A former Libertarian Party nominee for the Maine House was charged with attempted murder after he allegedly shot a woman in the Piscataquis County community of Shirley on Monday morning and led Maine State Police on a short car chase.

Police arrested Christopher Hallowell, 24, of Bath, at gunpoint after he crashed his SUV in a field in Albion shortly after 8 a.m., state police said.

The Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office said it received a report about 6:45 a.m. that a 29-year-old woman had been shot at or near a garden center in Shirley Mills, which is within Shirley.

Hallowell allegedly used a handgun to shoot the woman, who has not been identified. Hallowell and the woman are related, but the incident is not considered a case of domestic violence, police said.

The woman was transported to Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, police said.

State police spotted Hallowell’s car in Albion shortly after the shooting. A chase ensued but Hallowell crashed within a few minutes while trying to turn at the intersection of Clark and Winslow roads, police said. His car ended up in a field.

Hallowell was not injured and was taken to the Piscataquis County Jail. He was being held on an attempted murder charge and was expected to appear in court this week.

Hallowell was charged with assault and criminal mischief in connection with an incident in Piscataquis County in September 2014, according to records provided by the State Bureau of Identification. Prosecutors dropped the assault charge, but Hallowell pleaded guilty to the criminal mischief charge and served two days in jail. State records show that Hallowell was living in Shirley at the time.

Early this year, Hallowell was named the Libertarian Party nominee for the House District 52 seat in Bath, which was up for a special election in April. He dropped out of the race after he failed to gather enough signatures to appear on the ballot. Hallowell formerly served as executive committee secretary for the Libertarian Party.

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