A car crashed off Leighton Road in Augusta late Thursday morning after the driver led multiple police departments on a wide-ranging chase reaching speeds of up to 83 mph in the capital area, police said.

The driver, John J. Gagnon, 56, who lived in Turner in 2012 but said he is now homeless, faces a variety of charges.

John J. Gagnon, 56, is taken into custody by state police following a crash on Leighton Road in Augusta. Courtesy Maine State Police

The chase ended when the Subaru station wagon he was driving crashed into a tree and utility pole wires near an industrial building that houses Allen’s Transfer.

The chase began after Gagon’s car nearly collided head-on with a cruiser driven by Maine State Police Trooper Diane Vance in Sidney, according to police spokesman Stephen McCausland. The trooper attempted to stop Gagnon between Sidney and Route 202 in Manchester, but he refused to pull over. She lost sight of him when the car veered down a narrow woods road off Route 202.

Responding police, who included other troopers, Kennebec County sheriff’s deputies and Augusta police officers, didn’t see Gagnon’s car for about a half hour, when it was spotted on Puddledock Road in Manchester, with its New Hampshire license plate switched for a Massachusetts one, McCausland said.

Gagnon continued to lead police on a chase along Summerhaven Road and then Route 27 back toward Augusta. McCausland said troopers ended the chase by forcing the car into a controlled spin on Leighton Road.

Gagnon has a long criminal history in Maine and was taken to Kennebec County jail in Augusta, McCausland said.

Related Stories