BANGOR, Maine — A North Anson man who was a suspect in a Troy burglary suffered serious injuries Monday when he crashed his car while leading police on a high-speed chase, Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster said.
Robert L. Tucker, 45, was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor by LifeFlight helicopter. Information about his medical condition was not immediately available.
Tucker, who is a convicted felon, has a history of fleeing from law enforcement when confronted, Lancaster noted.
An investigation into a burglary in Troy led Maine State Police Detectives Elisha Fowlie and Jarred Stedman to a residence in Dixmont.
The detectives had identified Tucker as a suspect. But when confronted by the detectives around 11 a.m., Tucker, who had given them a false name, fled into the woods.
At about 1:30 p.m., Detective Lt. Carl Gottardi and Deputy Don Avery of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office were heading north on Route 201 to check a residence that Tucker has been known to frequent when Gottardi saw a silver Chevy Malibu being driven by a man matching Tucker’s description heading south in the Lakewood area of Madison, Lancaster said.
Avery, who was driving a marked police cruiser, turned to stop the Malibu and caught up with it just south of the intersection of Routes 148 and 201, the sheriff said. The driver of the Malibu pulled to the side of the road, but before Avery could get out of his cruiser, the driver sped off at a high rate of speed and a pursuit ensued, the sheriff said.
In addition to speeding, the Malibu at times traveled on the wrong side of Route 201, Lancaster said.
During the pursuit, Avery was involved in a crash with another vehicle near the Skowhegan town line. That crash did not result in injury and is being investigated by Trooper Jillian Monahan of the Maine State Police, Lancaster said.
The chase continued for 8 or 10 miles with Somerset County Deputy Detective Michael Ross and Deputy Cpl. Gene Cole in pursuit, Lancaster said, until Tucker lost control on a corner of Huff Hill Road in Cornville and crashed his vehicle.
Lancaster said that a face mask, rubber gloves and an Airsoft handgun, along with other items that may have been stolen, were found in Tucker’s vehicle.
Maine State Police Trooper Christopher Carr is reconstructing the Huff Hill Road crash, which remains under investigation.
Tucker has been identified as a person of interest by the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office for burglaries in the Hartland-St. Albans area, Lancaster said.