Police: Main Street Fountain Prosecution In Hands Of District Court

The historic Main Street fountain was destroyed by the driver of a white pickup truck on Oct. 30, 2023. More than two months later, however, no one has been charged specifically with its destruction. That could soon be changing.

"The police investigation has been concluded, pending any new information," Nantucket Police Department Lt. Angus MacVicar told the Current on Friday. "We have turned our investigation over to Nantucket District Court for their review and next steps."

MacVicar declined to comment further.

That would appear to indicate that a probable cause hearing - in which the District Court clerk magistrate will weigh the evidence and decide whether a criminal case can proceed - could be the next step in the high-profile case.

Shortly after the crash on Main Street in late October, Nantucket police officers located the wrecked truck behind Holdgate’s Island Laundry, and arrested its owner, Michael K. Holdgate, after he returned to the residence in another vehicle while police were standing in his driveway. Holdgate was arraigned for drunk driving (second offense) and negligent operation of a motor vehicle but was never charged with anything connected to the fountain’s demise. MacVicar had previously told the Current that police were attempting to establish who was operating the truck at the time it collided with the fountain to an extent that will hold up in court.

“We need to know who was operating the vehicle with certainty and we don’t have that right now,” MacVicar explained in November. “That’s what we’re trying to accomplish before we put forward charges.”

Police were looking at cell phone data and canvassing for additional audio or video of the incident and its aftermath to gather enough evidence to bring forward charges related to the destruction of the fountain.

While the town and the Nantucket Garden Club had worked together to set up temporary displays at the site where the fountain had been located during the holidays, those decorative installations are now gone and the bottom of Main Street is just a wide swath of cobblestones.