In two separate cases, Somerset County Sheriff’s officers on Friday and Saturday pursued drunken drivers who led them on high-speed chases, police said.

The first chase began about 4:45 p.m. Friday when Cpl. Michael Ross tried to pull over a Chevrolet pickup truck on River Road in Anson, suspecting that the driver was intoxicated, according to Detective Lt. Carl Gottardi. The truck driver didn’t stop for the officer and a chase ensued from Anson to Concord, reaching speeds of up to 90 mph.

Ross eventually stopped pursuing the truck because of the driver’s dangerous driving habits, such as driving on the opposite side of the road, and the fact that the officer had been able to identify the driver, according to Gottardi. The pickup truck was later found abandoned about a mile down a snowmobile trail in Concord and the driver had escaped on foot.

Gottardi said the truck was impounded and charges are pending against the driver, who was described as a Somerset County man but was not identified because he hadn’t been arrested yet.  

“The chase was called off because once we determine who is operating the vehicle — unless it’s a major, serious crime  or a huge threat to the public — we can always pick them up later at some point,” Gottardi said.

The second chase happened during the wee hours Saturday morning. Dep. David Cole came across a Chevrolet Blazer shortly after 1 a.m. on U.S. Route 2 in Pittsfield and attempted to stop the vehicle because it was driving erratically, Gottardi said.

The driver did not pull over and a chase ensued reaching speeds of 80 to 90 mph. Gottardi said the chase ended in Clinton when the blazer turned veered off Gustafson Road and crashed.

Prior to the chase, Sheriff’s officers had been responded to a burglar alarm call at the Palmyra General Store on Route 2. Deputy Don Avery arrived at the store and confirmed that the front window of the store had been broken and the store had been burglarized, according to Gottardi.  

When the Blazer crashed, two people inside the vehicle were arrested and police determined that they had committed the store burglary earlier. Stolen items such as cigarettes and alcohol from the store were found inside the Blazer, Gottardi said.  

In addition, police said the Blazer had been stolen in Clinton by a 15-year-old boy from Clinton. The teenager, who police did not identify because of his age, was taken to Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan to be checked for injuries sustained in the crash. He was treated and released into police custody.

“Both occupants of the blazer were intoxicated,” Gottardi said.

The 15-year-old was already on probation on charges burglary and theft, and was charged by police with burglary, theft, criminal mischief, operating under the influence, eluding an officer and driving without a license, Gottardi said. He was being held Saturday at the Mountain View Youth Development Center on a probation hold.

A passenger in the Blazer, Joseph Andrews, 18, of Springfield, Mich., was also arrested and charged with burglary, theft and criminal mischief. Andrews was taken to the Somerset County Jail in East Madison.

The Somerset County Sheriff’s Department was assisted by Maine State Police, Fairfield Police and the Clinton Fire Department, according to Gottardi.

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