READFIELD — A Bath man who was arrested on charges of drunken driving and leading police on a chase that ended in a crash is the prime suspect in Wednesday night’s armed robbery of the Weathervane restaurant.
Lucas L. Creamer, 32, was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston for evaluation following a crash that ended the chase.
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Creamer was not charged with robbery, police said, because they were still collecting evidence.
The robbery was reported at 7:51 p.m. at the restaurant on Route 17.
The robber took a woman to the cash register area while intimidating those in the restaurant with the weapon, Kennebec County sheriff Capt. Dan Davies said in a prepared statement. He said once the robber got the money — the amount wasn’t disclosed by police — he fled.
Employees and patrons told sheriff’s deputies who responded that the robber was a white man wearing a mask and carrying what appeared to be a rifle. They said he drove toward Manchester in a white car, that some believed to be a Mazda 323, with loud exhaust.
About 45 minutes later, Maine State Police Trooper Don Webber saw a white 1994 Acura Integra, similar to the model Mazda that the witnesses thought the robber drove, at the gas pumps at Mulligan’s restaurant in Manchester. The plate lights were not working and the exhaust was loud, just as witnesses described, Davies said.
State troopers attempted to stop the car, but the driver continued to the intersection of routes 17 and 135 before stopping. The driver, later identified as Creamer, put his hand out of the window to comply with police demands, but then sped off, heading in the direction of the Weathervane as other deputies closed in.
“Approximately one mile later as speeds reached 90 miles per hour, Creamer veered off the road and struck several trees before going into the air and barrel-rolling down the roadway,” Davies said.
Police said Creamer suffered minor injuries in the crash and was taken into custody without further incident.
The robbery is still under investigation the robbery. Although Creamer has not been officially identified by the witnesses as the robber, his physical description and other evidence match the robbery details, Davies said.
Detectives from the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit recovered evidence from the scene that indicates Creamer is “a strong candidate” for the crime, Davies said.
He was being held Thursday at the Kennebec County jail, where he is being held in lieu of $2,500 bail, according to Davies. Creamer also is being held without bail on a charge of violating conditions of release for unrelated charges in Cumberland County.
He is expected to be in Augusta District Court at 1 p.m. today via video from the jail.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
badams@centralmaine.com
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