Charlemont man arrested after intentionally crashing into telephone pole in Westminster

WESTMINSTER — On Wednesday, June 5th 2024, at approximately 8:23 a.m., Officer Max Rameau of the Westminster Police Department said that Justin Maynard, 37, of Charlemont, walked into the Westminster Police Department to report that he was just in a motor vehicle accident on Main Street and injured his neck.

(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Rameau and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)

“Maynard initially spoke with Sergeant Amy Nelson but was not forthcoming with information regarding the accident. Maynard was told to wait to speak with an officer but insisted on going back to his vehicle,” Officer Rameau said. “I arrived at the motor vehicle crash in front of the First Congregational Church on Main Street a few minutes later and observed a white 2008 Dodge Pickup Truck that had crashed head-on into a utility pole. Maynard was not on scene at this time and I updated dispatch of my findings.”

According to police, Justin Maynard, 37, resides at 200 Avery Brook Road in Charlemont, MA.

While Officer Rameau was on scene, a witness of the accident flagged him down.

“The female party showed a video of Maynard parked in front of the utility pole, half on the road and half on the sidewalk,” Officer Rameau explained. “Maynard steps out of the vehicle and begins causing traffic issues by entering the roadway on foot and continues to cause traffic issues before getting back in the vehicle. Maynard can be heard yelling at people while in the roadway. Maynard then reverses the vehicle and then puts the truck back into drive. Maynard then drove straight forward into the pole causing damage to the vehicle and National Grid pole #8. Maynard caused a large amount of damage to the truck and pole and accelerated at a speed high enough to make a divot in the roadway. Maynard then walks away from the scene.”

Officer Dwight Richard and Officer Andrew Loescher then located Maynard in the backyard of a house on the corner of Main Street and South Street. Officer Rameau said Maynard was being “uncooperative” with the officers who located him, which lead to a supervisor from the Westminster Police Department being called to the scene.

“Maynard was brought over to the area of the crash after being located,” Officer Rameau said. “Maynard was offered medical attention from Westminster Fire Department, but declined. I attempted to speak with Maynard about the incident multiple times which led to him becoming agitated, Maynard at one point made a comment along the lines of walking in and out of traffic. I asked Maynard how the accident occurred and he stated his neck hurt and that he didn’t remember. Maynard asked about who was towing the vehicle and I told him Westminster Garage. Maynard became upset because he believed he would have to pay for it. Maynard began calling AAA for a tow while he sat on a nearby bench. Maynard was speaking with AAA and needed the zip code for the service. I provided the zip code and Maynard walked over telling AAA that he would be passing the phone to me. I did not take the phone but Maynard tried to wedge his phone between my duty vest and my mounted taser. I gave Maynard his phone back, he then reached for and attempted to remove my taser from its holster and stated ‘Let me grab that.’ I swatted Maynard’s hand away and he stated ‘Oh, I’m sorry, did that touch a nerve?’ Maynard began to step away. I then took control of Maynard’s arm and told him to place his hands behind his back. Maynard was handcuffed (double locked) and searched by Officer Richard and Officer Loescher. An ambulance returned and Maynard was transported to Heywood Hospital. A Section 12 was filed based on several statements Maynard made about walking into traffic, purposely driving his vehicle into a pole on purpose, as well as attempting to disarm this officer’s taser.”

According to malegislature.gov, a Section 12 is the “emergency restraint and hospitalization of persons posing risk of serious harm by reason of mental illness.”

Maynard was charged with:

1. Assault & Battery Attempt to Disarm Police Officer
2. Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle
3. Wanton Destruction of Property $1,200+
4. Marked Lanes Violation

Officer Rameau said that after the incident, police found out that Maynard has an active license to carry as well as several firearms registered to him.

“I made contact with Sergeant Benjamin Duga of the Charlemont Police Department who is the licensing authority of Charlemont at this time and advised him of the incident,” Officer Rameau said. “A copy of the narrative was emailed to Sgt. Duga. Sgt. Duga explained that he attempted contact with Heywood Hospital and they refused to give him any information. Sgt. Duga was advised that Maynard was still at the hospital for treatment. Sgt. Duga further explained how he was going to have to serve the suspension notice of Maynard’s license to carry and that in the past Maynard has had ‘hundreds of guns.’ It should be noted that Maynard’s firearm ownership only showed 9 firearms.”

Officer Rameau reported that while investigating the incident, it was learned that Maynard worked for the VA (The United States Department of Veterans Affairs). Officer Rameau was able to speak with Maynard’s manager, Jeffrey Menard, and briefly inform him of the incident. Menard explained that Maynard had recently gone through a divorce and was a combat veteran. He also noted that Maynard’s behavior had escalated over the past few weeks.

Maynard was arraigned in Westminster District Court on July 29, 2024.

Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from June, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to get the court documents for the incident. FOIAs are time consuming.

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