A 21-year-old Wayne man was arrested Thursday on a charge of manslaughter after the investigation of a fatal crash in May in Mount Vernon.
Tyler Goucher also is charged with operating under the influence involving death, operating under the influence involving injury and aggravated assault.
Ethan Russell, 19, of Wayne, was killed when a pickup truck he was riding in left North Road and crashed near Church Road. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Another passenger, Richard Hall Jr., 21, of Mount Vernon, suffered serious injuries and was taken by LifeFlight helicopter to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. Kennebec County Sheriff Ken Mason said Hall has since been released from the hospital.
Goucher, who was driving, also was injured in the crash.
At the time, the sheriff’s office said speed and alcohol might have been factors in the crash. Mason said police believe that was the case.
None of the three was wearing a seat belt.
Goucher has been freed on $5,000 bail. Under the conditions of his release, Goucher is not allowed to drink alcoholic beverages or operate a motor vehicle at any time.
In the days after the crash, hundreds of people posted comments on the Facebook pages of Russell’s parents, Nathan and Shanna, and his sister, Delaney. People from Maine and elsewhere across the country offered the family condolences, thoughts and prayers and comfort.
Nathan Russell posted several photos of his son on his Facebook page that showed his son holding a large fish, leaning against a waterfront tree and standing in front of a truck.
In public Facebook posts, Nathan Russell said he was in shock and disbelief and wants to see his son’s “beat up car brappin’ up the road.”
He said wants “to see you duck through the doorway and track your muddy boots through the house, then realize you have mud or something on them and go back to the front door to take them off. Now I hear the dogs’ tails wagging, smashing into the cabinets as they surround you. You loved to get them riled up. You’d walk by with a quick “hey” before grabbing your towel for a shower. I just want to hold you so bad.”
Nathan Russell said his son — a 2016 graduate of Maranacook Community High School — was always upbeat, smiling and laughing and had a beautiful heart. He said Ethan probably didn’t realize how proud his father was when he walked by, and he also said he’d miss his son’s quick wit and sense of humor.
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