Police said a Maine truck driver blamed for a crash last week that killed a woman on Interstate 95 was ordered off the road less than 24 hours earlier by a state trooper in New York because of broken lights on his truck, according to a Blethen Newspapers report. State records showed that Scott Hewitt, 32, of Presque Isle, had a record of 34 convictions for driving offenses and had his license suspended 19 times. He also was involved in another fatal crash 11 years ago. He had been driving since May with a suspended license and since June with a revoked truck registration. Hewitt said he didn't know that he was driving with a suspended license at the time of the crash because he never received notification from the state, according to a WMTW News 8 report. Hewitt's lawyer confirmed he was involved in another fatal crash in November 1994. The case was resolved when Hewitt pleaded guilty to driving an unsafe and improperly loaded vehicle, failing to inspect a vehicle and falsifying duty records. Under Maine law, licenses can be permanently revoked only in cases of vehicular manslaughter in which the driver was drunk. Gov. Baldacci Wednesday asked prominent state officials to form a working group to conduct a detailed review of the traffic accident. He has asked that Maine's laws and regulatory efforts be reviewed concerning commercial driver safety and that Maine continue to aggressively use technology in commercial vehicle enforcement.
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