UNION, Maine — A 48-year-old Union woman faces a variety of charges after police said she assaulted a family member and then drove away drunk, refusing to stop for police during a high-speed chase.
Amy Gray was arrested Wednesday afternoon and charged with domestic violence assault, operating under the influence, felony attempting to elude an officer, driving to endanger, failure to stop for an officer and criminal speeding, which is 30 mph over the limit, according to a news release from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded shortly after 3 p.m. Wednesday to a call about a woman who reportedly was highly intoxicated and threatening people at a residence on the South Union Road, according to Chief Deputy Tim Carroll. The caller told a dispatcher at the Knox County Communications Center that the woman was trying to drive off in a vehicle and that the caller was trying to stop her.
As Deputy Nathaniel Jack and Sgt. John Palmer arrived, the described vehicle was on the road and heading south on South Union Road, also known as Route 131, according to Carroll. Jack activated blue lights and the siren in an attempt to have the operator stop the vehicle, but the driver allegedly failed to stop and continued on, driving erratically.
The chase continued to Wotton’s Mill Road, Route 17 and back to the residence on South Union Road, Carroll said. Four other officers were on their way to assist and attempt to lay a spike mat to deflate the tires of the vehicle, but the chase ended before that could occur.
The chase lasted for about eight minutes and covered nearly eight miles, with speeds reaching 80 mph, before Gray stopped, Carroll said.
Gray was very uncooperative throughout her arrest and became combative at one point at the jail, according to the deputy chief. He said that an electronic stun device was used for one second on Gray to get her under control and complying without hurting the officers or herself.
Gray has since been released on bail.
Carroll said that officers took into consideration a variety of factors before pursuing the woman in a high speed chase, including that she had been reported highly intoxicated and that she was driving “all over the road.”
It is “a decision that a law enforcement officer will be criticized highly for if something should go wrong either way,” Carroll said. “We are very grateful that this ended well with no one hurt and that a reckless, drunk driver was taken off the road safely.”