HOULTON – Houlton police have charged a Presque Isle woman with multiple offenses following a high speed chase late Thursday afternoon on Interstate 95.
Christine L. Cray, 38, has been charged with eluding police, criminal speeding, passing a roadblock and assault.
At about 5:40 p.m. Thursday, Cray reportedly was spotted operating a Dodge Omni at a high rate of speed and headed south on North Street, which is part of Route 1, according to Houlton Police Chief Daniel Soucy.
Cpl. Thomas Donahue of the Houlton Police Department was monitoring traffic in the area and signaled for Cray to stop. Instead, Cray drove through a red light, passed other vehicles and abruptly turned onto I-95 headed in a southerly direction.
Donahue pursued Cray onto the highway, where speeds reached about 90 mph, police said.
Deputy Michael Monpetite of the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department set up a roadblock on the highway about 10 miles south of Houlton near the Smyrna exit and placed a spike mat across the highway. As Cray’s car crossed the mat, its tires were punctured, allowing air to escape slowly and bringing the car to a gradual stop about a mile past the roadblock.
After the car was stopped, Cray complained to police of pain from an existing medical condition. She was taken to Houlton Regional Hospital where she reportedly became combative and allegedly assaulted Donahue and medical staff, Soucy said. The assault charge was based on that incident.
Cray made her initial court appearance on Friday in 2nd District Court in Presque Isle. Bail was set at $2,000 surety or $1,000 cash, or $3,000 unsecured bail. She also was required to have a custodian 24 hours a day upon her release from jail. She remained in the Aroostook County Jail in Houlton on Friday afternoon.
Monpetite also is investigating a motorist report that Cray’s vehicle had been seen earlier Thursday on Route 1 operating erratically, nearly causing an accident.
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