WATERVILLE — A man who was arrested earlier this week after police said he was under the influence when his car struck three other vehicles in Manchester was taken into custody a second time later in the day when he was found walking along Interstate 95 in Waterville.
Jeffrey Smart, 48, of Jay. Photo courtesy of Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office
Jeffrey Smart, 48, of Jay, was taken to a hospital for medical care after investigators said his car struck the others along U.S. Route 202 in Manchester on Tuesday morning.
He was charged in the matter, ordered to appear in court and released from the hospital before being transported to a methadone clinic. His car was seized earlier by authorities so he was offered a ride by police to a homeless shelter, which he declined, state Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Shannon Moss said.
Police then dropped him off in Waterville on Kennedy Memorial Drive.
He was later found walking on Interstate 95, intent on walking home to Jay, about 30 miles away. He was warned about trespassing on the interstate as a pedestrian and removed from the highway. But he walked back onto the interstate and was then arrested, Moss said.
Smart was taken to the Kennebec County jail and was held for 12 hours due to a “very obvious impairment,” Moss said.
Kennebec County prosecutors ultimately decided to drop a charge of criminal trespassing against him, allowing for his release from jail Wednesday. Moss said his arrest on the highway was “more of a way to protect his safety as well as the safety of the motoring public on I-95.”
Smart still faces charges of operating under the influence, driving without a license, failure to stop for law enforcement, three counts of leaving the scene of a property damage accident and three counts of failure to give notice of an accident by the quickest means.
State Police responded at about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday to reports of a Ford Focus operating erratically and striking other vehicles in Manchester.
Smart left the scene but one of the people whose vehicle was struck followed the Focus as it traveled onto northbound I-95. Troopers stopped the car north of Augusta and took Smart into custody.
The Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office is working with State Police on the investigation.
No injuries were reported.
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