WINSLOW – A drunk driver was forcibly removed from a vehicle and arrested Sunday night after he led police on a high-speed chase for more than 22 miles, police say.

Police said they overheard Winfried P. Cates, 37, of Vassalboro tell his female passenger as he was arrested: “It was a good first date.”

The 30-year-old woman from China, who was not charged, is the vehicle’s registered owner. Two dogs were also inside, police said.

Winslow officer Haley Fleming, who chased Cates, said it was the longest and fastest chase he had ever been in.

The incident began at 9:52 p.m. Sunday, when Fleming was driving west on Route 137 and clocked a sport utility vehicle coming toward him at 92 mph. The 1998 Toyota RAV4 sped away as Fleming pursued in his cruiser.

The chase went into China, onto Pleasant View Ridge Road, Branch Mills Road, and Route 32, where state police Trooper Samuel Tlumac had set up a roadblock with car spikes and parked his cruiser with its blue lights on. But that wasn’t the end of the chase.

“The occupant drove on a business’s yard and avoided the roadblock,” Fleming said. Trooper Shawn Porter joined the pursuit with Fleming as the SUV then spun around and headed onto Route 32. About four miles later, another roadblock had been set up by Trooper Chris Crawford. The SUV stopped just before the road spikes.

Fleming and the troopers surrounded the SUV, along with a police dog, but Cates refused to get out, police say. The officers opened the driver’s side door and removed Cates from the seat, and he scuffled with them on the ground.

Cates was arrested on the felony charges of aggravated drunken driving, eluding a police officer, aggravated reckless conduct and passing a police roadblock, and on misdemeanor charges of driving after license suspension, driving more than 30 mph over the limit, driving to endanger, failing to give correct identification information, and refusing to submit to arrest.

Cates was taken to the Kennebec County jail in Augusta and his bail was set at $12,000 cash. A jail official said Monday afternoon that he had been released.

 

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