Man charged in road rage incident

NORTHPORT – A road rage incident that began Friday morning on U.S. Route 1 ended on Main Street in downtown Camden with a police officer aiming a gun at a driver.

No one was hurt, but one man was charged with driving to endanger and making a threatening display of a concealed weapon.

State Trooper Jared O’Roak said Friday the incident began at about 9 a.m. when James Lowell, 39, residence unknown, was traveling south on Route 1 driving an 18-wheel tractor-trailer. Lowell was traveling in the left lane of a two-lane passing zone, which apparently irritated Scott Gregory, 40, of Winslow, who was trying to get around the truck in his car while also traveling south.

After the two-lane passing area, Gregory was able to pass Lowell’s truck on a straight section of the road, police said. According to Lowell, Gregory pulled in front of the truck and slammed on his brakes, forcing the truck to brake.

Lowell retaliated by turning on the truck’s bright lights, O’Roak said.

Gregory then brandished a handgun, holding it in his right hand over the back seat so the truck driver could see it, according to Lowell. Lowell later told police at one point, Gregory put both hands on the weapon, “charging” it with ammunition.

At that point, Lowell called 911 on his cell phone. Camden police intercepted Gregory in the downtown area, with Officer Curt Andrick approaching the vehicle with his weapon drawn and aimed at Gregory.

“He brought him out at gunpoint” without incident, O’Roak said.

When it was determined that the incident occurred in Northport, O’Roak was called in to investigate.

In an interview, Gregory told the trooper he had waved his pepper spray, not the gun. O’Roak learned that Gregory had a concealed-weapon permit for a .380 semiautomatic pistol. O’Roak found the loaded weapon in Gregory’s pocket, the officer said.

He also found the pepper spray and a hatchet in Gregory’s vehicle, he said.

Because Lowell told O’Roak he did not feel he was in danger of being shot, the officer could not charge Gregory with criminal threatening. Instead, O’Roak confiscated the weapons and summoned Gregory with driving to endanger and making a threatening display of a concealed weapon.