AUGUSTA — A Pittston man charged with manslaughter in a September 2015 crash that killed a teenager from Sidney is now prohibited from operating any recreational vehicles.

That bail condition was one of several imposed on Alexander J. Biddle, now 22, at his initial hearing Tuesday at the Capital Judicial Center. Biddle is charged with manslaughter in the death of Halee Cummings, 18.

Halee Cummings, 18, of Sidney died in 2015 after riding on the back of an all-terrain vehicle driven by Alexander J. Biddle, 22, of Pittston, who is facing a manslaughter charge in the incident. Contributed photo

Investigators say Biddle was driving an all-terrain vehicle when it went off a driveway and into a ditch, striking several trees and ejecting and killing Cummings, a passenger, on Sept. 18, 2015, near her home.

Biddle was issued a summons to appear in court on the charge, and because it was his first appearance on a felony charge, he was not asked to enter a plea. A conviction of manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

A dozen members of Cummings’ family sat in the front of the courtroom to watch Tuesday’s proceeding.

Judge Paul Mathews agreed to unsecured bail but included conditions requested by the prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Michael Madigan, which included a ban on Biddle’s operating recreational vehicles. Mathews said a public safety concern was involved.

Biddle’s attorney, Pasquale Perrino, objected, saying it would keep Biddle off snowmobiles as well.

“You’re restricting his right to enjoy the state of Maine,” he said.

That’s when Cummings’ father, Hardy Cummings, hollered, “He shouldn’t have any rights.”

Outside the courtroom, Hardy Cummings spoke on behalf of the family.

“I just would like to say that we’re all here for Halee,” he said. “We want Biddle to see our faces through this whole process.”

Hardy Cummings said the family “felt disrespected” when Perrino argued against the state’s request for a ban on Biddle’s operation of recreational vehicles.

During the hearing, Madigan said the facts of the case indicate that Biddle was “driving in a roadway and saw what he believed was a cruiser and took evasive action,” adding, “Reckless conduct following that is what led to this accident.”

Biddle said little during the hearing, acknowledging his identity but allowing Perrino to do almost all the speaking for him. Several members of Biddle’s family accompanied him to the hearing. He was injured in the crash when the ATV rolled over onto him.

Biddle had been described as a friend of Halee Cummings’ brother.

Halee Cummings’ mother, Jami Paquette, said previously that Cummings was on her way home with some friends on a trail through the woods to Shepard Road, where her father has a house. Cummings was pronounced dead at the scene.

She was a graduate of Messalonskee High School and enrolled at the University of Maine at Augusta. She was passionate about horseback riding and racing, and the family held a barrel racing competition in her memory in July.

Other conditions of bail prohibit Biddle from having contact with Cummings’ family and from using or possessing alcohol or illegal drugs.

Madigan said Biddle has a prior conviction for criminal speeding.

Court records show Biddle was convicted in September 2012 in Waterville District Court for driving 30-plus mph over the speed limit on July 30, 2012, in Sidney. He was fined $500.

After the hearing, Perrino said he has read much of the discovery material in the case and it indicates that Biddle, who was 21 at the time, was not legally under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.

Shortly after the crash, Maine Game Warden Steven Couture, one of the investigators, said alcohol appeared to be a factor.

Related Stories