A Cumberland man accused of burglarizing a Freeport store and leading police on a high-speed chase in a stolen truck while drunk made his initial appearance in court this week to face eight related charges.

Paul Cameron Tukey, 22, was ordered held on $15,000 bail at his appearance Wednesday in the Cumberland County Courthouse in Portland, after he was arrested early Monday in North Yarmouth.

Tukey is accused of breaking into the Oakley Vault sunglasses store at Freeport Village Station shortly after midnight Monday by smashing the front window and stealing many pairs of sunglasses. As police were searching nearby with a trained dog, they heard the sound of a vehicle accelerating and radioed for other officers to be aware, according to court records.

A Yarmouth police officer spotted a speeding silver Toyota Tundra heading south on Route 1 shortly after the radio transmission and pursued the truck, which reached speeds of 109 mph. Tukey stopped the truck on Sligo Road in North Yarmouth and briefly fled until police with a tracking dog found him, court records say.

Tukey is charged with burglary, criminal mischief, criminal speeding, eluding police, criminal drunken driving, driving without a license and two counts of theft by unauthorized taking. Tukey was on probation for two prior convictions – burglary and burglary of a motor vehicle – at the time of his arrest, with at least two years of suspended prison time in those cases.

Scott Dolan can be contacted at 791-6304 or at:

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