Searsport coach pleads not guilty to OUI charge

BANGOR – A successful coach Thursday pleaded not guilty to a drunken driving charge in 3rd District Court.

David A. Pepin, 44, of Newport did not appear in court. His attorney, Joshua Tardy of Newport, entered the not guilty plea in writing on his behalf.

Pepin plans to change his plea to guilty, Tardy said late Thursday afternoon. He was at a civil trial in Waldo County when Pepin was scheduled to appear in Bangor.

A date for the change of plea has not been set.

Pepin was arrested about 1:30 a.m. May 31 on Route 1A by Holden police after he reportedly failed field sobriety tests.

He refused to submit to an Intoxilyzer test to determine his blood alcohol level.

Pepin coaches baseball at Searsport High School, where he has led the Vikings to the Class C championship in 2006 and back-to-back Eastern Maine championships the last two seasons.

He also coached boys basketball at Hermon High School until his arrest. His contract at that school was not renewed.

Pepin issued a public apology the Tuesday after his arrest and sat out two Searsport games in a self-imposed suspension. A decision about whether he will continue to coach in Searsport has not been made.

If convicted, Pepin faces a mandatory 48 hours in jail, a fine of $500 that could be increased to $600 because he failed to submit to the test. His driver’s license also could be suspended for 90 days.

Pepin also could be eligible to serve his 48 hours in Penobscot County’s alternative sentencing program.

That program allows first-time offenders to serve their jail time over a weekend without actually spending the night in a cell. Instead, they might stay at a local school or other public building and paint or do minor repairs but would not be allowed to leave the facility voluntarily.

jharrison@bangordailynews.net

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