SHAPLEIGH — Maine State Police say they have arrested a man who fled a crash scene and tried to stash a bag full of drugs in the woods.

Police told WCSH that 30-year-old Brandon Gilpatrick of West Newfield was driving a vehicle that crossed the center line and struck another vehicle in Shapleigh, injuring occupants of the other car.

A Maine State Police tracking dog guards a duffel bag containing narcotics that police say Brandon Gilpatrick tried to stash in the Shapleigh woods. Maine State Police photo via WCSH

Gilpatrick fled the scene in his vehicle, police said, and when they found him coming out of the woods near the Back Road he told them he was not the driver in the crash.

State troopers with K-9 units tracked Gilpatrick’s path about a mile into the woods and found the duffel bag full of drugs, police said.

That’s when Gilpatrick confessed to driving the vehicle in the crash and dumping the drugs.
Gilpatrick was charged with counts of operating after suspension, leaving the scene of an accident involving injury and unlawful possession of scheduled drugs.
His bail amount has been set at $2,500. More charges are expected to be filed at a later date.

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