A Peru man convicted of manslaughter for a 2024 Auburn crash that killed an Auburn man was captured Wednesday in Phillips after being on the lam since January, authorities say.

Albert Deschaine, 37, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service and Maine Violent Offender Task Force in a camper on property in Phillips and taken into custody without incident, authorities said in a news release issued Wednesday afternoon.

In January, Deschaine failed to appear in court for sentencing for manslaughter, reckless
conduct and operation of a defective vehicle relating to a fatal crash in October 2024.

“Through investigative leads, Task Force members determined Deschaine had remained in Maine and was believed to have fled to the Phillips area. Today, Task Force members executed an arrest operation at a residence in Phillips, where Deschaine was identified and apprehended,” the statement read.

On Oct. 7, 2024, on Route 4, police say Deschaine was traveling north in his 2007 Chevrolet pickup truck when his vehicle hydroplaned across the centerline into southbound traffic. Deschaine’s truck struck a 2022 Toyota SUV driven by James Halliday, 78, of Auburn.

Both drivers were transported to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. Halliday was transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where he died Oct. 20 from his injuries.

Deschaine suffered serious injuries after he was ejected from his truck, but he recovered. Police said speed was a factor in the wreck.

Deschaine has a criminal history of driving without a license and driving after suspension dating back to 2017.