BRUNSWICK — Brunswick police pursued a suspected drunk driver through Brunswick and Bath early Wednesday morning discovered a 13-year-old boy from Bowdoin behind the wheel.
Just after 2 a.m., an officer parked along Route 1 was checking speeds of northbound vehicles, according to Brunswick Police Chief Scott Stewart.
The officer spotted a vehicle that was allegedly being driven erratically, “which is par for the course at 2 in the morning for a suspected OUI offender,” Stewart said. “They believed they were pursuing an intoxicated driver and were pursuing a juvenile who was driving like a 13-year-old.”
The driver failed to stop, Stewart said. The teen exited Route 1 at Cook’s Corner and turned onto Bath Road, and then onto Old Bath Road and continued into Bath on Old Brunswick Road. Stewart said the chase reached speeds of around 70 mph. The young driver made his way onto Congress Avenue and got back onto Route 1 southbound. Police stopped him a short time later, using a spike mat to puncture the tires.
“At that time, to our surprise, the operator was a 13-year-old male,” Stewart said.
Because the driver is a juvenile, Stewart declined to release his name.
The teen was arrested and charged with passing a roadblock, which is a Class C felony. He was also charged with failure to stop for an officer, operating without a license and unlawful furnishing of a scheduled drug, which are misdemeanor crimes. He is scheduled to appear in Cumberland County juvenile court in Portland on March 10.
He was released to his parents at the Brunswick Police Department following his arrest. Stewart said police don’t know why the teen was driving the vehicle or where he was going.
“Thankfully no one got hurt,” Stewart said.
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