JAY – A Wilton man was transported to Central Maine Medical Center via LifeFlight yesterday, after his motorcycle crashed while allegedly attempting to evade police.
According to Jay Police Department Det. Michael Mejia, at 7:18 p.m. Thursday evening officers were monitoring traffic on Main Street as part of a special enforcement detail when they noticed a green, sport-style motorcycle traveling northbound at a high rate of speed. Officer Brad Timberlake and Officer Stephen Gould turned to stop the motorcycle, which police say continued to accelerate to speeds of approximately 100 miles per hour.
As the motorcycle approached the intersection of Main Street and Route 17 in North Jay, Mejia said, the officers reported that the operator “looked over his shoulder and seemingly became aware of the officers traveling behind him with emergency lights and siren activated.” The motorcycle then accelerated and began passing other motorists are a high rate of speed, police reported, in an apparent attempt to elude the officers.
Timberlake and Gould continued to follow the motorcycle, observing that it made a left turn onto the Maxwell Road. They followed it onto the Maxwell road and were approaching the intersection with Route 2, when they were informed by Wilton Police Department Sgt. Chad Abbott that the motorcycle had not exited Maxwell Road.
The Jay officers turned around and then discovered that the motorcycle had failed to negotiate a curve on the Maxwell Road and left the roadway. The operator was found near the wood-line, with the motorcycle discovered another 15 feet into the woods.
The operator, identified as Michael Cook, 32 of Wilton, was initially unresponsive but regained consciousness a short time later. Timberlake and Gould provided medical aid until NorthStar EMS arrived at the scene. Cook had sustained a broken arm in the crash.
Cook was transported via LifeFlight to CMMC in Lewiston. The incident remains under investigation, with Mejia saying that criminal charges were possibly pending. Cook’s license was active, Mejia noted.
And someone thought a 17 yo was mature enough to be a responsible motorcycle operator? “High rate of speed, hitting 100 mph and weaving in and out of traffic…” This could have turned out so much worse. Not only does he need to be treated as an adult, but he also needs to be accessed the cost of the police, rescue workers and wait until he gets the Life-flight bill as well as his own medical expenses – NOT his insurance or MaineCare.
We are a society of weak backbones – the more we hold people financially and legally responsible for their actions (deliberate) – perhaps we will start seeing a decrease in these ‘stunts’. just sayin’………
The suspect is 32. I’m not sure if there was a mistake when you read this article…if you even did…
Perhaps he misread Route 17 @ beginning of article. It is behavior one might expect from a teenager, not an adult. Just saying.