SKOWHEGAN – A man who bolted from the Somerset County courthouse Monday morning and led police on a chase through town was subdued with a chemical spray a few hours later, police say.

Jeffrey White, 34, who lives near the courthouse on North Avenue, held a knife to his throat at one point, and police used pepper-like spray to stop him.

White was to have appeared in court Monday on a charge of criminal threatening, said Skowhegan police Officer Stanley Guilmette.

Police say that during the chase White reached speeds of about 50 mph.

During the scuffle with White, Guilmette said he, too, was hit by the chemical spray.

White was charged with eluding a police officer and taken to jail on a probation violation.