Driver charged with 2 counts of manslaughter in Waterboro crash that killed man and boy

The Waterboro man whose car struck and killed a man and boy waiting outside a local restaurant late last month was arrested Wednesday on a warrant charging him with two counts of manslaughter, York County Sheriff William L. King Jr. said.

Deputies from the sheriff’s office went to the home of Charles Stoddard, 64, around 2:30 p.m. and took him into custody. He is being held at the York County Jail on $50,000 cash bail, King said.

Charles Stoddard York County Sheriff’s Office

Stoddard’s 2003 Oldsmobile Alero left the highway about 9 a.m. July 31 and struck the marquee of the Cozi Corner Cafe, 199 Sokokis Trail, before hitting Mark Schepis, 45, and Luke D. Stephenson, 12, both of Waterboro. Schepis and Stephenson, who were sitting on a curb by the sign while waiting to get into the restaurant, were not related. They knew each other and had been waiting outside with their families.

Schepis and Stephenson were pronounced dead at the scene.

Stoddard’s vehicle also struck a Ford F-150 pickup truck driven and owned by Mark Tuttle of Porter, who was not injured, as he was attempting to leave the parking lot. Following the crash, Stoddard was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated and released.

Family members said Schepis loved his work and commuted each day from his home in Waterboro to his job as director of support operations for Bottomline Technologies in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where he had been employed for more than 20 years. Bottomline provides payment, invoice and document automation solutions to institutions around the world.

Schepis and his wife, Jessica, were married in 2002. In addition to his wife, he is survived by a son, Alex, and two daughters, Elizabeth and Dani.

Stephenson was the son of David and Jami Stephenson of Waterboro. He had a sister named Paige and a dog named Moose, according to his obituary.

Mark Schepis Photo courtesy of the Schepis family

Glen Richard, his wife, Shelly, and their son, Zac, organized a fundraiser this past Saturday to benefit the Schepis and Stephenson families. Zac Richard said about 243 motorcyclists participated, riding their bikes from the Waterboro Eagles club on Main Street to Iron Tails, a saloon and restaurant in Acton. Richard said the ride went smoothly, with firetrucks blocking each intersection the motorcade passed through. He said he was overwhelmed by the response.

“The best part to all of this is that everyone came together to support the families,” Zac Richard said Wednesday, adding that he was glad to hear about the arrest of Stoddard. “He caused a lot of trauma in this community.”

King said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that additional charges are expected to be filed against Stoddard, including aggravated reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon (vehicle), aggravated operating a motor vehicle under the influence causing a fatality, as well as possession of a Schedule W drug.

King did not specify whether alcohol, marijuana or some other substance was involved with the possible charge of OUI. The sheriff also did not say what type of Schedule W drug Stoddard allegedly possessed. Attempts to reach King on Wednesday night were unsuccessful.

Stoddard has had multiple driving violations over the last two decades and in three states, including a similar crash in 2013 in which no one was injured and he left the scene before police discovered the wreck. Stoddard was presumed by police to be driving a 2003 Saturn registered in his name on a September night in 2013 when he crossed the centerline along Roberts Ridge Road in Waterboro, veered across the oncoming lane of traffic and went off the shoulder into some brush and small trees, according to a crash report.

Whoever was driving the vehicle moved it about 400 feet into a driveway and fled before police could arrive. Stoddard was eventually held responsible for failing to report the crash, according to a 10-year driving history provided by the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

In 1999, Stoddard was charged with OUI and careless driving in Florida, and his license was revoked between 2000 and 2003 because of the arrest. He was also cited in Arizona for driving with a suspended license after the OUI charge and for failing to pay fines and fees. In 2002 he was convicted in Florida of driving with a canceled license.

Officers from the Saco, Old Orchard Beach, and Windham police departments helped the York County Sheriff’s Office with its investigation into the fatal crash on July 31 in Waterboro.