A man was arrested Wednesday after a police chase through the streets of Skowhegan.
Raymond Ellis Jr. 34, of Skowhegan has been charged with aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, according to the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office. Additional charges are possible.
Detective David Cole located Ellis about 1:30 p.m. at Laney’s Pit Stop on Waterville Road in Skowhegan, where attempted to execute a search warrant obtained against Ellis for allegedly trafficking drugs, the sheriff’s office said Thursday morning.
Ellis allegedly refused to cooperate with the sheriff’s deputy, and after a brief struggle with Cole, Ellis fled in a black 2015 Dodge Ram pickup truck.
Cole, along with other sheriff’s deputies and Skowhegan police officers, gave chase as the pursuit led the officers down South Factory Street, Poplar Street, Butler Street, Madison Avenue, Pleasant Street, Elm Street, Silver Street, Russell Road and Bennett Avenue before coming to an end in the parking lot of the former Solon Manufacturing building, according to the sheriff’s office.
During the chase, Ellis allegedly hit two Somerset County Sheriff’s Office cruisers, a Skowhegan Police Department cruiser and three other vehicles. He also allegedly struck a pedestrian, who wasn’t seriously injured and didn’t require hospitalization, the Waterville Morning Sentinel reported.
A search of Ellis and his vehicle turned up a loaded shotgun, shotgun shells, fentanyl, crack cocaine, Suboxone strips, digital scales and drug paraphernalia, the sheriff’s office said.
The drug charge against Ellis is aggravated because of the shotgun, and he was prohibited from possessing firearms as a convicted felon, according to the sheriff’s office.
Ellis is being held at the Somerset County Jail in Madison on $250,000 bail. His initial court appearance has been scheduled for Feb. 7, 2023, at Somerset County Unified Criminal Court.