A local man is in jail after he allegedly stole a Presque Isle police cruiser and led police on a high speed chase before crashing the car.  

Presque Isle Police Department
Presque Isle Police Department
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The Presque Isle Police Department responded to a call Friday evening of a man being disorderly in the middle of the Mapleton Road.  Officer Ryan Eagles arrived to find a shirtless man walking on the nearby railroad tracks.

According to information from Presque Isle Police Chief Matt Irwin, Officer Eagles recognized him as the same young man he had once found wandering the streets on a sub-zero night. The officer remembered giving the man a ride to a local restaurant and buying him something to help warm him up.

This time, however, the young man allegedly began throwing rocks as the police officer approached to offer some assistance.  Chief Irwin said that although a use of force would have been justified, Officer Eagles chose to create some distance between him and the young man until he could get help.  The young man took advantage of the opportunity, Irwin said, and jumped into the patrol car, which had been left running, and sped away.

A Maine State Police Trooper who was responding to assist Officer Eagles spotted the police cruiser and gave chase onto the Chapman Road in Presque Isle.   Chief Irwin said the chase reached speeds of over 100 mph before the suspect crashed the police cruiser. The crash occurred several miles out on a dirt section of Chapman Road.  No one was injured.

Presque Isle Police Department
Presque Isle Police Department
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The suspect, who was identified as 20-year-old Richard Lyman III of Presque Isle, was apprehended after trying to fight off the state trooper.

Lyman was charged with multiple felonies and was being held at the Aroostook County Jail on 5000 dollars bail. The incident remains under investigation.

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