WATERVILLE — Police arrested a couple Wednesday evening after they allegedly drove under the influence of drugs with a baby in the car.
Zachary L. Elwell, 22, and Crystal Pooler, 28, both were charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs, a class D misdemeanor.
A family member called police and said that Elwell was driving about 5:45 p.m. from Oakland with Pooler to the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter in Waterville, according to Deputy Chief Bill Bonney. The family member was concerned because she suspected they were under the influence and they had their 11-month-old baby with them.
The family member intervened at the Irving gas station on Kennedy Memorial Drive and took the baby from the couple, Bonney said. She then watched Pooler drive off.
Police stopped the car in the parking lot of Railroad Square and determined that Pooler was under the influence of drugs, according to Bonney. They also found that she was in possession of the drug suboxone without a prescription. She was charged additionally with unlawful possession of a scheduled drug, a class D misdemeanor.
Police also found that Elwell had driven while intoxicated with drugs, Bonney said, and that he had driven with the baby in the car. He was charged additionally with endangering the welfare of a child, a class D misdemeanor.
The couple was taken to the Kennebec County jail in Augusta, where Pooler was given an unsecured bail of $750. She left after paying the $60 commissioner’s fee.
Elwell was on probation for a previous charge, which Bonney doesn’t have information about, so he cannot post bail.
The baby is staying with family as part of a safety plan with the Department of Health and Human Services, Bonney said.
Madeline St. Amour — 861-9239
mstamour@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @madelinestamour
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