WOOLWICH — A high-speed chase initiated by a Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office deputy ended in tragedy late Saturday night when a 20-year-old man crashed his vehicle while trying to elude law enforcement.
The incident began around 10 p.m. on Rt. 128, River Road, when a deputy attempted to stop a 2005 Hyundai Sonata for speeding and erratic driving.
The driver, identified as Kaleb Halsey of Bowdoinham, accelerated instead of pulling over, passing another motorist who had complied with the deputy’s signal.
After a brief 27-second chase covering half a mile, Halsey lost control of the vehicle.
The Sonata veered off the road, collided with a granite fence post, and continued into a ditch before striking a telephone pole.
Halsey was ejected from the vehicle during the crash.
Emergency services transported Halsey to Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, and then to Maine Medical Center in Portland with critical injuries.
He succumbed to his injuries early Sunday morning.
Maine State Police are conducting an investigation and reconstruction of the accident.
The affected section of River Road near Days Ferry was closed overnight and reopened this morning around 9 a.m.
