Arundel man arrested for nightclub brawl

An Arundel man who squared off against a fellow nightclub patron and then police early Thursday morning has been arrested.

Philip W. Pontbriant, 24, is being charged with failure to submit to arrest and disorderly conduct following his bouts at Barnaby’s lounge in Bangor.

Sgt. Paul Kenison was outside the entrance to Barnaby’s about 12:30 a.m. when someone came out yelling that there was a fight inside. Kenison and Officer Douglas Moore found two men scrapping by the popcorn machine. The two officers each grabbed an arm of the closest man, Pontbriant, and pulled him away, although it wasn’t easy. Pontbriant kept trying to get back into the fray with the other man, despite warnings that he had to leave, Kenison said.

Moore and Kenison pulled and pushed their way through the crowd toward the door, according to the police report. As they neared the door, Pontbriant turned his ire to police, telling them not to touch him. He swung his hand and hit Kenison in the lip, according to the police report.

Pontbriant continued to fight with police until the two officers brought him to the floor and handcuffed him.

A Massachusetts motorist was arrested on a drunk-driving charge and his passenger was charged with disorderly conduct early Monday morning.

From his vantage point at the Fleet Bank, Orono police Officer Sam Blalack could see traffic along Main Street as well as activity going on outside the 7-Eleven store about 1:45 a.m. There, Blalack watched as one man left the store and entered the passenger side of a black 1999 Ford Ranger while another man, Daniel Young, 23, of Somerville, Mass., was hunched over between the store and the municipal building. Blalack later learned Young had been looking at a cellular phone.

Young walked back toward the store and truck and was unsteady on his feet. He nearly fell down twice, using the building and then an ice machine for support. Young headed for the truck and Blalack pulled in to make sure that Young wasn’t about to drive in such a condition. As the officer approached, the pickup truck backed up about 10 feet, the Blalack said.

Blalack stopped the truck and spoke to Young, who denied drinking anything, although the officer noted the smell of alcohol coming from Young’s breath. Blalack said Young showed other signs of intoxication, including bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and difficulty maintaining balance. Young was too unsteady on his feet to complete some field sobriety tests and refused others, Blalack said.

Young’s passenger, Seth Leighton, 20, of Bangor became boisterous during the officer’s investigation, telling Young that he shouldn’t be taking any of the tests and that he was going to call his lawyer, according to police. At one point, Young asked Blalack to tell Leighton to shut up because he was making it difficult to understand what the officer was asking him, Blalack said.

Officer Scott Wilcox reported that Leighton continued to be loud despite warnings and was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct. Young was charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicants.

– Compiled by NEWS reporter Doug Kesseli