Ashley McLean, 35, of Gorham was charged with operating under the influence, driving to endanger, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and endangering the welfare of a child after she crashed her car on Mosher Road and it caught fire in the early morning hours of Aug. 18. Her two children ages 4 and 7 were in the vehicle but no one was injured in the crash. Police responded at about 12:30 am and found the vehicle resting against a telephone pole and on fire in a ditch. McLean and her two children had been able to get out of the car before the blaze started. Gorham Fire Department crews extinguished the blaze. The children were turned over to the custody of another family member and the family was referred to the Department of Human Services for evaluation.
McLean, who failed the breathalyzer, will lose her license if convicted. McLean did not have any priors. Speed did not appear to be a factor but alcohol clearly was. Chief Sanborn noted that close to 50% of the OUI details done by the Gorham Police have led to arrests. OUI details are specifically looking for impaired drivers.