search
March 16, 2010

Police chase gets second look

DAVID HENCH

— By

Staff Writer

The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office will review a police chase that preceded a fatal motorcycle crash recently.

Patrick Smith, 47, of Standish died Sunday at Maine Medical Center of injuries suffered when his Harley-Davidson crashed on Warren Road in Buxton on July 12. He had been in critical condition since the crash.

Police said Smith was spotted driving in the wrong lane on Cape Road in Standish and took off when Cumberland County Sheriff's Deputy Andrew Feeney tried to stop him. Smith continued to operate erratically, authorities said.

Speeds during the chase ranged from 65 mph to 95 mph. Cape Road is fairly straight compared with the many curves in Warren Road.

Smith did slow for a couple of stop signs, but was driving much of the time in the wrong lane, Cumberland County Chief Deputy Kevin Joyce said.

Feeney lost sight of Smith and called off the chase, but then found him face-down on Warren Road with his motorcycle in a nearby ditch, according to the sheriff's office.

The county discourages deputies from prolonged high-speed pursuits if the suspect is identified and can be apprehended later or if there is a single infraction, such as speeding or failing to stop at a stop sign, Joyce said.

However, deputies and their supervisors have discretion, and decisions about a pursuit can be influenced by road and traffic conditions, or if a person is driving to endanger or suspected of drunk driving, he said.

''The safety of the public is paramount,'' Joyce said.

Joyce said he expects to conduct a review of the chase later this week, once Buxton police provide a copy of their accident report.

Joyce said he had planned to do the review before Smith's death, and said that shouldn't change the nature of it.

Staff Writer David Hench can be contacted at 791-6327 or at:

dhench@pressherald.com

Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form

Send Question/Comment to the Publisher




Further Discussion

Here at PressHerald.com we value our readers and are committed to growing our community by encouraging you to add to the discussion. To ensure conscientious dialogue we have implemented a strict no-bullying policy. To participate, you must follow our Terms of Use.

Questions about the article? Add them below and we’ll try to answer them or do a follow-up post as soon as we can. Technical problems? Email them to us with an exact description of the problem. Make sure to include:
  • Type of computer or mobile device your are using
  • Exact operating system and browser you are viewing the site on (TIP: You can easily determine your operating system here.)


Most...