WINSLOW — A Clinton man with an extensive criminal history was arrested Monday night and charged with possession of marijuana, unlawful possession of a scheduled drug, falsifying physical evidence and operating under the influence, along with other charges.

Jason Joel Forbus, 38, of Canaan Road in Clinton, was arrested Monday night after police received a call from a man walking on Benton Avenue who said he was almost hit by a gray Subaru being driven with a flat tire, Winslow Police Lt. Josh Veilleux said.

Police found the car parked in the Marden’s Warehouse parking area on Benton Avenue, while Forbus and a passenger attempted to fix the flat tire, Veilleux said. When Winslow Police officer Bradley Hubert and Sgt. Haley Fleming spoke to Forbus and the female passenger, the two had conflicting stories about what happened, Veilleux said.

“Their stories weren’t matching up,” Veilleux said.

While police were talking with Forbus, they noticed he was unsteady on his feet and could smell alcohol on his breath, Veilleux said.

Veilleux said a Maine State Police trooper responded upon request and did further sobriety tests at the Winslow police station, concluding that Forbus was under the influence of narcotics, Veilleux said.

When police searched Forbus, he was in possession of marijuana and a drug that police would not identify.

The woman’s name was not released as she was not charged with a crime, Hubert said.

In addition to the drug possession and driving under the influence charges, Forbus was charged with operating a vehicle without a license, operating a vehicle with a license suspended or revoked for operating under the influence and falsifying physical evidence.

The operating under the influence charge is a felony because of two prior offenses, Hubert said.

Forbus is being held at Kennebec County jail on $3,500 unsecured bail, Hubert said, and has a July 29 court date at Kennebec County Superior Court.

In 2010, Forbus was arrested on felony drug trafficking charges when police said Forbus sold two Maine Drug Enforcement Agency officials morphine, once in Waterville and again in Skowhegan. Forbus pleaded guilty to the drug trafficking charge and violating the condition of his release and spent 30 months in jail.

Forbus has burglary and assault convictions dating back to 1997, when he was sentenced to two years in prison for a string of Solon-area burglaries.

Forbus was the boyfriend of Amy Drake, a young Skowhegan mother who was murdered in 2006. He was a suspect in the case, which is still unresolved.

Jesse Scardina — 861-9239 | jscardina@centralmaine.com | Twitter: @jessescardina

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