SURRY, Maine — A man from Deer Isle is facing multiple charges after allegedly stealing a vehicle and fleeing police.
Jon McDowell, 37, has been charged with theft by unauthorized taking or transfer, driving to endanger, operating after suspension, and failing to report an accident, according to a release from the Hancock County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office said its regional communications center got a call from a Deer Isle resident on Monday reporting the stolen vehicle, a red Chevrolet Equinox. A deputy and a lieutenant separately spotted the vehicle traveling north on Blue Hill Road in Surry and attempted to stop it, but the suspect continued to evade law enforcement, the release stated. The chase was terminated due to public safety, the sheriff's office said.
Shortly after officials lost sight of the vehicle, they got reports of a crash on Surry Road. Upon arrival at the scene, they found the vehicle off the roadway with nobody inside, according to the release.
Officials then saw a person matching the suspect's description come out of the woods just south of the crash site, but the person disappeared before they could make contact.
McDowell was later arrested at a nearby home and taken to the Hancock County Jail.
The sheriff's office said it was assisted by Sgt. Robert Angelo of the Ellsworth Police Department, Maine State Police Sgt. Greg Roy, and Special Agent Timothy Frost of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
