CLINTON, ME — A 20-year-old Waterville man faces multiple charges after leading police on a high-speed chase that ended with a crash in Benton on Oct. 21.
Clinton Police officers were searching for two missing juveniles under the age of 16 who had left their residence in Clinton when Officer Joshua Chouinard observed three males running from a nearby yard and entering a dark-colored Toyota sedan around evening hours.
One of the males matched the description of one of the missing juveniles, prompting Chouinard to attempt a traffic stop.
The driver, identified as Jamez Leggett, 20, of Waterville, reversed away from the marked cruiser and drove around it despite the officer’s activated blue lights and siren.
Leggett fled at high speed, turning onto Main Street without headlights and continuing onto Pleasant Street toward Benton.
During the pursuit, Leggett drove on the wrong side of the road, swerved across lanes and reached speeds exceeding 100 mph in a posted 35 mph zone.
The vehicle operated with headlights off for portions of the chase.
Clinton Police terminated the pursuit before the vehicle reached the intersection of Gogan Road and Unity Road out of concern for public safety, the dangerous actions of the fleeing vehicle and the presence of juveniles inside.
Officers later discovered the vehicle had crashed through a guardrail and struck heavy equipment in a construction zone on Falls Road in Benton.
The occupants fled the scene on foot.
Officer Chouinard deployed K9 Hondo, who tracked through wooded and water areas before losing the track near a brook.
With assistance from the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office, Leggett was located and taken into custody on Albion Road in Winslow.
Leggett was transported for medical evaluation and later booked at the Kennebec County Jail on charges of eluding an officer, driving to endanger, criminal mischief and criminal speed.
His bail was initially set at $5,000 cash by a bail commissioner.
The District Attorney’s Office released Leggett on a summons to appear in court at a later date.
