Washburn man charged
following police chase
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
WASHBURN — A local man is facing several charges following a police chase that started in Presque Isle early Saturday morning and ended when the driver crashed his vehicle in his hometown.
“A 20-year-old Washburn man has been charged with several criminal charges stemming from a vehicle pursuit early on Saturday morning. At approximately 1:29 a.m., I attempted to stop a driver I later identified as Connor Fitzpatrick on the Washburn Road in Presque Isle for suspicion of operating under the influence of intoxicants,” said Sgt. Forrest Dudley, Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office.
The operator failed to stop and sped away from the officer in a 2010 Toyota Corolla.
“Fitzpatrick failed to stop his vehicle and continued to travel toward Washburn at a high rate of speed. Fitzpatrick lost control of his vehicle on a curve in Washburn and struck a guardrail. After the vehicle came to rest, Fitzpatrick then fled the scene on foot and was caught approximately a quarter mile from the site of the accident,” said the sergeant.
Fitzpatrick was arrested and transported to The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle by Crown Ambulance, where he was treated for minor injuries and later bailed and released.
“Fitzpatrick was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol, eluding an officer, criminal speed and leaving the scene of an accident,” said Dudley.
Dudley was assisted at the scene by Deputies Ryan Rackliffe and Mitchell Wheeler, the Washburn Police Department, Maine State Police and members of the Washburn Fire Department.
According to Dudley, the investigation is ongoing. No court date was available at presstime.
