LEWISTON – A 27-year-old Auburn man accused of trespassing at a Laura Bush rally last year was found guilty Thursday at a trial in 8th District Court.
Peter Angus Coltart represented himself at the 90-minute trial and tried to convince the court that the criminal trespass charge against him had been fabricated.
In September, Coltart was arrested by Lewiston police working a security detail as the first lady delivered a speech in Lionel Potvin Park.
Police said Coltart stepped into a secure area after he had been warned to steer clear. Coltart insisted he only wanted to view the event but had been unable to get a ticket. He accused a plainclothes police officer of failing to identify himself when he was first confronted.
For more than an hour Wednesday, Coltart cross-examined the Lewiston police officer who arrested him. As evidence, he presented a photograph taken by a Sun Journal photographer shortly before Coltart was arrested.
The photo shows Coltart stretching to see around the security agent standing in front of him. In the image, Coltart is clutching a cigarette between two fingers and holding the other hand around his mouth as he hollers toward the crowd.
In court, Coltart took the stand and was questioned by Assistant District Attorney Patricia Reynolds Regan. He admitted to going to the Bush rally but denied that he had trespassed.
At the end of the trial, Coltart was found guilty of criminal trespass and fined $40.
Coltart was one of about 100 protesters who showed up at the Bush rally Sept. 10 to shout their objections over issues such as the war, the economy or the environment.
Two men were arrested at the event. A 21-year-old was charged with disorderly conduct after police said he confronted a group of people gathered at the site.
Coltart, a freelance photographer, could not be located for comment on Thursday. Earlier this month, he became the focus of a police investigation in Portland after he accused an officer in that city of assaulting him.
In early August, Coltart said he was approached by a police officer who yelled at him over a jaywalking offense. The two men exchanged words and then, according to Coltart and witnesses, Coltart was head-butted by the officer.
Coltart was not charged in that incident. Portland police are investigating the complaint against the officer.
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