Travis Dewitt, 36, of Lyman was arrested and faces felony charges of eluding a police officer and violation of bail conditions after a “chase” that began around 6 a.m. Thursday on Main Street in Waterboro. He was held without bail at York County Jail in Alfred on Thursday night and was to appear at Biddeford District Court on Friday afternoon via video link from the jail.
York County Sheriff William King said the incident began when a motorist unsafely passed a deputy driving a fully marked cruiser in the 600 block on Main Street in Waterboro on Thursday morning.
“The deputy took note of the unsafe passing and the motorist was clearly driving erratically,” said King in a statement. “The deputy initiated a traffic stop and the vehicle fled.”
The deputy pursued the vehicle, a full-size Chevrolet pickup, which turned left on Sokokis Trail. King said the operator, later identified as Dewitt, drove into a yard near Victory Lane turned around, and drove back to his original location on Main Street near West Road.
The vehicle then turned abruptly and continued to Sokokis Trail and onto Townhouse Road before coming to a stop, the sheriff said.
King said deputies and Maine State Police troopers were involved in the pursuit and that a state police cruiser was damaged during the 20-mile chase.
“The pursuit did not involve excessive speeds normally experienced in pursuits, rather, the drive tried evasive maneuvers in his attempt to evade law enforcement,” the sheriff said.
Back on April 22, Dewitt was arrested and charged with robbery along with a felony charge of eluding an officer and violation of conditions of release following an incident at the Goodwin’s Mills General Store.
Maine State Police were investigating the report of a reckless driver who had allegedly nearly struck a 10-year-old on a bicycle — and had received word that Dewitt was driving — when they were called to the store.
According to a news release issued by Maine State Police, an individual identified by store employees as Dewitt walked into the business and laid down behind the counter.
When he was asked to leave, Dewitt allegedly attempted to steal items from behind the counter as well from a paying customer in the store at the time.
He fled the store and a few minutes later, officers from the Biddeford Police Department tried to pull over Dewitt’s vehicle, but he refused to stop and the pursuit was halted, state police said in the statement, because it had reached speeds unsafe for public safety.
Troopers then observed Dewitt’s vehicle back in the Lyman area and attempted to stop it, but once again he took off at a high rate of speed and the pursuit was stopped because of erratic operation and high speed.
Trooper Zachary Fancy drafted an arrest warrant for Dewitt on a Class B felony robbery charge and he subsequently turned himself in at the Troop A barracks in Alfred.
He was released on $1,500 bail on April 25, according to jail records, just nine days before Thursday’s incident.
— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com. — Executive editor Ed Pierce contributed to this report.
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