Taxi stolen for joy ride in Bangor found abandoned an hour later

An unidentified person took a taxi for a spin early Monday morning after the vehicle was left running in front of Pete and Larry’s Lounge on the Odlin Road in Bangor.

The car was found an hour later.

Around 1 a.m., Jason Bracy, 24, left his Chevrolet Lumina taxi running in front of the bar and went inside with a fellow driver to look for people in need of a ride, according to a report by Bangor police Officer Wade Betters. Bracy said he was in the bar for 10 minutes and when he went back outside, he immediately saw his car was missing.

Betters arrived a short time later and found the car wasn’t anywhere on the premises. Bracy couldn’t remember the registration number and was only able to offer a description of the car, according to the report.

The car was discovered an hour later a little over two miles away in the parking lot of Dean’s Car Care at the Corner of Third and Buck streets, according to the report. Another cabdriver had found the taxi unoccupied with the engine turned off and the lights turned on, Betters reported. Betters arrived at the car and found two sets of footprints in the snow, both of which disappeared after short distances.

Betters took photographs of the footprints and attempted to take a fingerprint from the rearview mirror, although the print was of poor quality, he reported. Bracy said that nothing had been taken and that the car wasn’t damaged and he was able to drive home, according to the report.

There were no leads, suspects or known witnesses and the case has been closed, Betters reported.

A Holden woman was arrested Sunday night after she drove erratically for more than a mile with a police cruiser’s lights flashing and sirens sounding behind her.

Beverly Michaud, 49, was arrested for driving under the influence and, after some resistance, was taken to Penobscot County Jail.

Brewer police received a call around 9:45 p.m. that a female was driving a sport utility vehicle while under the influence on Wilson Street. Cpl. Jason Moffitt found the vehicle swerving back and forth in its lane near the Brewer Shopping Center and activated his lights but Michaud didn’t pull over, Brewer police Sgt. Perry Antone said Monday night. Moffitt also turned on his siren, but Michaud kept swerving in her lane, Antone said. The woman finally pulled over near the entrance to Interstate 395.

Moffitt approached the driver and smelled liquor, Antone said, and Michaud admitted to having been drinking. After Michaud incorrectly performed field sobriety tests, Moffitt attempted to put her under arrest but she became combative, Antone said. Moffitt eventually took her into custody and transported her to Penobscot County Jail, Antone said.

An hour and a half after the arrest, Michaud was given a Breathalyzer test and was found to have a blood alcohol level 21/2 times the legal limit, Antone said.

Michaud’s court date is March 21.

– Compiled by NEWS reporter Anthony Saucier