Brewer Man Faces Multiple Charges After Saturday’s Police Pursuit

A Brewer man who led police on a chase Saturday night before crashing his car is facing multiple charges.

Brewer Police report 32-year-old Eric Ronco of Brewer is charged with felony eluding an officer, criminal speed, failure to submit to arrest, and driving to endanger for the incident that started Saturday night. Bangor Police were looking for Ronco in connection with a criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon charge related to an altercation on August 11th.

Several attempts were made to contact Ronco, but he kept disconnecting the call. Police tracked his phone to the Brewer/Eddington line, and Brewer Police learned that Ronco had indicated to others that he would force police to shoot him before going back to jail.

An officer noticed Ronco's vehicle traveling inbound on North Main Street and tried to get him to pull over, however he wouldn't stop. Police gave chase and say he was driving in excess of 30-mph over the speed limit, occasionally even moving into the opposite lane of travel. The pursuit ended when Ronco drove his car onto Harlow Street toward a utility pole at a low speed and the vehicle went down an embankment, coming to rest on some trees. Police say he resisted arrest and was taken to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

Brewer Police were assisted by members of the Bangor Police Department, Penobscot County Sheriff's Office, and the Holden Police Department.