Attorney defends hit-and-run suspect’s character

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The defense attorney representing the man charged in connection with the death of University of Maine student Jordyn Bakley believes his client is not a person who would leave the scene of an accident without calling the police.

Garrett Cheney, 22, of South Berwick, was charged with manslaughter, leaving the scene of a crime and aggravated operating under the influence when he turned himself in to state police in Orono on April 16. The Maine State Police Crime Laboratory said pieces of debris found at the scene of Bakley’s death on Middle Street matched Cheney’s 2003 Chevrolet Silverado.

According to court documents, several witnesses placed Cheney on Middle Street before the young woman died. He was also involved in an accident in Etna around 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 30, when he drove his truck off Interstate 95 and hit a tree.

While he has yet to see all the evidence the state will put forward, Biddeford-based OUI attorney William Bly — who will represent Cheney in court— said his client called the police when he crashed his truck in Etna.

“That is not consistent with someone that would run down a young woman and leave her at the side of the road and not call the police,” Bly said. According to an April 17 post, Bly told duiattorney.com that this is a case of mistaken identity.

Penobscot County District Attorney Chris Almy, the prosecutor in Cheney’s case, said he wasn’t sure if Cheney called the police, but that he knew someone else did make a call.

“The police were called by a motorist who had been following this guy and was concerned that he was all over the road,” Almy said. Court documents do not reveal who placed the call, but stated that when a state trooper responded to the accident, Cheney was not at the scene. He was picked up later that morning at a local Irving station and charged with OUI.

Bly also said he is concerned with the level of media coverage Bakley’s death and Cheney’s subsequent arrest have received.

“I have defended cases similar to this, but not with the same type of notoriety or press coverage,” Bly said. “I would certainly hope that people aren’t too quick to rush to judgment. These are just the accusations. The presumption of innocence has to remain.”

Cheney is currently free on a $50,000 surety until his first court appearance at Penobscot County Judicial Center on May 20.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 22nd, 2010, 3:01 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.