Penobscot County cruiser ends up in ditch after chasing speeding driver

A Penobscot County sheriff’s cruiser was damaged on Friday morning after the car went into a ditch during a chase of a fleeing motorist.

At about 7:15 a.m., the deputy was driving on Route 222 in Levant and saw a red Kia Soul with a temporary plate driving at a criminal speed, according to the sheriff’s office.

A criminal speed is more than 30 mph over the posted speed limit.

As the deputy was trying to turn around, the driver in the Kia made a left turn nearly striking another vehicle. According to the sheriff’s office, this constituted an immediate risk to motorists, which prompted the deputy to try to stop the speeding car.

The driver in the Kia later turned down a private driveway on Kenduskeag/Levant Road. When the deputy followed, the fleeing driver drove around a residence. While trying to get back to the road, the deputy’s cruiser “slid across the grass lawn and into a ditch,” the sheriff’s office said.

Another deputy responding to the residence spotted the Kia driving “at an erratic speed,” but did not chase it.

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No one was injured, according to the sheriff’s office, but the front end of the cruiser was damaged.

Anyone with information on the Kia involved in the incident is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 207-947-4585.