drive here half pickled,” Miller queried the officer.

Based on his poor performance on field sobriety tests and other assessments, Miller was arrested.

Miller sought unsuccessfully to get the officer to forget the violation, telling Jamison first, “Look, I’m a fisherman, you’re a cop, we’re both on the same side.”

Later, Miller asked for leniency, after all, he said, he had managed to make it all the way from Gouldsboro.

Veazie police arrested a Millinocket motorist on drug and alcohol-related charges early Monday morning and also charged her passenger after it was reported she refused to cooperate with the officer investigating the incident.

Melissa Elliott, 21, of Millinocket faces charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicants, possession of a usable amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was also summoned for allowing a passenger to possess an open alcohol container on a public way. Her passenger Codie Johnson, 24, of Brewer, was charged with disorderly conduct, after the officer reported giving her 10 warnings to cooperate.

Veazie police Officer Michael Belinsky reported seeing Elliott’s car weaving on Route 2 about 2:25 a.m. Monday and in following it saw it cross the center line three times and the white fog line twice. Turning one corner, it was halfway in the other lane, according to Belinsky’s report.

Elliott admitted to drinking earlier and appeared to have problems with her balance as she got out of the car, Belinsky reported. One unopened beer was visible in the console of the car, although later police would find 13 more beer bottles inside.

During field sobriety tests, Elliott appeared to have difficulty walking a straight line and at times she lost her balance, according to the police report. After arresting Elliott, Belinsky went to search the car, but reported that Johnson remained in the passenger seat and took a purse from the console and hung it around her neck refusing to turn it over to the officer, even though it belonged to Elliott.

After 10 requests and warning for Johnson to cooperate, Belinsky arrested her.

Searching the car Belinsky and Orono police Sgt. Gary Duquette found 14 beer bottles, and inside the purse was a small amount of marijuana, two marijuana pipes and some rolling papers.

Elliott’s blood alcohol content registered 0.19 percent, or more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

– Compiled by NEWS Reporter Doug Kesseli