FAIRFIELD — A Norridgewock man has been charged in connection with a hit-and-run in Fairfield that left a bicyclist critically injured last month.
After Fairfield Police posted about the hit-and-run on its Facebook page Oct. 27, Matthew L. Russell, 31, called the department and said he may have hit someone with his car the night before.
On Nov. 8, police charged Russell with driving to endanger, failure to stop at an accident involving an injury and aggravated assault.
Jason Annis, 34, a lifelong Fairfield resident, was struck around 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 26 while he was riding from his job at Dunkin’ inside Walmart on Waterville Commons Drive to his home on Hutchins Road in Fairfield, according to Amanda Roberts, Annis’ cousin.
Russell hit Annis after he veered off the right side of the Norridgewock Road, hitting a mailbox and then swerving back onto the road, according to Fairfield Police Chief Tom Gould.
Russell left the scene. A passerby who found an injured Annis minutes after the accident called police. Fairfield Police, Fairfield-Benton Fire Rescue and Delta Ambulance responded to the call at 11:33 p.m. and noted that the driver was gone.
Annis was taken from the scene to a hospital in Portland with serious injuries, according to Roberts. Annis suffered a fractured spine, a broken ankle, two skull fractures and two compound fractures in one of his legs. He also had bleeding in his brain and was in a medically induced coma, Roberts said.
According to a Facebook post from Jason’s brother Davis Annis on Nov. 2, Jason was speaking and had been removed from the critical care unit and moved into his own room. No updates about Jason’s condition have been released since.
Roberts said Annis was riding in the breakdown lane of the road and was not wearing his helmet when he was hit.
After Russell came forward, police recovered his 2014 gray Nissan Sentra and obtained a search warrant. Fairfield Police worked with State Police to execute the search warrant, according to Paul St. Amand, captain of the Fairfield Police.
The cause of the hit-and-run remains undetermined, but St. Amand said that distracted driving may have played a part.
Charges of class C driving to endanger and failure to stop at an accident involving an injury can result in fines up to $5,000 and up to five years in jail. A class B charge of aggravated assault can result in fines up to $20,000 and up to 10 years in jail.
Russell has a court date set for Jan. 15, 2020, at the District Court in Skowhegan.
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