A Madison man was airlifted to a hospital Monday after being injured in a crash while fleeing police at speeds reaching 130 mph, according to Skowhegan police.
Blyn Nadeau, 36, is facing charges of driving to endanger, aggravated operating after habitual offender revocation, criminal speed and eluding an officer, court records show. Three of those charges are Class C, felony-level offenses, while criminal speed is a misdemeanor.
Nadeau was booked at the Somerset County Jail in Madison Tuesday evening, jail records show.
As of Friday, Nadeau was also being held at the jail on a probation hold and a charge of unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs.
At an initial court appearance in Skowhegan on Wednesday, Chief District Court Judge Brent A. Davis set bail in the charges stemming from the chase at $2,000 cash and appointed Ryan Rutledge of the Skowhegan law firm Mills, Shay, Lexier & Talbot to represent Nadeau, according to court records.
Rutledge could not be reached for comment Friday at his office or via email.
Nadeau has not yet been asked to enter pleas as the felony-level charges mean prosecutors must first seek an indictment from the grand jury for the case to proceed. He is due back in court April 29.
Nadeau was also scheduled for another initial, in-custody court appearance for additional charges Friday afternoon, according to the clerks’ office at the Skowhegan District Court. The court file for those charges was not available Friday morning, and it was unclear if they were related to the chase.
The high-speed chase began around 10 a.m. Monday when Special Agent Michael Grady of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency saw Nadeau driving a Ford SUV near downtown Skowhegan, Officer Alex Burns of the Skowhegan Police Department wrote in an affidavit supporting Nadeau’s arrest.
Grady advised Burns that Nadeau’s driver’s license status was revoked for being a habitual offender, Burns wrote. Burns positioned his cruiser near the former Island Dairy Treat ice cream stand on Island Avenue and began following the vehicle once he saw it.
He then stopped Nadeau’s vehicle on Main Street, but while approaching the front door, Nadeau drove away, heading south on Main Street, the affidavit says.
Burns began pursuing Nadeau again and the chase continued through Skowhegan and into Norridgewock via Bigelow Hill Road, Burrill Hill Road, Norridgewock Road, Mechanic Street and Smithfield Road, according to the affidavit.
Burns noted that at various points in the chase Nadeau was believed to be driving at 90 mph, 110 mph, 115 mph, 120 mph and 130 mph. Speed limits on the roads ranged from 25 to 50 mph, the affidavit says.
On Smithfield Road, Nadeau turned around, and, heading back to Norridgewock, lost control and crashed into a ditch, Burns wrote.
Nadeau was ejected from the vehicle and Burns found him unconscious, Burns wrote.
An ambulance initially transported Nadeau and he was then taken via LifeFlight helicopter to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Burns’ affidavit says.
The extent of Nadeau’s injuries are not described in court records.
Skowhegan police Chief David Bucknam has been unavailable to answer questions this week despite multiple inquiries. His staff said he is the only person authorized to speak with the press.
Chief Deputy Mike Mitchell of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday his agency responded to reconstruct the crash but did not otherwise participate in the chase and investigation.
