FALMOUTH, Maine — A Portland woman was charged with operating under the influence late Monday night after driving on the wrong side of Interstate 295 in Falmouth.
Shortly before 11:30 p.m. Monday, the Augusta Regional Communications Center received several calls reporting a wrong-way driver heading northbound in the southbound lane near mile marker 11 on Interstate 295 in Falmouth, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said in a news release.
"A Trooper was traveling southbound at mile marker 12 when he observed headlights traveling northbound in the southbound passing lane," the release stated. "The Trooper pulled into the breakdown lane to avoid being hit head-on."
The trooper immediately turned around his cruiser, activated the cruiser's emergency lights and siren, and pursued the wrong-way driver as they continued traveling northbound in the southbound lane. The driver was reportedly operating a silver 2018 Nissan Rogue, Moss said.
"When the vehicle would not pull over and the Trooper could see oncoming traffic headed southbound he successfully initiated a precision immobilization technique (PIT maneuver) at mile marker 12.5 northbound to disable the wrong-way vehicle and force it into the center median," the release said.
The driver, identified as 67-year-old Ellen Honan of Portland, was charged with operating under the influence, failure to stop for a police officer, and operating the wrong way on a divided highway, according to Moss.
The Yarmouth Police Department, Yarmouth Fire Department, and MaineDOT assisted in this incident.
