Danforth Man Faces Multiple Charges Including Theft of a Motor Vehicle

An investigation into a person struck by a vehicle in Hodgdon leads to the arrest of a Danforth man. State Police say 31-year-old Benjamin Barnes faces charges ranging from theft of a motor vehicle to criminal mischief.

On Thursday, Trooper Adam Bell opened investigations into two incidents. The first of which occurred at approximately 1:00 AM when an individual reported he was struck by a vehicle in Hodgdon, state police said.

The individual stated he had been walking on Corner Road when a vehicle went past him and the mirror of the vehicle struck his arm. The pedestrian suffered non-life threatening injuries and said that the SUV did not stop, left the scene and was last seen headed towards Danforth, according to police.

Several hours later, Trooper Bell was notified of an SUV that had been stolen on Walker Road in Hodgdon.  With information gathered through the course of both investigations, Trooper Bell was led to the Washington County town of Danforth where he was assisted by Trooper Kim Sawyer.

The troopers located the stolen 2002 GMC Yukon in a gravel pit in Danforth.  Evidence collected from the Corner Road incident linked the stolen GMC to the crash scene, and further investigation ultimately led to the arrest of 31-year-old Benjamin Barnes of Danforth, police said.

Barnes was arrested and charged with the following crimes:

Theft of a motor vehicle, Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, Criminal Mischief, and failure to report a personal injury motor vehicle accident.

He was taken to the Aroostook County Jail and is scheduled to appear in Houlton Court on December 22.