The girlfriend and estate representative for a man killed in a vehicle crash in April of 2024 is suing law enforcement officers and the city of Ellsworth and Hancock County.
Lisa McGlothlin claims two Ellsworth police officers and a Hancock County sheriff’s deputy should have detained an erratic driver they pulled over, but let go before he crashed head-on with David Worcester of Lamoine, who died as a result.
The lawsuit claims the erratic driver, Nicholas Libby, tested positive for several drugs after the crash.
The Ellsworth American reports Libby was later convicted of manslaughter and given a five-year prison sentence.
The suit says Ellsworth officers Zachary Chandler and Chad Wilmot, and Hancock County Deputy John Stanley should have subjected Libby to a sobriety test during the traffic stop.
It says a 911 caller had complained about Libby’s erratic driving, that Libby had constricted pupils at the time of the stop, and that the officers had found Clonazepam, cannabis, and other impairing prescription medications in a search of Libby’s vehicle
Libby was subsequently given an erratic driving warning and allowed to continue driving.
A short time later, according to the lawsuit, another 911 caller reported Libby’s vehicle traveling erratically before he crossed the center line and hit Worcester’s vehicle head-on in Ellsworth, resulting in Worcester’s death.
The lawsuit accuses the officers and the deputy, along with the city of Ellsworth and Hancock County, of wrongful death as well as violation of the 14th Amendment and the Maine Civil Rights Act.
The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages and demands a jury trial.
