The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office has charged two teenagers with furnishing alcohol to minors and a third with furnishing a place for minors to drink, all in connection with a Dec. 8 crash in Nobleboro that critically injured a fourth teenager.
Lance Fossett, 18, of Bristol, faces a class C charge of furnishing a place for minors to consume alcohol, according to LCSO Lt. Brendan Kane. Matthew Main, 19, of Newcastle, and Riley Mercier, 19, of Nobleboro, each face a class C charge of furnishing liquor to a minor.
Fossett and Mercier were arrested Dec. 27, Main on Dec. 29.
Neither Fossett nor Main were in the vehicle at the time of the crash. Mercier was the driver and had previously been charged with class C aggravated operating under the influence with injury. A class C crime is a felony.
Mercier was driving a 2004 Jeep Liberty on Lower Cross Road late Dec. 8 when he lost control of the vehicle, which went off the road, down an embankment, and into the woods, striking several trees. He told police he had swerved to avoid a deer in the road. Police have said he was likely speeding.
A passenger, Gage H. York, then 18, of Nobleboro, suffered head trauma and other injuries. He was in critical condition at Maine Medical Center in Portland for almost two weeks. On Dec. 29, a hospital spokesperson said he was in fair condition.
Mercier and two other passengers were treated at LincolnHealth’s Miles Campus in Damariscotta for non-life-threatening injuries.
Fossett, Main, and Mercier have been released on bail.
The crash investigation and criminal investigation are now complete, barring new information, according to Kane.
