A Vassalboro man will serve four months in jail after pleading guilty to felony eluding an officer in connection with a high-speed chase through Whitefield, Jefferson, and Newcastle April 19.
Logan Hollis Nelson, 25, pleaded guilty to class C eluding an officer July 27, according to court documents. The state dismissed a charge of class E driving to endanger.
Class C crimes carry a maximum penalty of five years in custody; class E crimes carry a maximum penalty of six months in jail.
Maine State Police Sgt. Patrick Hood and Trooper Scott Quintero were investigating a different suspicious vehicle at the corner of Routes 17 and 32 in the Kennebec County town of Windsor at 10:12 p.m., according to an article in the Kennebec Journal at the time of the chase. A pickup arrived at the intersection and “squealed its tires for an extended amount of time.”
The troopers pursued the truck, which “was weaving and straddling the centerline,” according to the report, which cited a state police press release.
The pursuit continued onto Routes 32, 215, 194, and finally onto Happy Valley Road, a narrow country road in North Newcastle near the Alna-Newcastle line. From Happy Valley Road, the truck turned onto a camp road.
The police stopped their car and continued the pursuit on foot for about a mile. The truck was eventually disabled due to damage from the rough terrain.
Nelson was arrested around 11 p.m. and transported to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset. He was on probation for a conviction of conspiracy to traffick cocaine.
Nelson allegedly admitted violating probation by drinking and “trying to evade police because he didn’t want to go back to prison,” according to the report.
The chase covered 18 miles and reached speeds of 95 miles per hour on Route 17.