AUGUSTA — A 26-year-old Brunswick woman faces a host of charges following a high speed vehicle chase through the heart of Augusta that damaged both rotaries on Saturday night.
Jessica Harvey was at Kennebec County jail on Sunday charged with eluding an officer, criminal mischief, operating while license suspended or revoked, refusing to submit to arrest or detention and two counts of violating condition of release.
Additional Images
Augusta Police Sgt. Chris Shaw said additional charges might be filed later, including driving to endanger and motor vehicle speeding 30-plus miles per hour over the speed limit.
Shaw said the chase began after Augusta Police Officer Scott Taylor attempted to stop a 2003 Buick LeSabre about 8:30 p.m. Saturday on Western Avenue after the driver made a left turn against a red light to enter the parking area of the Augusta State Armory. Shaw said the turn forced a number of westbound vehicles to slam on their brakes to avoid the LeSabre.
As Taylor attempted to halt the vehicle, the driver took off, again running a red light, and continued east on Western Avenue at a high rate of speed, Shaw said.
“She couldn’t negotiate the rotary properly and drove straight through the rotary onto Memorial Drive and onto the bridge,” Shaw said on Sunday. “On the other side of the bridge, she went into oncoming traffic into the Cony rotary and hit a granite curb which disabled the vehicle. Then she traveled up onto the sidewalk, taking out a downtown museum sign, then hit the guardrail, causing extensive damage to the vehicle.”
At this point, the driver, later identified as Harvey, got out of the car and fled on foot. Taylor gave chase and stopped her.
Harvey was taken by ambulance to MaineGeneral Medical Center to be evaluated for injuries and was being processed at the Kennebec County jail Sunday morning. She also was arrested on three warrants, two from Farmington District Court and one from Rumford District Court.
Shaw said there is no indication substances were involved and that the incident remains under investigation. Harvey is expected to have an initial court appearance Monday.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.