Limington man leads police on chase
By David Harry
CORNISH (Aug 23, 2005): A high-speed motorcycle chase that spanned three counties and more than 40 miles ended with the arrest of a Limington man in the woods off a side street in Cornish on Aug. 22.
Ryan Sargent, 22, faces multiple charges, including operating after suspension, eluding an officer, failure to stop, driving to endanger, criminal speed and reckless conduct.
He is charged with leading a total of 12 to 15 officers from the Maine State Police and Oxford, Cumberland and York county sheriff's offices on a chase that started near the town of Casco, wound through Naples, Sebago, Standish, Limington, and ended in Cornish.
According to Trooper James Nolan of the Maine State Police, Sargent routinely exceeded speeds of 100 mph during the chase, driving so fast that a piece of his motorcycle blew off by the causeway on Route 302 in Naples.
Nolan added that while traffic on the roads was "minimal," Sargent passed vehicles on the left and right as he tried to escape police.
The chase began as troopers were wrapping up Special Enforcement Detail on Route 11 in Casco. The detail came at the request of the town, and was intended to curb speeding and aggressive drivers. Sargent passed the police detail at a normal rate of speed, then accelerated as he headed south.
In Cornish, Sargent tried to escape pursuers on side streets before turning on to the High Road. Witnesses saw Sargent speeding up the High Road, smirking at residents who stepped out to watch the commotion.
He was not wearing a helmet, though the law does not require it.
Sargent took a left at the fork where the road splits, on to the Old Limington Road. About a quarter of a mile from that intersection, Sargent abandoned his motorcycle and fled through the woods on foot. He was apprehended about three-quarters of a mile from the road.
Sargent, who told arresting officers he had fled on Route 11 because he had no license, is also suspected of leading troopers and deputies on a chase on Route 107 through Sebago and Denmark early in the morning of Aug. 15. According to Nolan, both Sargent's physical description and the description of his motorcyle match witness accounts from that chase. The motorcycle driver in that chase was able to elude police.
Sargent is currently being held at the Cumberland County Jail.
Topic: Limington man leads police on chase/Maine (Read 2110 times)