A Newcastle man was arrested and charged with Class D criminal OUI, Class E operating after suspension and Class E leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage after he allegedly crashed his car and ran away.

Juston Nicholson, 35, of Newcastle was arrested by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office in August after he allegedly crashed his car and ran away from the wreck. Nicholson pleaded not guilty to the trio of charges.

Lincoln County Sheriff Deputy Joel Seekins responded to Bunker Hill Road in Jefferson after receiving a call about a motor vehicle accident.

On Monday, Aug. 31, Seekins went to Jefferson at approximately 6 p.m. in response to the call and found a car in a ditch, but the driver had allegedly fled. Witnesses at the scene reportedly said the driver had fled on foot to the north.

Seekins and Sgt. Brendan Kane allegedly found Nicholson near the scene of the accident, where they performed a field sobriety test.

Nicholson was transported to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset where he took an intoxilyzer test. According to Seekins' report, Nicholson allegedly registered a .12 BAC. Nicholson was arrested and charged with the three crimes.

Nicholson had one previous conviction for driving while intoxicated from 2012 in the West Bath District Court.

Nicholson will have an Oct. 29 court date at Lincoln County District Court. If convicted, he could face up to 364 days in jail for the Class D OUI charge, and up to six months in jail for the two Class E crimes.

He was court-ordered to neither possess nor consume alcohol. Nicholson was held and released on $250 cash bail.