BATH

The Sagadahoc County Sheriff ’s Department, assisted by Bath Police Department, on Monday arrested a Waldoboro man who crashed his van and fled the scene after law enforcement officers tried to pull him over on Congress Avenue.

Wayne King, 32, of 801 Old Route 1, Waldoboro, was arrested on two outstanding Maine State Police warrants, one for operating with a revoked license and the other for “failure to produce vehicle or return to the scene of an accident.” He also was summonsed by Sagadahoc County Sheriff ’s Department for charges of eluding an officer, aggravated operation after revocation, and possession of a Schedule W drug.

Sagadahoc County Sheriff ’s Chief Deputy Brett Strout said the department got a call at about 4:50 p.m. that a vehicle was traveling between 90 and 100 miles per hour on Interstate 295 in the Freeport and Brunswick area, “so we were asked to check Route 1 in case it exited.”

Sgt. Dale Hamilton set up on the crossover at the West Bath and Bath line on Route 1 northbound. He registered the 1996 Dodge Caravan, allegedly driven by King, traveling on Route 1 at 68 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone.

Hamilton pursued and caught up with the van, which took the Congress Avenue exit, traveled into the rotary and onto Congress Avenue. Hamilton reported the van wouldn’t stop so he called the chase off as the van passed Rogers Ace Hardware.

After deactivating his lights and siren, Hamilton saw the van turn onto Oak Grove Avenue, then lost sight of it. Hamilton continued down Oak Grove Avenue and saw that the van had rolled over.

The Bath Fire Department responded after the van caught fire and became fully engulfed as a result of the crash.

Strout said a witness was pointing to the woods, indicating the driver had fled on foot into the woods. Bath police came to assist, and officer Michelle Small and her police dog tracked the suspect, who was apprehended by Sgt. Jeff Shiers of the Bath Police Department in the wooded area between Bath’s public works facility and the Oak Grove Commons.

According to Bath Police Lt. Stan Cielinski, King crashed the van as he tried to negotiate a sharp turn onto Whiskeag Road and hit a tree. Cielinski said Shiers caught King as he emerged from a walking trail along Oak Grove Avenue, and King was arrested without incident.

Strout said Bath rescue workers took King to a hospital for treatment. Strout said King was treated and released, then charged and taken to Cumberland County Jail.

BETH BROGAN, a staff writer for The Times Record, contributed to this report.