Drunken driving charge dismissed for former Hallowell Public Works Department foreman

AUGUSTA — A former foreman with the Hallowell Public Works Department had an operating under the influence charge dismissed Thursday after he complied with the terms of a six-month deferred disposition that allowed him to plead guilty, instead, to the lesser charge of driving to endanger.

Christopher Buck Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office photo

Christopher Buck, who was foreman from 2013 until his resignation in October 2022, was initially charged with operating under the influence in July 2022 while driving his personal vehicle at the Public Works Department garage. He was not working at the time, officials said.

A deferred disposition agreement with state prosecutors required Buck — within a six-month period — to not use or possess alcohol, undergo a substance abuse evaluation and perform 50 hours of community service work or make a $500 donation to charity.

Buck, 55, and his lawyer, Darrick X. Banda, returned to court Thursday to report Buck had been successful in meeting the terms of the deferred disposition agreement for the required six months.

A state prosecutor agreed to dismiss the operating under the influence charge against Buck, who then pleaded guilty to a driving to endanger charge.

“This is a successful deferment,” Banda said Thursday morning at the Capital Judicial Center in Augusta.

Buck’s sentence on the lesser charge, a Class E offense, is a $575 fine and a 30-day driver’s license suspension, which was to begin Thursday. He was required to turn over his license to the court.

With surcharges, the fine, according to the judge in the case, came to $730. Buck arranged a payment plan that has him paying $50 a month.

In Maine, a first offense for operating under the influence can result in a sentence of up to a year in jail, a maximum fine of $2,000 and a mandatory minimum loss of driver’s license for 150 days.