AUGUSTA — A Winslow man had been inhaling Dust-Off, a compressed-air cleaning product, just before crashing his car into a Halifax Street house in January, a prosecutor said.
Marc A. Ouellette, 49, pleaded guilty Thursday at the Capital Judicial Center to three misdemeanor charges related to the Jan. 31 crash: operating under the influence; driving to endanger; and criminal mischief.
He had been indicted on a charge of aggravated criminal mischief, but that charge was amended in exchange for guilty pleas to the other charges.
Judge Eric Walker sentenced Ouellette to 364 days in jail, suspending all but seven of those days, and one year of probation. Ouellette was fined a total of $1,275 and his license and registration privileges were suspended for three years. An additional 30-day suspension was ordered for the driving to endanger charge.
Ouellette’s attorney, Scott Hess, said he told his client that he might be classified as a habitual offender by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and be subject to other sanctions as a result of the convictions.
The judge was told there was no restitution in the case because the homeowner’s insurance covered the repairs.
Assistant District Attorney Kristin Murray-James requested a specific probation condition banning Ouellette from possessing Dust-Off, which is used to clean computer keyboards and other electronics, saying Ouellette had been inhaling it before the crash. Walker banned Ouellette from possessing Dust-Off and similar products, and ordered him to undergo substance abuse evaluation and counseling, if needed.
Betty Adams can be contacted at 621-5631 or at:
badams@centralmaine.com
Twitter: betadams
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