An Augusta woman was arrested Friday morning on several charges stemming from a January crash that killed two Maine Department of Transportation workers, the Maine State Police said.
Samantha Tupper, 34, is charged with two Class A counts of manslaughter, one Class B count of aggravated assault, two Class C counts of aggravated driving to endanger, and two Class D counts of endangering the welfare of a child, court records show.
A Kennebec County grand jury returned an indictment on the charges Thursday, state police said in a Friday morning news release. Police arrested Tupper without incident at a residence on Mayflower Road in Augusta.
Tupper was being held at the Kennebec County jail in Augusta, with bail initially set at $50,000 cash, state police said. It was not immediately clear if she would make an initial court appearance Friday. No attorney for Tupper was listed in court records as of Friday morning.
Tupper was driving a minivan in the Jan. 13 crash on Interstate 95 southbound near mile marker 127 in Waterville, state police said.
“The investigation determined that Tupper, who was operating a minivan, failed to stop at a posted stop sign at the end of the Kennedy Memorial Drive on-ramp and attempted to enter the passing lane, where her vehicle was struck by a tractor-trailer,” state police said. “The collision forced Tupper’s vehicle into an active MaineDOT work zone, striking three workers.”
The crash killed James Brown, 60, and Dwayne Campbell, 51, both of Waterville. Another worker was injured.
This story will be updated.
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