A Waldoboro man was sentenced to a year in jail with all but 60 days suspended and a year of probation for his role in a high-speed chase in Wiscasset in May 2013.
Jason Gallagher, 33, pleaded guilty Feb. 3 to a charge of eluding an officer, a Class C felony, according to court documents. Charges of operating after suspension, Class E, and criminal speed, Class E, were dismissed.
Gallagher landed himself in the hospital on May 9, 2013 after driving away from Wiscasset Police Chief Troy Cline and rolling his vehicle over on Route 27 near the intersection with Huntoon Hill Road.
Cline was attempting to stop vehicles operated by Gallagher and his father, Joseph Gallagher, 57, at the request of another law enforcement agency because one or both of them may have had warrants, according to a Wiscasset Police Department press release.
Having located the vehicles traveling into Wiscasset via the Donald E. Davey Bridge, Cline attempted to stop them, and Joseph attempted to disrupt Cline’s efforts while Jason sped away, Cline alleged.
“He [Joseph] was driving his car in such a manner as to block me from going after his son,” Cline said previously.
Jason Gallagher was alleged to have reached 100 miles per hour in the chase, according to the summons for criminal speed.
After losing visual contact with the vehicle, Cline located the Kia on its roof in the southbound lane of Route 27, according to the release.
Gallagher was wanted on six warrants for unpaid finds totaling approximately $9,000, Cline said in the days after the crash.
A call to Gallagher’s attorney, Matthew Bowe, was not returned by press time.
