Portland officer charged in OUI
Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
PORTLAND — State prosecutors charged a Portland police lieutenant Monday with drunken driving for allegedly being intoxicated when he drove into another car after drinking at an Old Port holiday party with other officers.
Lt. Ted Ross is scheduled to appear in court April 1. If convicted, he could be incarcerated for 48 hours and lose his license for three months.
The Attorney General's office charged Ross with having a blood-alcohol content of 0.15 percent at the time of the Dec. 17 accident. Earlier that night, Ross had been at a Christmas party hosted by Police Chief Michael Chitwood before going out to a bar with officers.
An initial investigation had determined that Ross had a blood-alcohol content of 0.25 percent, based on tests at Maine Medical Center where Ross was taken after the accident.
Chitwood said Ross and the department want to put the incident behind them. He said the department still has to complete its internal affairs investigation.
"Here's a man who has been on the department for 18 years with an unblemished record," Chitwood said. "This has devastated him personally and professionally. He could lose his position, lose his rank, lose his job."
Ross and his attorney could not be reached for comment Monday. William Stokes, head of the criminal division of the Attorney General's office, would not elaborate on the case.
Ross, 42, was headed home at 10 p.m. when his unmarked police car struck a pickup truck on York Street near the Casco Bay Bridge. Ross told his superiors he was reaching for his cellular telephone to call home when he hit the back of the truck, which was stopped waiting for a parking space to open up.
The impact drove the stopped car into the car pulling out of the parking space. The other drivers refused medical attention at the time, but both sought treatment later. They have notified the department they plan to file suit over the accident.
The Attorney General's office investigated the case after Cumberland County District Attorney Stephanie Anderson relinquished her involvement, saying she wanted to avoid concerns that she might not be not be impartial.