Maine Police Stop a Drunk Wrong Way Driver Going 78 MPH on I-295

Maine State Police forced an intoxicated driver to stop as he traveled at 78 miles per hour heading the wrong-way on the interstate.

Where Did This Happen?

It was just before 10:00 Friday night when the Augusta Regional Communications Center and the Sagadahoc County Communications Center began getting 911 calls about a driver traveling southbound in the northbound lane of I-295 in Bowdoinham. The witnesses told authorities that a vehicle got onto the off-ramp at mile marker 37 and continued driving, going the wrong way on the highway.

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How Did the Police Stop the Vehicle?

When Trooper Ian Dunn met the vehicle head-on in the area of mile marker 34, the vehicle was traveling at 78 miles per hour into opposing traffic. The Trooper made a u-turn and began pursuing the vehicle near mile marker 33 and, upon catching up to the vehicle, conducted a precision immobilization technique, or PIT maneuver. The PIT successfully immobilized the other vehicle.

Was the Driver Arrested?

Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss says the driver, 40-year-old David Stafford of Brunswick, was found to be under the influence. He now faces several charges:

• Operating while under the influence of alcohol
• Driving to endanger
• Failure to stop for law enforcement

He was taken into custody and transported to the Two Bridges Jail in Wiscasset.

Less than a week ago, Maine State Police responded to another wrong-way driver in Southern Maine. Both drivers were killed and a passenger hospitalized in that case that happened on Interstate 295 in Falmouth. At last report, officials were looking into whether the wrong-way driver had suffered a medical event before entering the interstate.