A criminal case against the chairman of Pittsfield-based Cianbro Corp. is expected to be dismissed as a result of an agreement that will have him pay court fees and make a donation to an Ellsworth-area veterans organization.

Peter G. Vigue

Peter G. Vigue, 72, of Pittsfield was originally scheduled to appear at Hancock County Superior Court on Jan. 7 to be arraigned on charges of aggravated assault, reckless conduct with a firearm and possessing or discharging a firearm on school property.

In September, Vigue fired a small cannon during a college football game. The blast from the cannon injured a referee, according to the complaint against Vigue.

The aggravated assault charge alone carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

After Vigue’s lawyer, Josh Tardy, filed a motion for continuation Jan. 6, Vigue’s court appearance was rescheduled for Tuesday morning.

As of Monday, the court appearance has been discontinued, according to a clerk at the court. An agreement between Hancock and Washington Counties District Attorney Matthew Foster, Tardy and Vigue has resulted in a “filing with costs” being submitted to Hancock Superior Court.

Advertisement

The filing requires Vigue not break any criminal laws, pay the court fee of $250 and make a $1,000 donation to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 109 in Ellsworth within six months, in exchange for the dismissal of the case.

The agreement does not require Vigue to enter a plea regarding the charges, and there will be no criminal record.

Multiple attempts to reach Tardy and Foster for comment Monday were unsuccessful.

The charges against Vigue were brought after the Maine Maritime Academy alumnus fired a small cannon from outside an end zone fence after MMA scored a touchdown at the 47th annual Admiral’s Cup game Sept. 21, 2019. A referee who was walking along the end zone was struck by debris from the blast and injured.

The cannon dislodged black powder with a substance that had been made into a wad, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office said in September.

Firing the cannon after MMA scored a touchdown was a short-lived tradition Vigue had a hand in starting in 2014, according to the Bangor Daily News. After the incident Sept. 21, the college’s president banned the firing of cannons and similar devices on school property.

Advertisement

Vigue began his tenure with Cianbro, one of the country’s largest employee-owned construction companies, as a laborer in 1970, a year after graduating from MMA.

After working his way up, he was named CEO in 2000 and remained in that position until 2018, when he stepped down and was succeeded by his son, Peter “Andi” Vigue.

The elder Vigue has been chairman of the company’s board of directors since 2008.

Vigue did not respond to a request for comment.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.