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The driver in a January crash that killed a pedestrian on Orr’s Island has been charged with manslaughter, operating under the influence and cocaine possession.
Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested Alton D. Wyman, 41, of Wiscasset, on Friday, June 19, according to a statement from the Sheriff’s Office. In addition to manslaughter, he faces charges of operating under the influence of drugs, or a combination of drugs and alcohol; possessing cocaine; and violating bail conditions.
Wyman is being held at the Cumberland County Jail on $15,000 cash bail, the Sheriff’s Office said. He is expected to make his first appearance in court on Monday, June 22.
Jean Appleby Johnson, a 71-year-old community volunteer, died in the crash on Jan. 14.
Johnson had parked her SUV on the southbound shoulder of Route 24, north of the Orr’s Island firehouse, and gotten out of the vehicle, the Sheriff’s Office said at the time. Wyman was driving a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck north, toward Great Island, when he crossed the centerline and the opposite lane, then struck Johnson and her 2019 BMW X3 around 2:49 p.m.
Despite rapid lifesaving efforts, Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Wyman was taken to Maine Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
Friends and colleagues described Johnson as a cheerful and brilliant champion of literacy, education and classical music. The former White House staffer served as a board member and volunteer for several area nonprofits.
At the time of the crash, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office said it was not known whether Wyman was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, or whether Wyman would be charged. He said Wyman was given a blood test, which is customary for a driver involved in a fatal crash.
Wyman has two previous convictions for operating under the influence and one for drug possession, according to a criminal history from the Maine State Bureau of Identification.
He was sentenced to two days in jail, his license was suspended for 150 days, and he was fined $500 in April 2025 for operating under the influence in Wiscasset in January 2025, according to The Lincoln County News.
His license had been reinstated on Sept. 10, 2025, and he had a valid license at the time of the crash, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office said at the time.
In 2017, Wyman was fined $600 for drug possession in Androscoggin County, according to the criminal history. In 2011, he was sentenced to two days in jail, his license was suspended for 90 days, and he was fined $500 for operating under the influence in Sagadahoc County.
The Sheriff’s Office said its detectives worked with the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office to secure an arrest warrant for Wyman.
