BENTON — A Clinton man faces charges that he stole a car late last week and drove around drunk, crashed, tried to steal another car and then dropped 30 feet from a bridge into the Kennebec River before he was arrested, police said Wednesday.
The man, Timothy Ezell, 18, of Clinton, was found hiding under the Route 139 bridge that spans the Kennebec River from Fairfield to Benton by Cpl. G.J. Neagle III and his German shepherd tracking dog, Gib, according to Capt. Dan Davies of the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office.
Neagle found Ezell standing outside of the bridge guardrail trying to hide, Davies said. “He shined a spotlight on him and Ezell crawled under the guardrail.”
Ezell then dangled from the bridge, about 30 feet from the water, and Neagle told him to hang on as he moved to pull him up. But Ezell let go and plunged into the river.
In the water, Ezell attempted to swim away and ignored Neagle’s commands to return. When Neagle got down to the shore, however, Ezell swam over and was arrested, Davies said.
The incident began on Crummett Street in Benton about 1 a.m. Friday, Davis said.
Police received two 911 calls from different Crummett Street residents reporting a single-vehicle accident after the car zoomed by. One man who called 911saw the driver flee from the crashed car, a 1998 Chevrolet Lumina, and then attempt to steal his car, a Saab, according to Davies. The resident shouted at the driver, later identified as Ezell, who ran off to the bridge, Davies said.
Ezell refused to answer police questions, but police said they later determined that the car he crashed had been stolen from a residence on Mutton Lane in Clinton. Police also conducted a blood-alcohol test and said it showed Ezell was intoxicated while driving, Davies said.
Ezell was arrested on a felony charge of theft by unauthorized use of property, as well as misdemeanor charges of criminal attempt of theft, operating under the influence, operating without a license and refusing to submit to arrest.
Ezell was still being held Wednesday at the Kennebec County Jail in Augusta on $10,600 cash bail, according to a jail official.
He is scheduled to appear in Kennebec County Superior Court in Augusta on Dec. 13, according to Davies.
Scott Monroe — 861-9239
smonroe@centralmaine.com
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