OXFORD — A Maine State Police sergeant and his K-9 partner escaped serious injury Tuesday night when their cruiser crashed and burst into flames during a high-speed chase.
Sgt. Jonathan Russell was attempting to stop a speeding vehicle on Route 26 in Oxford at approximately 11:11 p.m. when the suspect turned onto Rabbit Valley Road and fled, according to state police.
As Russell pursued with lights and sirens activated, he lost control of his cruiser on an unfamiliar turn at the bottom of a hill.
The vehicle left the roadway, entered a ditch, and came to rest nose-down.
Russell managed to exit the cruiser and rescue his K-9, Preacher, before the vehicle became engulfed in flames.
Ammunition stored in the cruiser exploded due to the fire.
The sergeant suffered minor injuries from the airbag deployment.
K-9 Preacher was unharmed.
The cruiser and all equipment inside were declared a total loss.
The suspect’s vehicle, described as a mid-2000s Chevrolet or GMC with a utility body, escaped capture.
The driver’s identity remains unknown.
Multiple agencies assisted at the scene, including Norway Police Department, Paris Police Department, Oxford County Sheriff’s Office, Oxford Police Department, and Oxford Fire and Rescue.
