Stolen truck rolls in Auburn, takes down wires and blocks Center Street traffic for hours

Aug. 28—AUBURN — A 32-year-old transient man driving a stolen truck on Center Street late Tuesday night rolled the vehicle, knocking down a utility pole and wires that closed the road and tied up traffic until 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to police.

Police said Ryan Buckingham was driving a stolen 2000 Ford F350 utility truck shortly after 10 p.m. when he rolled the vehicle near 930 Center St., by Emerson Chevrolet Buick.

When police arrived, "officers confirmed a single-vehicle rollover crash had taken place, taking down power lines as well as a utility pole, blocking all four lanes of travel. A second vehicle was found entangled in the downed lines," Deputy Police Chief Timothy A. Cougle wrote in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

Buckingham was transported to the Central Maine Medical Center with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, Cougle said.

The second vehicle, a 2016 Subaru Outback operated by Ronald Theriault, 63, of Rumford, was not involved in the rollover crash but had become entangled in the downed wires, according to the statement. Theriault was not injured.

While officers were managing the initial scene, a vehicle was driven into an Auburn Public Works vehicle being used to help block Center Street at Colby Street, police said.

"The Public Works truck had its emergency strobe lights activated and reflective barricades in place to indicate the road closure. Speed was determined to be a factor in this crash," Cougle said in the statement.

Keagan Richardson, 22, of Turner was charged with driving to endanger. Richardson, his passenger, and the Public Works employee were not injured in this incident, police said.

All four lanes of Center Street were closed overnight and into the morning commute, while utility crews worked to clear the scene and make necessary repairs. The crash made a mess of Wednesday morning's commute, with the tie-up backing up rerouted traffic on Turner Street and other side streets.

Center Street was reopened to traffic by 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Police said Buckingham will be charged with driving to endanger (class D), aggravated criminal mischief (class C), and operating without a license (class E). Charges related to the stolen vehicle are being handled by the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office because the vehicle was stolen from Livermore Falls.

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