NEWPORT — A Bakersfield man is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly leading police on a high-speed chase through Newport that ended with a crash at North Country Union High School.
Richard J. LeBlanc, 41, pleaded not guilty to negligent driving while eluding law enforcement, aggravated car theft, three counts of reckless endangerment, and lying to an officer. Judge Rory Thibault set bail in Orleans County Superior Court.
According to Newport City Police Patrolman Andrew Gonyaw’s affidavit, the incident began around 9:30 p.m. on October 31 when he spotted a vehicle with its lights off and smoke-filled interior at Bluffside Farm on Bluff Road.
After the car left the lot, Gonyaw followed it onto Prouty Drive, where it was traveling 40 mph in a 25 mph zone and swerving between lane markers. A license plate check revealed the plates belonged to a different vehicle.
When Gonyaw activated his emergency lights, the driver fled into the North Country Hospital parking lot before speeding away, nearly striking Patrolman Davis Guyer’s cruiser.
The chase continued at speeds reaching 50 mph through residential areas, with the vehicle driving in the wrong lane on Veterans Avenue before turning into the high school parking lot and driving across the C wing lawn.
The pursuit ended when the vehicle hit curbs in the parking lot, damaging its tires. During the arrest, one passenger was found unresponsive.
LeBlanc initially provided a false name to officers before revealing his identity. Vermont State Police reported the vehicle had been stolen.
