AUBURN – The trip to Washington, D.C. was supposed to be a somber one. A group of Androscoggin County sheriff’s deputies rented a van and traveled south to attend the annual police officers memorial in the nation’s capital.

What could possibly go wrong?

For starters, on the drive to D.C., their rented van broke down on the highway in Hartford, Conn., leaving the officers stranded for hours. On the drive back, nearly home, the van plowed into a deer in the roadway. None of the officers was hurt, but the jinxed van was down for the count.

“It sounds like it was an eventful trip,” said deputy chief Eric Samson, who was not part of the group.

It began as a routine road trip at about 4 a.m. Saturday. Eight county officers piled into the van while three others went in another car. It was smooth sailing until they hit Hartford.

“The van broke down on us,” said Sgt. James Jacques, one of the eight beleaguered officers. “We were able to get it off the roadway and to a garage, but then we had to wait around for a few hours.”

They arrived in Washington at about 10 p.m. Saturday, roughly six hours behind schedule.

“Everything worked out OK while we were down there, though,” Jacques said.

Like thousands of other officers from around the country, the Androscoggin County deputies attended memorial services, toured the capital and did some sightseeing. For once, they got to stand back and watch as another police department took care of business – a demonstration that got out of control.

“They arrested a bunch of people who wouldn’t get out of the road,” Jacques said.

With the trip behind them, the officers headed back toward Maine. They almost made it, too. Then more mayhem came their way, this time in the form of a deer that bounded onto the highway in Massachusetts. The van struck the animal and killed it. None of the officers were hurt, but the troubled van would run no more.

“It totally disabled it,” Jacques said. “It took out the radiator and the front end.”

It was 1:30 in the morning and now the officers had to call home to find someone with a vehicle large enough to accommodate their group. They found someone who was able and willing to make the trip and the officers returned to the comfort of home later on Wednesday.

“It was a good time,” Jacques said. “Other than the drive down and the drive back.”

“I’ve been going down there for 10-plus years and never had an incident,” said sheriff’s Deputy Tom Slivinski, who likewise stayed home. “These guys go down and all hell breaks loose.”