FARMINGTON — A Franklin County grand jury has indicted a Massachusetts man in the death of his ATV passenger in 2023 in Coplin Plantation.
Matthew Tolman, 27, of Hubbardston was indicted April 17 on a charge of operating an ATV under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs, or a combination of both, which resulted in a death.
Tolman was to be issued a summons on the charge.
An indictment means there is enough evidence to move the case forward to trial.
The side-by-side ATV was near a trail near Quill Hill Road in Coplin Plantation when it hit a washout and Tolman lost control. Abigail Divoll, 25, of Royalston, Massachusetts, was killed. Tolman was thrown from the ATV and received a serious head injury.
The two were in the lead ATV in a group of three ATVs when the crash occurred about 12:45 p.m. on July 1, 2023.
Tolman was flown from the scene to Maine Medical Center in Portland.
Neither Divoll nor Tolman was wearing a helmet, according to rescue workers, who said speed and alcohol might have been factors in the crash.
A conviction on the charge is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
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