Illinois man arrested after chase through 4 towns in 2 Maine counties

AUBURN, Maine (WMTW) - An Illinois man is in custody after a chase with police that started in one Maine county and ended in another.

According to investigators, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office was trying to pull a driver over who was reportedly wanted by Farmington Police for a domestic violence offense.

Just a few minutes before noon Monday, deputies began chasing the driver as he drove south on Route 4 into the Androscoggin County towns of Livermore and Turner.

Franklin County deputies used spike mats to try to end the chase, but the suspect was able to avoid them.

Androscoggin County deputies took over the chase as it continued south, into Auburn.

As Auburn police joined the chase, another Androscoggin County deputy set a spike mat in place on Center Street.

Video of the crash sent by viewer Eli McBride shows police and deputy’s vehicles stopping just short of the spike mat while the suspect’s black SUV careened into a utility pole on the sidewalk. Androscoggin County officials say the crash appeared to be deliberate.

Deputies took the driver into custody — he was later identified as 28-year-old Cesar Vergara of Cicero, Illinois.

Vergara is facing felony charges of passing a roadblock and eluding law enforcement on top of the domestic violence charges in Franklin County.

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