SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — Three 18-year-olds who escaped from the Long Creek detention center camping outing are in custody after they stole an SUV and later crashed it during a police pursuit, according to police.
The teens, Jesse James Ramsdell of Acton, Christopher Harmon of Sanford and Jonathan Vasselian of Sumner, were among six Long Creek Youth Development Center residents staying at Stratton Brook Hut in Carrabassett Valley as part of a camping excursion overseen by a pair of Long Creek staffers.
Early Friday morning, the trio stole cash and wine from the huts before taking off in a Nissan SUV stolen from a home near the huts, according to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland.
The SUV was spotted in Falmouth later that morning, leading to a pursuit. Police say Ramsdell was driving.
“Troopers attempted to stop the vehicle after it went through the Maine Mall exit, and it began to take off,” McCausland said. “Attempting to end the pursuit before the SUV got into a heavily populated area, troopers performed a PIT maneuver, which brought the chase to an end.”
The vehicle struck a snowbank and flipped over. The teens inside were wearing seat belts and weren’t injured, according to police.
State police charged each teen with unauthorized use of property and took them to Cumberland County Jail. Carrabassett Valley Police are likely to file more charges, according to McCausland.