Maine man indicted in May hit-and-run at 4X4 Proving Grounds event

Franklin Mann (York County Jail photo)

ALFRED, Maine - A South Berwick man has been indicted in connection with an ATV hit and run during a May weekend event at 4 X 4 Proving Grounds in East Lebanon.

Franklin Mann, 48, of 74 Woodland Hills, was formally charged by a York County grand jury with aggravated assault, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, the ATV; OUI on an ATV, and operating an ATV to endanger.

Officials at Maine State Police Troop A in Alfred said shortly after the arrest Mann would also face leaving the scene of an accident with injury but that charge was not listed in indictment documents released today.

The victim, a 29-year-old woman from Sanford, was transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland for serious injuries, Lebanon Fire Chief Steven Merrill told The Rochester Voice shortly after the incident.

The crash unfolded around 11 p.m. on May 26 as several troopers responded to the Proving Grounds for a report of an ATV crashing into a pedestrian and fleeing the scene.

Troopers gathered information from multiple witnesses that had witnessed the crash, and the subject was later found walking down a dirt path at the 4X4 Proving Grounds campground, police said.

Upon questioning, Mann denied having any knowledge of the crash, and denied owning an ATV, but the suspect appeared to have injuries that were very recent, police said, and he had dirt marks on his clothing that were indicative of sliding across the ground. It was soon learned that Mann was in fact the registered owner of the ATV involved in the crash.

The accident marred the Proving Grounds' first mega event of the summer season, which concluded with its recent successful Trucks Gone Wild event on Labor Day Weekend.

Mann's most serious charge, aggravated assault, is a Class B felony that could result in up to 10 years in state prison.

September's York County grand jury indictments were handed down on Thursday and released today.

An indictment is not an indication of guilt, rather that enough evidence has been gathered to warrant a trial.