LEWISTON — Police arrested a local man Thursday and charged him in a hit-and-run incident on Lisbon Street early Sunday morning that critically injured a pedestrian.

Brad Johnson Lewiston Police Department

Brad Johnson, 40, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury or death, a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison. An additional charge of falsifying physical evidence is a Class D misdemeanor that carries a maximum 364-day jail sentence.

Police said the incident happened at about 1:49 a.m. Sunday in the southbound lane of Lisbon Street or Route 196. Police received a call Sunday reporting a man with “significant” injuries clearly caused by being struck by a vehicle that had fled the scene.

Jason Stratton, 31, of Lewiston was rushed to Central Maine Medical Center by ambulance where he underwent emergency surgery. He has remained there with serious injuries, police said.

According to his sister, Sarah Stutler, of Lewiston, Stratton was in a medically induced coma in serious condition Thursday.

Lt. David St. Pierre said several detectives and officers “worked tirelessly since the accident, investigating and following up on several leads and searching for any and all potential evidence.”

Police arrested Johnson shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday at his business, Brad’s Precision Auto Repair, at 144 Riverside Drive in Auburn. He was taken to Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn.

Johnson’s gray Toyota Tundra pickup truck was found and seized as part of an ongoing investigation.

Police had collected evidence at the scene of the crash and determined the make, model and color of the vehicle involved.


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