BANGOR, Maine — A Brewer police captain was charged with drunken driving Saturday night on Griffin Road, according to Bangor police.

Capt. Christopher Martin, 41, of Bangor was summoned for operating under the influence, Lt. Paul Edwards, spokesman for the Bangor police, said Monday.





Martin’s blood alcohol level was .17, more than twice the legal limit of .08, according to Michael Roberts, deputy district attorney for Penobscot County, who is prosecuting the case.

The captain was not on duty Saturday night, Roberts said Monday.

Brewer Deputy Chief Jason Moffitt said Martin has been placed on paid administrative leave.

Martin’s yearly salary is $68,000, according to Moffitt.

Efforts to reach Martin for comment Monday were unsuccessful.

A concerned motorist driving on Union Street called Bangor police Saturday night to report an erratic driver, the prosecutor said, referring to a police report. The woman told the dispatcher that she was following Martin, who turned onto Griffin Road.

“He pulled off on his own into the parking lot of the Asian Palace II,” Roberts said. “That is where police found him. They took him to the station where an Intoxilyzer test was administered.”

Martin was released from the police station. He was not arrested, the prosecutor said.

Roberts said he did not know if someone picked Martin up or he left on foot. He also did not know where or when Martin had been drinking.

The prosecutor said it is the first drunken driving offense for Martin.

Martin has been with the Brewer Police Department for 19 years.

It was the second time in less than a year a police officer from the area has been charged with operating under the influence of intoxicants. Former Bangor police detective Erik Tall was summoned Oct. 3 at the Airport Mall on Union Street. Tall was on duty when he was charged.

Tall was placed on administrative leave immediately. He resigned from the force in January. The former detective was sentenced June 21 at the Penobscot Judicial Center to seven days in the Penobscot County Jail after pleading guilty to the charge.

In addition to the jail sentence, Tall was ordered to pay the mandatory minimum fine of $500 and his license was suspended for 90 days, as required for first-time offenders.

Martin is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 7 at the Penobscot Judicial Center.

If convicted, Martin would face the same fines and license suspension imposed on Tall. The law calls for a mandatory 48-hour jail sentence for first-time offenders, Roberts said.

BDN writer Ryan McLaughlin contributed to this report.