A high-speed chase with police early Tuesday morning across some 50 miles of roads in Franklin County at speeds reaching 100 mph ended with a Stratton woman in jail on multiple charges.

Carter A. Sides, 23, who police said was originally from Alabama but now is living on Main Street in Stratton, was arrested on charges of speeding more than 30 mph over the limit, a class E offense; driving to endanger, class E; theft by unauthorized use of property, class D; eluding an officer, class C; and failing to stop for an officer, class E. She also was summoned on two counts of failing to stop at a stop sign, three counts of failure to yield to stationary emergency vehicles and operating left of center.

Franklin County Sheriff Scott R. Nichols said in a news release that the incident began at 12:17 a.m. Tuesday when Deputy Derek Doucette saw a vehicle driving 30 mph over the speed limit south on Route 27 in Farmington.

Doucette flashed his cruiser’s blue lights to stop the 2015 BMW sport utility vehicle, but the driver accelerated and refused to stop, Nichols said. Doucette pursued the SUV north on Route 4 into Strong and continued onto Route 145 — at times the vehicle’s speed exceeded 90 mph — and to the intersection of Route 142. The SUV then turned east on Route 142 toward Kingfield.

In Kingfield, the SUV continued onto High Street and then south onto Route 27 toward New Portland, and at one point the vehicle was clocked at 100 mph in a 30-mph zone, Nichols said.

Meanwhile, Sgt. Kevin Hartley of the sheriff’s office set up a spike mat on a straight portion of Route 27 in New Portland. The SUV drove over the mat and stopped at 12:40 a.m., Nichols said, leading to the arrest of the driver, identified as Sides. The chase covered some 50 miles of roads across the county.

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Theft by unauthorized use of property was among Sides’ charges because the SUV’s owner did not give her permission to use it, Nichols said.

Sides was being held in lieu of $2,500 cash bail at the Franklin County Jail in Farmington. She was not expected to see a judge until Wednesday, Nichols said.

Police do not yet know why Sides allegedly fled, but Nichols said in an interview that it was fortunate that roads were relatively empty at the time of the chase. Sides was not under the influence of alcohol at the time, but police do not yet know whether other drugs were involved.

She had no previous criminal record in Maine, but Nichols was not familiar with her record in Alabama.

“I guess when you do it the first time you go big or go home,’ Nichols said. “Unfortunate, but thankfully nobody got hurt.”


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