AUGUSTA — A Winslow man had been inhaling Dust-Off, a compressed air cleaner, just before crashing his vehicle into a Halifax Street house last January, according to a prosecutor.
Marc A. Ouellette, 49, pleaded guilty Thursday at the Capital Judicial Center to three misdemeanor charges related to the Jan. 31 incident: operating under the influence, driving to endanger and criminal mischief.
He had been indicted on a charge of aggravated criminal mischief, but the charge was amended in exchange for the guilty pleas to the others.
Judge Eric Walker sentenced Ouellette to 364 days in jail, suspending all but seven of those days, and one year of probation. Ouellette was fined a total of $1,275 and his license and registration privileges were suspended for three years. An additional 30-day suspension was ordered for the driving to endanger charge.
Attorney Scott Hess, who represented Ouellette, said he told his client that as a result of the convictions, he might be classified as a habitual offender by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and subject to other sanctions.
The judge was told there was no restitution in the case because the homeowner’s insurance covered the repairs.
The prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Kristin Murray-James, requested a specific probation condition banning Ouellette from possession of Dust-Off, a computer cleaning spray, saying Ouellette had been inhaling it before the crash. Walker banned Ouellette from Dust-Off-like products and ordered him to undergo substance abuse evaluation and counseling, if needed.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Comments are no longer available on this story