Traffic passes along state Route 3 in China on Monday, near where a high-speed chase Sunday ended with a state trooper being hit by the fleeing car, according to police.
State Trooper Mickael Nunez was listed in serious condition Monday morning after having been struck by a vehicle Sunday that had been involved in a high-speed chase from Waterville to China.
Nunez, 30, suffered a severe broken leg and was taken to MaineGeneral Medical Center’s Alfond Center for Health in Augusta, according to Steve McCausland, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety.
“He was slated to undergo surgery last night,” McCausland said Monday.
A MaineGeneral spokesman confirmed Monday that Nunez, a three-year veteran of the State Police, was listed in serious condition.
The driver of the vehicle, Robert Belmain, 53, of Caribou was taken to MaineGeneral with head injuries and then flown by a LifeFlight of Maine helicopter to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. A spokeswoman at CMMC said Monday she could not share information about Belmain or his condition.
The crash occurred at 5:05 p.m. when Nunez was outside his cruiser on state Route 3 in China, setting up spike strips to deflate Belmain’s tires, McCausland said Sunday in a statement released to the news media.
Nunez was hit as he was trying to retreat to a safe location along Route 3, near the Family Dollar store, McCausland said.
Maine State Trooper Mickael Nunez Photo provided by Maine Department of Public Safety
The chase had started about 30 minutes earlier on Interstate 95 in Waterville when another state trooper stopped Belmain’s car after receiving reports that a green sports car with no license plates was being operated erratically on I-95, just south of Clinton, according to McCausland.
Shortly after the car was pulled over, Belmain took off in the vehicle, driving erratically on I-95 and then on Route 3 in Augusta, headed toward China, according to police.
“Speeds on both roads reached 100 mph,” McCausland said. “His car crashed after it struck the trooper.”
Charges pending against Belmain include operating under the influence, driving to endanger, criminal speed, eluding a police officer, failing to submit to arrest or detention, destruction of evidence, reckless conduct, possession of a scheduled drug, sale/use of drug paraphernalia and operating after suspension of his driver’s license.
McCausland said Belmain is expected to be charged after he is released from the hospital.
Jackie Reny and her husband, Peter, of Vassalboro said they were driving on Route 3, from Belfast toward Augusta, and came upon the accident scene after emergency responders arrived. Jackie Reny said the road was closed and she assumed there had been an accident.
“The whole hill was lit with lights, so I knew it was extremely bad,” she said. “We went to Hannaford and someone came in and said a police officer was involved. My heart just sank.”
The sports car State Police say was involved in a high-speed chase Sunday that ended with a state trooper being hit by the fleeing vehicle on state Route 3 in China. Maine State Police Photo
Reny said that after returning home, she could not stop thinking about the injured state trooper.
“That police officer put his life out there to help others,” she said. “This young man’s only been on the force three years. How’s this going to affect his life now? My heart goes out to him and his family, and I hope he comes out of this with no disability.”
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