A Scarborough man has been indicted on double manslaughter charges in connection with a car crash on U.S. Route 202 in Winthrop last November that killed a local couple.

Jeffrey E. Ray, 44, was served a summons on the charges Wednesday, alleging that he acted “recklessly or with criminal negligence,” according to records unsealed in Kennebec County Superior Court in Augusta.

Killed following the Nov. 21, 2013, crash were Patricia St. Laurent, 74, and her husband, 80-year-old Napoleon Richard St. Laurent. The Winthrop couple would have celebrated their 54th anniversary the following day.

The crash occurred shortly before 9 a.m. as the St. Laurents’ 1996 Ford E-150 van was stopped in the eastbound lane waiting to make a left turn onto Royal Street in Winthrop.

Ray, driving a 2007 Mitsubishi box truck east on Route 202, hit the van from behind, police said. The impact pushed both vehicles into the right-side guard rail and down the road before stopping against the guardrail.

The van, owned by JA & Sons, an automotive repair business in Winthrop that St. Laurent owned with his son, was destroyed. The box truck, owned by Lewiston-based Pure-Stat Technologies, also was destroyed.

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Napoleon Richard St. Laurent was pronounced dead at the scene, while Patricia was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, where she died four days later.

Ray was also taken to CMMC after the crash and later released.

The St. Laurents had five grown children and were foster parents to several children, according to the couple’s obituary.

This story will be updated.


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