CLINTON — A single-vehicle crash from late last month involving an off-duty Somerset County Sheriff’s Office deputy is being investigated by the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office.
The crash occurred around 6:40 p.m. on Saturday, July 24, on Canaan Road in Clinton near Gustafson Road, said Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Chris Reed. The driver of the vehicle was Toby Blodgett, who works as a deputy with the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office, and John Stewart was a passenger in the vehicle.
Somerset County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Michael Mitchell said that Blodgett was off duty when the crash occurred.
Reed said that he believed the vehicle had gone off the road and stopped against a tree. Both Blodgett and Stewart were injured and taken to the hospital, although Reed said he did not know what hospital.
At the time the injuries to both men were considered fairly serious, Reed said, but he did not know the details.
“As far as I am aware they are both doing fine at this time,” he said Wednesday.
Mitchell said that Blodgett is currently recovering at home, and is on paid leave while the crash is under investigation and he recovers.
The investigation is awaiting an action reconstruction report, Reed said, and the office may also get a vehicle autopsy. While there are no preliminary results yet, Reed said, alcohol does not appear to be a factor. Speed could potentially be a factor in the crash, but it won’t be known for sure until the reconstruction report comes back, Reed said.
Reed said that he did not know of any timeline for when investigators would get those materials, or when the investigation would conclude.
“There’s a lot of missing pieces and parts to this,” Reed said. “It will be a while before it’s complete.”
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