NEWPORT — The driver of a manure truck that rolled over in Derby Line in May was charged on Tuesday with driving with a suspended licence, and not with leaving the scene of a crash.
Jason Jewer, 33, of Derby Line, was in court on Tuesday as the charge was read. Originally, Jewer was cited for leaving the scene of a crash, after he allegedly fled on foot following the accident.
Jewer was not at the scene of the crash when Orleans Country Sheriff’s Deputy Jonathan MacFarlane arrived. After a brief investigation, Jewer was identified as the driver.
Jewer suffered a concussion during the incident, and was treated for his injuries at North Country Hospital.
According to MacFarlane’s affidavit, when Jewer was questioned about the incident, he stated that he did not remember leaving the scene of the accident, and that he woke up in his apartment later in the day.
Although Jewer’s licence was suspended at the time of the crash, according to the affidavit, when questioned, he stated that he did not think that the suspension included farm machinery, even on public roads.
Jewer then told MacFarlane that the accident took place as a result of another vehicle entering his lane, causing him to swerve out of the way and onto the shoulder of Elm Street, at which point the truck rolled.
The accident took place near the Beebe Road in Derby Line. Manure and diesel fuel spread downhill toward a waterway that runs along Beebe Road, reaching a local driveway and lawn in the process. The spill had to be dammed up with dirt and gravel that was brought in.
The vehicle, a 1994 Western Star manure truck, was owned by Gray’s Farms.
Kieth Gray, the owner of the vehicle, informed MacFarlane that Jewer had been driving that day, according to the affidavit.
