Man Arrested for High Speed Pursuit from Greenbush to Orono

A Fort Fairfield man is facing charges for leading police on a high-speed chase through several towns, before finally being apprehended in Orono.

The pursuit began just before noon on Thursday, when Penobscot County Sheriff's SSgt Roy Peary was driving on the Military Road in Greenbush. He noticed an oncoming Chevrolet Sonic traveling towards him, and being operated erratically, often crossing the centerline. SSgt Peary turned his cruiser around and attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused to pull over. The chase traveled south on Route 2 into Milford, and then crossed into Old Town, traveling south on Stillwater Avenue. SSGt Peary said that, during this time, he frequently observed the driver acting erratically, including putting both hands out of the vehicle's window, as if reaching for the sky. The vehicle kept drifting from side to side, forcing oncoming vehicles to drive onto the shoulder to avoid a collision.

As the chase continued on, SSgt Peary was joined by other officers from the Penobscot County Sheriff's Office, Maine State Police, Old Town Police Department, and the Orono Police Department. They deployed four sets of spike mats, in an attempt to get the 48-year-old driver to stop, which he finally did on Stillwater Avenue, near the Forrest Avenue intersection in Orono.

The driver, whose name has not been released, admitted to authorities that he had used methamphetamine and consumed alcohol, earlier in the day. He was transported to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor for an evaluation.

This incident remains under investigation and multiple charges are pending.