FARMINGTON — Police say a local man driving 70 mph on Wilton Road was arrested Wednesday after he failed to stop for an officer.
Robert Mason, 76, faces charges of criminal speeding for driving in excess of 30 mph over the limit and eluding an officer, said William Tanner of the Farmington Police Department.
Tanner said Mason drove toward town, turning onto Farmington Falls Road, where he reached speeds of 90 to 95 mph near the town cemeteries.
Mason was driving a Ford Freestar van west on Wilton Road (Routes 2 and 4) when he met Tanner traveling east near Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Tanner said he turned his cruiser around as Mason pulled into the Farmington Ford lot and left without stopping for traffic. He almost hit two vehicles on the road, Tanner said.
He said he followed Mason into town and across Center Bridge. Mason turned onto Farmington Falls Road heading east past the town office.
The driver had his flashers on and was honking his horn at other cars, Tanner said.
Mason turned onto High Street and went to Cascade Leisure Park, where his son lives.
Other town and county officers had arrived to help, and when Tanner pulled into the son’s driveway, Mason drove across a grassy area, nearly hitting another cruiser, Tanner said.
Police had dealt with Mason last Friday when he was speeding on his way to Augusta, Tanner said.
After they identified him, police backed off and followed him at a distance. They didn’t want to chase him through residential areas and the University of Maine at Farmington campus as he traveled north on High Street.
Mason went past his home on North Street and traveled out Titcomb Hill Road. Tanner went to Mason’s home to talk with his family. Apparently, Mason was not taking prescribed medication and the family agreed he needed a medical assessment.
Around 5 p.m. Mason showed up at his son’s home and the son called police. Town and county officers, six cruisers, responded. Tanner said they wanted to use the least amount of force they could to get Mason the help he needed.
He reportedly was uncooperative and had to be taken from the van and handcuffed. Tanner drove him straight to Franklin Memorial Hospital where Mason refused to cooperate with the assessment. The veterans hospital in Togus was called but would not accept him until he was evaluated at FMH, Tanner said.
Tanner had intended to give Mason a summons for the charges, but everyone involved agreed that an arrest would keep him from returning home and going back on the road, the officer said.
Police planned to talk with the District Attorney’s Office about revoking Mason’s license and perhaps requiring him to have medication administered by a doctor to ensure that it is taken.
No one was injured and there was no damage to any vehicle, Tanner said.
Mason went to court Thursday, and bail was set at $1,000 cash and a pretrial contract, according to an officer at the Franklin County Detention Center, where Mason remained Thursday afternoon.
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Wow. You can’t make this stuff up.
The reason why Soap Operas exist is so that normal people can watch and realize that their lives are a whole lot better by comparison. One look at the Bangor Daily News will have the same effect: It’s like one big police blotter, leading you to conclude that one out of every two people up there are criminals.
I think it was Jerry Seinfeld who suggested that you should be able to drive your vehicle at a speed equivalent to your age. If you’re 68, go 68. So with that logic, if you’re 76, go 76!
Glad no one was injured this time but what about the next time? Hope is license is revoked !!!!
Something tells me he will still drive. Sounds like lots more to the story here and as someone else said, it likely is no joke. This sounds like something that can end very badly. Best wishes to the family that he gets the help he needs.
Why, given all the circumstances of his arrest, was he not sent somewhere where his mental health condition could be evaluated? Being held in jail is of no benefit to Mr. Mason and he is clearly a danger to himself and others, the definition of involuntary commitment.
“Tanner drove him straight to Franklin Memorial Hospital where Mason refused to cooperate with the assessment.” Does that answer your question?
Some STRANGE things happening in the Farmington area lately….
Farmington. Really? Wrong.
The media reports differently then they did even a year ago. They report everything so media junkies like us get our fix everytime we hit the refresh. All these stories do is prove our stupidity for reading them.
The world is what it is. If we want to read about all the misfits in society then we are at the right place. If we want to read about all the good we need to find another source.
Cynical much?
We need to know about some of the misfits so we can stay safe !
Nazis? You don’t know what you’re talking about.
Driving on Maine highways is a privilege and not a right; the safety of others should be the top priority. No one should die on the highway becuase this person wasn’t taking his medication and was driving at high speeds to elude police. The Secretary of State should pull his driving priviliges.
This will become more and more common as we now live in a world where due to medical advances, the body can far outlast the brain.
give him a ticket and take his license like everyone else has done to them