Hampden man faces charges including OUI, assault on officer

A Hampden man racked up six charges early Sunday morning after rolling over a sport utility vehicle somewhere off Route 9 and later tussling with police and rescue personnel.

Joseph Warren Arps, 25, was charged with operating under the influence of intoxicating liquor, assault on a police officer, assault on an emergency medical care provider, resisting arrest, leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and failure to report the accident by the quickest means, according to Hampden police Officer Ruth Duquette.

Duquette said the incident came to the attention of local police after Arps’ mother, Coravell Arps of Hampden, called dispatchers at about 3:30 a.m. to report that her son had been involved in an accident more than an hour earlier involving a Toyota Land Cruiser registered to his father, Joseph Arps. Duquette said the mother told dispatchers that her son had injuries to his head and hand, and that he was bleeding and acting disoriented.

Though Arps’ mother said that her son did not want medical attention, Duquette sent an ambulance out of concern for the motorist’s well-being.

When Duquette arrived at Coravell Arps’ residence, she found the 25-year-old sitting in the back seat of his mother’s car, smelling of alcohol.

He was initially unresponsive to the police officer and emergency medical personnel, and then became combative and began spitting at them, Duquette said.

After stepping out of his mother’s car, Arps allegedly continued spitting at the officer and three ambulance squad members who responded. He also lunged at them, according to Duquette.

Arps would not stop despite warnings that he would be sprayed with pepper spray. He continued to resist arrest after the first time he was sprayed, so Duquette had to spray him again. Eventually, Arps was restrained and taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center, where he was treated for cuts to his face.

Duquette said the SUV was located about 5:30 a.m. Sunday down an embankment off Route 9, where it came to rest on its roof after leaving the roadway and traveling airborne for about 100 feet.

Duquette said she later learned that Arps was given a ride from the accident scene to his mother’s home by off-duty Hampden police officer Joseph Burke. Burke said Arps was intoxicated when he picked him up near the crash site.

Burke reported that the motorist claimed he’d suffered his injuries in a bar fight in Bangor. Police later learned that Arps had been at a wedding reception before the accident occurred.

In another Hampden incident, a 16-year-old bicyclist was injured after he rode into the rear end of a car parked on the shoulder of Route 202.

According to Hampden police Officer Joseph Burke, Michael Matthews was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center after complaining of shoulder pain.

Matthews was riding his bicycle north on Route 202 when he struck the back end of a Buick belonging to 72-year-old Lester Mayhew of Winterport, who had pulled over to the side of the road in order to search for something in his car.

According to Hampden Firefighter Ray Pipes, firefighters were called to an Irving filling station on Main Road about 3:30 p.m. Saturday after a broken fuel spout at one of the fuel pumps caused an estimated 10 gallons of gasoline to spill onto the ground.

Firefighters soaked up the fuel and closed the parking lot temporarily until the gasoline fumes dissipated, Pipes said. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection was notified.

A man in a wheelchair was arrested at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor on Saturday night after hospital security requested his removal.

When officers arrived at the hospital, they ran the man’s name through the police computer and discovered he was wanted on a warrant for failure to pay a fine on a theft charge, according to a police report.

John Scott McDougall, 37, of Indian Island was arrested at 11:30 p.m. and taken to Penobscot County Jail.

– Compiled by Dawn Gagnon and Jackie Farwell