FARMINGTON – A Kingfield woman and a Rumford man were indicted by the Franklin County Grand Jury this week on charges of manslaughter, relating to two unrelated car crashes that occurred last year. Each of the incidents resulted in the deaths of local men.
Danielle Larochelle, 31 of Kingfield, is alleged to have been over the legal limit when the vehicle she was operating crashed on the West Kingfield Road and killed 25-year-old Nicholas Shurtleff of Strong. According to police, Larochelle was driving westbound on the evening of July 8, 2018 when the car went off the road and struck several trees according to reports. Shurtleff, one of three passengers in the vehicle Larochelle was allegedly operating, was flung from the vehicle and died at the scene.
According to information previously released by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Larochelle’s blood alcohol content was .219 percent grams per 100 mL of blood. The legal BAC limit in Maine is .08 percent for drivers over the age of 21.
Larochelle has been indicted on one count of manslaughter, a Class A felony, and one count of aggravated operating under the influence, a Class B felony.
Also indicted Wednesday was Ethyn Buotte, 19 of Rumford, on the same two charges for a separate incident. That indictment relates to an crash on May 31, 2018, in which Buotte is alleged to have lost control of the vehicle he was driving on the West Side Road in Weld, striking a tree. A Dixfield man, 19-year-old Griffyn Smith, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Buotte is alleged to have had a blood alcohol content of .138 percent grams per 100 mL of blood, with a margin of plus or minus .012 percent. For drivers under the age of 21, Maine has a zero tolerance policy and the legal limit is therefore 0 percent.
Larochelle and Buotte both face up to 30 years in prison if convicted on the manslaughter charge and up to 10 years if convicted on the aggravated OUI charge.
An indictment means that after considering the evidence the district attorney has presented, the grand jury believes there is probable cause, or a “reasonable belief” that the crime occurred.
They wont get as much time as they deserve, never do.