Horseman who rode through town cleared

HOULTON – A local man was absolved of any guilt Monday in a case that pitted a horseman against Houlton police.

Though he will be forced to pay $200 in court costs, charges of obstructing public ways and disorderly conduct were dropped against Clyde Geary, 22, of Houlton. Houlton police arrested Geary in May after an April 18 incident in which he and a co-worker were riding horses through town. Police alleged that Geary and Michael Sprague, 18, of Houlton refused to pull right to allow faster-moving traffic to pass. Geary also was charged with disorderly conduct for reportedly swearing at an officer.

Sprague pleaded guilty to his charge on Sept. 21 and was fined $100. Geary, however, decided to fight.

“Mr. Geary wanted to fight this because he didn’t want to set a precedent that it is illegal to ride horses in town,” Jeff Pickering, Geary’s attorney, said after court Monday.

Both men are part of a unit that provides mounted security and spent much of the spring training the horses on the roads to acclimate the animals to noise. On April 18, police alleged that the two riders refused to pull right to allow faster-moving traffic to pass. As a result of the arrests, a bail condition prohibited them from riding horses in town. Geary was forced to train on off-road trails until the judge amended the condition in October.

During a trial on Oct. 5, Assistant District Attorney Suzanne Lilley questioned five witnesses about the Sunday afternoon incident. Houlton police Officer Troy Fitzpatrick testified that Geary and Sprague were riding the horses abreast down North Street when a resident reported that the men were going very slowly and traffic was backed up. Fitzpatrick told Lilley that he got behind the men as they were about to cross the bridge and spoke through his cruiser intercom, asking them to pull right and allow vehicles to pass. The pair allegedly refused, and Geary reportedly swore at the officer before they turned left into Market Square.

Under state motor vehicle statute, a horse being driven or led on a roadway has the same rights and responsibilities as a vehicle operator. Vehicles moving more slowly are directed to move to the “right hand boundary” of a public way and allow faster vehicles “free passage to the left.”

Fitzpatrick eventually was joined by two U.S. Border Patrol agents, and at times another Houlton cruiser participated in the hour-long pursuit. Most witnesses testified that the horses were at a “walking” speed much of the time.

The incident ended after Fitzpatrick followed the men to a residence on the Ludlow Road. They were arrested two weeks later.

Pickering maintained that the police cruisers following the horses actually made it harder for traffic to pass, and that the animals couldn’t possibly maintain the same speed as a vehicle.

The attorney reiterated that belief Monday, and said that his client is pleased with the outcome of the proceedings.