AUBURN – A man accused of lying to police about a fatal snowmobile accident on Sabattus Lake has been indicted for the second time.

Robert Cyr, 35, was charged Wednesday with hindering apprehension or prosecution in connection with the December 2002 snowmobile accident that killed Robert Levesque of Sabattus.

Cyr was indicted by a grand jury on that same charge in March 2003.

But the state was forced to dismiss the initial indictment last month after it was discovered that prosecutors made a mistake in the way they wrote it.

As a result of that mistake, the state had to begin its prosecution of Cyr’s case all over again.

“This delays any closure. It takes the wrench and drives it even more,” said Levesque’s daughter-in-law, Kim Levesque.

Two people were charged in connection with the accident that killed the 59-year-old Levesque: Cyr and his brother-in-law, Steven Davies.

Davies was driving the snowmobile that struck Levesque as he was walking on Sabattus Lake. He was sentenced July 2 to 364 days behind bars and $2,500 in fines after accepting a plea agreement from the district attorney’s office.

Cyr’s charges of hindering apprehension or prosecution are for allegedly telling Davies to hide his snowmobile and for not immediately telling police that he knew who hit Levesque.

If convicted, it is likely he will face a maximum of 10 years in prison.

Police say that Davies drove to Cyr’s house at 81 Phelan St. after hitting Levesque and asked Cyr to check the lake. After finding Levesque lying on the ice surrounded by snowmobile parts, police say, Cyr put Levesque on his snowmobile and drove about a half-mile on rough terrain to his house to call 911.

Cyr took investigators to the scene but allegedly never mentioned that he knew the person who hit Levesque. Police say he also called Davies and told him to get rid of his snowmobile because investigators might be looking for it.

According to Levesque’s family, Cyr has been offered a deal to plead guilty to the misdemeanor charge of falsifying physical evidence, which is the same charge that Davies pleaded to. But, so far, he has rejected the offer.

Cyr is scheduled to make his next court appearance on Sept. 3, at which time he will enter a plea on the charges of hindering apprehension.