A man was allegedly driving a snowmobile under the influence of alcohol early Saturday evening when his machine struck a 16-year-old boy who was walking across a lake in Dexter.
The boy had been ice fishing on Little Wassookeag Lake and was walking back to shore just after 5 p.m. when the snowmobile struck him, according to the Maine Warden Service. The boy suffered minor injuries and did not have to be taken to the hospital.
Police say that the operator of the snowmobile, 34-year-old Joshua A. Thomas, was allegedly under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash, according to Cpl. John MacDonald of the Maine Warden Service.
It was not immediately clear where Thomas is from. The Maine Warden Service said he is from Houlton, while Penobscot County records say he is from Wales.
Thomas was charged with operating a snowmobile under the influence, reckless operation of a snowmobile and operating a snowmobile to endanger, MacDonald said in a news release. All three are misdemeanors.
He was taken to the Penobscot County Jail on Saturday night and released early Sunday morning in lieu of $400 cash bail, according to a jail representative.
The Dexter Police Department also investigated the crash.
