A Bangor man accused of leading a police chase that ended with the death of his uncle last April was indicted Tuesday in Washington County on a manslaughter charge.
James Allen Nile Jr. allegedly fled an attempted traffic stop on April 19, 2025, resulting in a police pursuit along Route 9 from Hancock County into Washington County. He now faces charges related to the incident in both counties.
John Branscomb, who was sitting behind the driver during the chase that started in Aurora, died when the car crashed in Wesley. Branscomb was 39 at the time of this death and was Nile’s uncle, according to court documents.
A Washington County grand jury this week indicted Nile, 22, on felony charges of manslaughter, eluding an officer, driving to endanger and causing death while license suspended or revoked.
A manslaughter conviction, a Class A felony, can carry up to 30 years in prison and a $50,000 fine in Maine. The eluding an officer and causing death with a suspended or revoked license charges are both class B felonies, which could result in up to a 10 year sentence and $20,000 fine for each. Driving to endanger is a Class C felony and carries a 5 year maximum sentence and $5,000 fine.
A grand jury in Hancock County indicted Nile last June on similar charges – except for manslaughter – in connection with the same April 2025 crash. If he’s convicted of those charges, he faces up to 25 years in prison and $45,000 fines.
Nile has two Hancock County hearings scheduled for April 23: an arraignment, where he will enter a plea, and a dispositional hearing, where the judge and attorneys will meet to discuss the case.
William Ashe, Nile’s attorney, did not respond to inquiries from the Bangor Daily News.
Because Branscomb died in Washington County, the manslaughter charge is only filed in that jurisdiction, District Attorney Robert Granger said. Granger serves as the top prosecutor in both Hancock and Washington Counties.
“Neither county has jurisdiction over events which occur in another county,” Granger said. “So we have to pursue appropriate charges in each jurisdiction.”
Hancock and Washington County grand juries meet on alternate schedules, resulting in the manslaughter charge being brought now, Granger said.
The April 2025 chase began when a Hancock County sheriff’s officer tried stopping a vehicle with a loud exhaust that was speeding down Route 9 and swerving across the center lane, according to a police report.
The alleged driver, Nile, sped away from the traffic stop and led police on an approximately 30 mile chase. Immediately after the crash, three of the car’s occupants ran from the scene. Two of the passengers, one of whom owned the vehicle, were apprehended a short time later. Washington County deputies found Nile the following day, according to court documents.
At the time of the crash, Nile was on probation for a burglary conviction. He was also previously convicted of eluding police in a separate incident, according to court documents.
