A high speed chase that began in Morrill Saturday night ended peacefully in Waldoboro after Waldoboro police successfully disabled the fleeing vehicle with a spike mat.
According to the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office, the chase began after Raymond N. Porter, 32, of Searsmont, was observed by a Waldo County Deputy driving a motor vehicle shortly before 5 p.m. Waldo County Chief Deputy Robert “Bob” Keating said the deputy initiated a traffic stop because he had prior knowledge Porter’s right to operate a motor vehicle was suspended.
The chase continued through several communities and three counties, Keating said. Speeds reached 70 mph but mostly stayed in the 55-65 mph range. The chase was somewhat unique in that Porter apparently stopped for some stop signs during the pursuit, Keating said
The chase came to an end after Waldoboro Officer Sean Kozier deployed a spike mat that punctured the tires on Porter’s vehicle.
“He got three tires, which is pretty good,” said Waldoboro Police Chief Bill Labombarde.
“We were able to set up on Rt. 1 by Bullwinkle’s and spike matted him when he came down through,” Labombarde said. “They wound up coming to an end down at Irving.”
Porter was arrested by Waldo County deputies and taken to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset where he was booked. He is charged with eluding a police officer, passing roadblock on two instances, failure to stop for uniformed officer, Operating After Suspension and driving to endanger.
At press time, he remains in custody on $5000 cash bail.
Keating credited several departments for their support including Waldoboro and Camden Police, Knox and Waldo County Sheriff’s Offices and Maine State Police.
