MONROE — A Monroe man was issued seven summonses after leaving the scene of a property damage accident on Fisher Road in Monroe Feb. 13, according to Waldo County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Jason Trundy. 

Allen J. Farrington, 59, was issued summonses for driving to endanger, criminal mischief, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, failure to give notice of an accident by the quickest means, failure to provide proof of insurance, failure to maintain control of a motor vehicle, and operating a motor vehicle while using a handheld device as a result of the incident. 

Law enforcement was first alerted about the situation when Waldo County Dispatch received a call reporting a vehicle off the road, leading Deputies Ryan Jackson and Brandon Curtis to respond to the scene. 

Trundy said the fire department was there when deputies arrived to find a vehicle that had struck a utility pole. After running the registration deputies discovered the owner of the vehicle, Allen Farrington, lived a short distance away.

After traveling to the residence, deputies spoke with Farrington, he reportedly admitted that he had crashed the vehicle roughly four hours earlier and was the sole occupant at the time of the crash. When asked about the cause of the crash, Farrington allegedly stated that he was using his phone when he went off the road. 

Motorists in Maine have been prohibited from using cell phones while driving, except hands-free devices, since Sept. 19. If a task cannot be accomplished within a single swipe of the phone, motorists are instructed to pull over or wait until they have reached their destination to use their phones. 

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com