OAKLAND — A local man allegedly rammed into an officer’s cruiser Friday morning while trying to drive away from the scene where he was accused of domestic assault, police said.
Chad Cookson, 46, of Fairfield Street in Oakland, was arrested on charges of domestic violence assault, reckless conduct, failing to stop for an officer, driving to endanger and criminal mischief, which are all misdemeanors.
Police Officer Tanya Allen responded at 6:40 a.m. to a report of a domestic assault in the street near the intersection of Kennedy Memorial Drive and Cascade Mill Road and approached Cookson, who was the suspect in the alleged assault, according to a press release from Oakland police Capt. Rick Stubbert.
When Allen told Cookson to stop, he fled and got into his vehicle, a gold Dodge Stratus, according to Stubbert.
Allen got into her police cruiser and began turning around to pursue Cookson, who was driving down Cascade Mill Road, Stubbert said. Allen stopped her vehicle when she saw Cookson headed toward her, and he allegedly rammed into the front driver’s side of the cruiser and continued into a fence that runs along Cascade Mill Road.
Neither Allen nor Cookson were injured in the crash, Stubbert said. The earlier alleged assault also did not result in serious injuries.
Cookson was taken to the Kennebec County jail in Augusta, where he was being held on $6,000 cash bail.
Cookson has a prior conviction from 2014 for a charge of reckless conduct committed on June 1, 2012, in Waterville. He was the suspect in a case involving homemade chemical bombs on that date. Waterville police said at the time he had admitted to filling soda bottles with chemicals and detonating them on Sherwin Street.
Police also summoned another person on charges of assaulting a police officer and violating conditions of release during the investigation. Stubbert said he could not release the name of the person who was summoned, and that Allen was not the officer who was allegedly assaulted.
Officers from the Maine State Police as well as Fairfield and Waterville police departments assisted Oakland police. Police are still investigating, Stubbert said.
Madeline St. Amour — 861-9239
mstamour@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @madelinestamour
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