Lincoln County Superior Court

Car vs. fire hydrant collision leads to sex offender registry arrest

Fri, 01/30/2015 - 8:45am

A Woolwich man has been charged with failure to register as a sex offender, failure to report an accident and driving after revocation, after he allegedly rammed his car into a fire hydrant.

Edward Bruno, 35, of Woolwich was arrested Jan. 21 by the Wiscasset Police Department after he reportedly drove into a fire hydrant, then left the scene of the crime, and failed to register as a sex offender.

According to the affidavit, Wiscasset Police Sgt. Kathy Williams responded to Lil Mart on Bath Road in Wiscasset after receiving a call that a car hit a fire hydrant hard enough that the airbags deployed. The accident also reportedly sheared the hydrant from its base.

The vehicle was reported to have left the scene and traveled south on Route 1 towards Woolwich. The Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Department was notified that a vehicle matching the description was found at a Woolwich residence.

Bruno was allegedly at the address, with the car, which had front-end damage and deployed air bags. Bruno allegedly admitted to being at Lil Mart to buy cigarettes earlier, but reportedly said he only remembered striking the curb.

When Williams ran Bruno's license she found that Bruno reportedly had a suspended license out of New Hampshire, and that there was a warrant for his arrest because he had reportedly been living in Woolwich for more than two weeks without registering as a sex offender.

Bruno had been charged with failure to register in Sullivan County, New Hampshire in 2004.

Williams also charged Bruno with Class E leaving the scene of an accident. Both the alleged failure to register and operating after revocation are Class C crimes, which are punishable by up to five years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine. Class E crimes are classified as misdemeanors and are punishable by up to six months in jail.

Bruno was held at Two Bridges Regional Jail on $5,000 bail and will have to report three times a week. He is scheduled to appear at Lincoln County Superior Court on Feb. 26.