PHIPPSBURG

Officers from the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Department arrested a Knox man spotted driving erratically Tuesday between Bath and Phippsburg who allegedly refused to stop.

Chief Deputy Brett Strout said the sheriff’s department arrested Cary Furrow, 63, of Knox and charged him with refusing to stop for a law enforcement officer, driving to endanger and the felony charge of passing a road block. He has a Feb. 19 Sagadahoc County Superior Court date.

Strout said police received several complaints at around 2:39 p.m. of a green Subaru that had driven on a person’s lawn and was driving erratically. The car was spotted next on Route 209 headed toward Phippsburg. 

Sagadahoc deputies and Phippsburg Police Chief John Skroski tried to find the vehicle but couldn’t locate it. 

Strout estimated it may have been 30 to 45 minutes later that Deputy Brian Carlton came upon the vehicle on Route 209 in Phippsburg near the elementary school, headed toward Bath. 

Strout said Carlton unsuccessfully tried to pull the Subaru over. It was driving very slow — as much as 20 mph below the speed limit. 

Cpl. Aaron Skolfield deployed spike strips in the road, slowing the Subaru even more, Strout said, but the car continued at a slow pace. 

As it approached a residential area, Skroski, Skolfield and Carlton were able to get the vehicle to slow down and stop. Furrow, who Strout said “wasn’t wearing any clothes whatsoever,” was taken into custody.

Furrow was injured during his arrest and was taken by Phippsburg EMS to Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick for treatment. 

He was issued the summonses at the hospital and released on personal-recognizance bail.

Strout said neither alcohol nor drugs is considered a factor. 

Police believe Furrow may have struck something during Tuesday’s travels as the left front side mirror was detached from the car.

In trying to get Furrow to stop, the cruiser driven by Skolfield sustained very minimal damage and the rear plastic bumper cover of the 2013 Ford Police Interceptor driven by Skroski was damaged.

Skroski said Tuesday that the spike mat was set up on Route 209 near Maggie’s Bygones antique shop.

“Our concern,” he said, was that “he would head on into commuting traffic coming into Phippsburg.”

So police decided to box the car in, and it started to slow down and after glancing off Skolkfield’s car and ramming into the back of his cruiser, which was designed to take a 75-mph rear impact. 

“Life is more important than any part on any car,” Skroski said. There have been many crashes just over the hill by the Winnegance where they finally stopped Furrow and “it was paramount to stop that vehicle.”

Skroski said Sagadahoc’s Detective Dan Reed and Bath police assisted at the scene.