Maine judge acquitted of operating under the influence

By Marie Weidmayer, Bangor Daily News Staff

A Maine judge who failed field sobriety tests with a blood alcohol content nearly double the legal limit was acquitted of operating under the influence after a jury trial.

A jury acquitted Piscataquis County Probate Judge Benjamin Cabot of operating under the influence, a Class D misdemeanor, on Wednesday. 

Cabot was pulled over around 6:15 p.m. April 9, 2023, in Big Moose Township, according to a summons. He had a blood alcohol content of 0.15, almost double the legal limit of 0.08, court records show.

Cabot swerved to miss a deer and drove off the road, his attorney Richard Hartley said. He later failed his field sobriety tests, and during the trial, the defense admitted Cabot was impaired when the tests were administered, Hartley said.

But the prosecution couldn’t prove that Cabot was intoxicated when he drove, Hartley said. The only witness from the prosecution who saw Cabot before he drove said Cabot did not appear impaired.

There was no reliable evidence that Cabot was impaired when he drove, Hartley said.

Cabot previously rejected a plea agreement from the state.