AUGUSTA — A Georgia trucker who blew by the commercial vehicle weigh station Thursday in Sidney is behind bars in Augusta because he’s wanted in his home state on an escape charge.
Drew Alexander Childers, 34, of Calhoun, Georgia, was arrested early Thursday after his white tractor-trailer passed the Interstate 95 weigh station while a lighted sign there was directing all commercial vehicles to stop at the station.
An affidavit by Maine State Police Trooper William Plourde said he caught up the vehicle 4 miles south at Exit 113 in Augusta, and Childers produced his Georgia driver’s license.
“A routine license check showed Childers wanted in Georgia for probation violation with the warrant dated May 1, 2017,” Plourde wrote.
Plourde took Childers to the Kennebec County jail, where a bail commissioner set his bail at $60,000 with conditions prohibiting him from leaving Maine until he was seen by a judge.
On Friday, he was seen by Justice William Stokes at the Capital Judicial Center in Augusta via video link from the jail. Childers waived extradition to Georgia, allowing authorities there to come get him.
Assistant District Attorney Alisa Ross asked that Childers be held for 21 days without bail so that could occur.
While defense attorney Lisa Whitter, as lawyer of the day, requested only a 14-day hold, Stokes sided with the state, saying the statue allows 30 days, and that can be extended for an additional 30 days.
Childers is to be back in court July 21 in Augusta for another hearing if he has not been taken to Georgia in the meantime.
Ross said Maine authorities would forward the executed waiver of extradition to Georgia immediately.
Information on the “fugitive from justice” complaint Friday at the Capital Judicial Center indicates Childers was convicted of burglary in George and “did escape from confinement or break the terms of his bail, probation or parole.”
A local newspaper in Georgia published a story in March 2013 indicating Childers and two other people were arrested after an incident in which a pry bar was used to open a mailbox.
Childers was charged with destruction of mailboxes, false statements in writings, two counts of burglary and theft by receiving stolen property.
However, it was unclear whether that was related to his burglary conviction.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
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