BATH, Maine — A 26-year-old man was arrested Thursday after allegedly fleeing officers and attempting to run down a sheriff’s deputy with his vehicle.
James Badger of Bath remained in Two Bridges Regional Jail Friday morning, held on charges of Class B felony aggravated reckless conduct, Class C eluding an officer, the misdemeanor charges of operating under the influence and operating after license suspension, and on three warrants, Bath Police Lt. Robert Savary said in a release.
Just after 4 p.m. Thursday, Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Shiers observed a white sport utility vehicle driving recklessly on State Road in West Bath, and alerted Bath police to help stop the car. When he saw it pull into a driveway on Matty Way, Shiers parked his cruiser in the roadway but the driver was able to back up and turn around, according to the release.
Shiers had exited his cruiser and began shouting at the driver to stop, but instead the driver — later identified as Badger — drove toward Shiers “and accelerated in an attempt to strike him with the vehicle,” Savary wrote, adding that Shiers was able to “narrowly avoid being struck by the accelerating SUV.”
Bath officers attempted to stop the SUV as it traveled along Richardson and High streets, until Badger allegedly stopped near Court Street and fled on foot. He jumped a fence and crossed Route 1 before he was caught by police in the parking lot of Bert’s Exxon.
A passenger in the car, Weston Gardner, 24, also of Bath, was arrested on a warrant charging failure to pay a fine for operating under the influence, and with violation of probation.
Badger is being held at Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset on $3,621 cash bail, according to a jail official. Gardner is being held without bail.
“James Badger put many motorists and pedestrians in harm’s way this afternoon with his reckless driving,” Savary said. “He attempted to run down a law enforcement officer in an effort to avoid apprehension. I am very grateful no one was injured. The responding officers from the Sagadahoc County [Sheriff’s] Department and Bath Police Department did an outstanding job in apprehending Mr. Badger.”