
LITCHFIELD — A Litchfield couple on their way to pick up their 9-year-old child from a friend’s house died Saturday night in a head-on collision on Hallowell Road, according to the Maine State Police.
A Lincoln sport utility vehicle driven by Shawn Metayer, 60, of Litchfield, crossed the centerline and struck a pickup truck driven by Derek Trudeau, 48, of Litchfield, according to Katy England, a State Police spokeswoman.
Trudeau and his wife, Stephanie, 40, were killed upon impact, according to England.
Metayer was taken to a hospital with injuries not considered to be life-threatening, according to police, who said charges against Metayer were “pending.”
Ten minutes before the crash, State Police received a report of erratic vehicle operation in Litchfield, according to England.
England said family and friends were working with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to make temporary arrangements for the child.
Litchfield Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Tina Gowell said the collision occurred about a mile north of the Litchfield Post Office, near an area known locally as “Purgatory.”
When asked about Metayer’s past, England said, “His criminal history stems from a criminal mischief complaint from the 1980s.”
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