A Portland man facing charges after he overdosed in a car Sunday while a 5-year-old child was present was involved in a similar overdose incident in September, Portland police records show. He was revived by Narcan both times.
Peter J. Coffin, 37, was issued two criminal summonses Tuesday, charging him with driving to endanger and endangering the welfare of a child, both misdemeanors. The child who was in the car was released to a family member.
Police say Coffin lost consciousness after overdosing on an opiate Sunday night near 72 Commercial St. in Portland. Passers-by spotted the 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander, a sport utility vehicle owned by Shipyard Brewing Co., after it backed onto a sidewalk in front of RiRa Irish Pub and Restaurant. They called emergency responders, who revived Coffin with Narcan, a medication used to reverse the effects of opioids.
Driving to endanger is a Class E crime and endangering the welfare of a child is a Class D crime. Coffin is expected to appear in court Feb. 4.
Fred Forsley, the owner of Shipyard Brewing, said Tuesday night that he accepted Coffin’s resignation Monday. Coffin has worked as a sales representative for the brewery’s southern Maine region for about two years.
Coffin also was the driver of a Shipyard vehicle when Portland police responded to a crash at 1:47 p.m. on Sept. 1 on Fore Street. The crash report says Coffin was smoking heroin and overdosed while the 2015 Mitsubishi SUV was in drive. The vehicle crashed into a guardrail.
Rescue workers also administered Narcan in that case and took Coffin to a hospital. He was not injured.
Forsley said he was unaware of the September accident.
He said the company’s employees were “shocked” to learn about Sunday’s incident. Shipyard employs about 110 workers.
“Pete was a very high-functioning individual. He was a member of our team. It is truly an unfortunate situation,” Forsley said.
Coffin told the company that he was planning to seek treatment. He is married and has one child, Forsley said.
Staff Writer Dennis Hoey contributed to this report.
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