A 31-year-old New Portland man was arrested Sunday morning after he returned to a spot in the Carrabassett River near the Wire Bridge to retrieve his pickup truck that police say he abandoned earlier after a night of drinking.

Ryan Emery is charged with leaving a submerged vehicle in a waterway, which is a civil infraction, not criminal. He also is charged with being a fugitive from justice based on an extraditable warrant from New Hampshire, stemming from habitual offender motor vehicle offenses and operating after suspension.

The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office received a call Sunday morning reporting a maroon Chevrolet pickup truck stuck in the Carrabassett River about 200 feet from shore in New Portland, Sheriff Dale Lancaster said Monday.

A county deputy arrived to investigate and found there was no one in or around the vehicle, a 2002 Chevrolet 2500 series pickup truck. The vehicle had been abandoned in the river with the license plates removed, Lancaster said.

Deputy Isaac Wacome was assigned to the case. Wacome requested Poulin’s wrecker service of New Portland to remove the vehicle from the river, but while Wacome was attempting to find the driver of the pickup, Emery allegedly returned to the scene to recover his truck.

“Apparently it was in bad shape, but could be driven,” Lancaster said Monday. “Water was up to the doors.”

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Emery got his truck back from the wrecker service and left. Wacome later was able to intercept Emery on Middle Road in New Portland and arrested him.

“Upon questioning Emery, Wacome learned that Emery and his friends were at the New Portland Fair the previous evening and Emery decided to drive his truck down the river,” Lancaster said.

Emery and his companions attempted to drive down the river at about 1 a.m. Sunday. When the truck got stuck, Emery took the plates off and fled the scene, Lancaster said. Further investigation revealed that alcohol was involved, the sheriff said.

Wacome arrested Emery at the scene and took him to the Somerset County Jail in East Madison, where he remained Monday.

Emery was scheduled to appear in the Somerset County Unified Court on Nov. 8. No one else has been charged.

Wacome was assisted by Sgt. Scott Thrasher of the Maine Warden’s Service and the New Portland Fire Department.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter:@Doug_Harlow


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