PARIS — A judge set bail at $10,000 cash Monday for a Paris man who is facing his tenth charge of operating a vehicle under the influence.

Andrew Bean, 51, of 292 Christian Ridge Road, has been arrested twice on OUI charges since Nov. 21, the second arrest coming just days after an Oxford County Grand Jury issued an indictment charging Bean with felony OUI, being a felon in possession of a firearm and fraudulently obtaining a Maine firearms hunting license.

Under state law, felons, prohibited from possessing firearms, are also prohibited from holding a firearm hunting license. But when a hunting license is applied for in Maine, there is no system in place to cross-reference an applicant’s felony status, state officials have confirmed.

Bean was arrested Sunday night by Paris police officer William Cook.

Cook also charged Bean with violating his conditions of release and illegally attaching license plates to the vehicle he was driving.  

Bean had previously been arrested by the Maine Warden Service on Nov. 21 as wardens were investigating trespass complaints in the vicinity of Christian Ridge and Stock Farm roads in Paris.

Following that arrest, the Warden Service again arrested Bean four days later, on Nov. 25, charging him with being in violation of condition of release after he was found at his home under the influence of alcohol and in possession of alcohol, according to a report filed by Warden Josh Smith.

Oxford County Assistant District Attorney Richard Beauchesne told Justice Lance Walker that during the Nov. 21 OUI charge, Bean’s blood alcohol content was recorded at .21, and during the bail check four days later, it was recorded at .32. Beauschene said on Sunday that the breath test administered to Bean showed his blood alcohol content to be .29. Under Maine law, a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher is deemed to be under the influence.

Smith wrote that wardens were performing a trespass enforcement detail on Nov. 21 in response to complaints by Bean’s neighbors, including Troy Ripley, when Warden Tony Gray arrested Bean for OUI.

In 2006, Ripley’s 18-year-old daughter, Megan Ripley, was shot and killed in a fatal hunting incident, and Andrew Bean’s brother, Timothy Bean, was charged and pleaded guilty to manslaughter, admitting he had mistaken Megan Ripley for a deer when he pulled the trigger on the muzzle-loading gun he was using. 

“In the years since the fatal hunting incident on the Ripley property, the Bean family has continued to ignore no trespassing signs and warnings from Troy Ripley and they continue to hunt across his land and antagonize his family,” Smith wrote in his report.

During the Nov. 21 arrest, the wardens found Andrew Bean was also in possession of a 12-gauge shotgun and had illegally obtained a Maine resident hunting license, according to Smith’s report.

On Monday, Oxford County District Court Justice Lance Walker agreed to a request by the state’s prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Richard Beauchesne, to increase Andrew Bean’s bail to $10,000 cash.

Walker also denied a request by the state’s defense attorney of the day that Bean be evaluated by a substance abuse specialist and possibly be allowed to participate in an intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment program.  

Walker agreed Bean could be admitted to an in-patient treatment program provided he qualified and entered into a supervised and secure inpatient program, or what’s known as a bed-to-bed transfer program. He would not be released from custody prior to trial under that scenario.

The defense attorney of the day also argued that the $10,000 bail for Bean was too high and suggested it be reduced to $1,000 cash, but Walker rejected that proposal as well. Beauchesne also argued against it.

“Your honor, a few OUIs ago, that might have been a wise course,” Beauchesne said to Walker. “But the state really feels that the protection of the public is paramount in this case here, and we would object to and not sign off on that.”

Troy Ripley said Monday he was pleased with Beauchesne’s effort and the response by Walker as well. But he also reiterated his concerns over the state’s inability to cross-reference a hunting license application to ensure that the applicant is not a felon.

“I, along with the public, applaud the DA’s office and the judge’s response to the continued poor behavior by this individual that places our families in grave danger,” Ripley said.  

But he said that others, including the state’s elected officials, should consider Bean’s case as an example of a porous system that allows felons to not only get their hands on firearms but also to fraudulently obtain firearms hunting licenses. Ripley said those who knowingly provide firearms to felons should face the same penalties under state law as they do under federal law.

Ripley also said that since his family’s plight was first reported earlier in December, he has been contacted by dozens of individuals who are asking for common-sense hunting reforms that will better protect landowners from those trespassing with firearms.

“I have been contacted by many landowners who want to join forces and do something to keep these types of individuals off our private property, yet still allow responsible hunters the privilege of participating in the long-standing Maine tradition of hunting,” Ripley said.

A review of Andrew Bean’s criminal record by the Sun Journal also revealed he was previously sentenced to a two-year prison sentence following convictions for operating under the influence and operating after his license was suspended.

If Bean is able to post the cash bail, his conditions of release also require him not to use or possess drugs or alcohol or operate a motor vehicle.

Beauchesne said the state would agree to an evaluation for Bean and his possible enrollment in a bed-to-bed treatment program for substance abuse.

Andrew Bean also entered “not guilty” pleas on the three felony charges he was indicted on by the Oxford County Grand Jury last Friday. A trial date for those charges has not yet been set.

Walker also appointed Paul Corey to serve as Bean’s state-appointed defense attorney, but Corey had yet to receive details on the case when contacted for comment on Monday.

Andrew Bean remained in custody at the Oxford County jail as of Monday evening.