Greenwood man chased by car he hit with his truck for more than 10 miles

PARIS -Three women in a car that was rear-ended early Sunday morning chased the truck that struck them from behind for more than 10 miles and helped police find a suspect who was later arrested.

A Greenwood man faces charges in connection with the crash after surrendering to authorities Sunday afternoon.

Hours after he was chased from Paris to Woodstock by three women in a car that was hit from behind, Michael Boudreau, 39, was arrested and charged by the Paris Police Department with operating without a license, leaving the scene of a personal injury crash and failure to give notice of an accident by quickest means.

Officer Raymond Paar said that personnel from five law enforcement agencies scoured the area around a sandpit at the end of a dirt road off Route 232 where Boudreau ditched his 1985 Ford truck after the chase.

Alcohol is believed to be a factor in the case. But given the time lapse between the crash and when Boudreau turned himself in, Paar said that options to investigate that are limited.

Parr said that police were notified around 1:30 a.m. that a 2000 Volkswagen Passat driven by Alicia Von Tol, 28, of Oxford, was hit from behind when she slowed down to turn while traveling on Main Street in Paris. Parr said that when he arrived at the scene minutes later, there were no vehicles, but auto parts lying on the road indicated a crash had occurred.

As he was collecting evidence, Paar said a second call came in to Oxford County dispatchers from Von Tol's car. The woman and her passengers - friends Felisha Goodwin, 23, of Norway, and Anah Bell, 21, of Paris - were following Boudreau's truck along Route 26 and were headed toward Route 232 and Woodstock. Bell stayed on the line with dispatchers while authorities from Paris, Bethel, Rumford, the Oxford County Sheriff's Office and Maine State Police rushed to the scene from all directions.

"They were all converging to the scene and units were trying to get to where the girls said he went," Paar said of the chase. "She was keeping the suspect in sight and keeping in constant communication with dispatchers."

The women showed authorities a dirt road where they last saw Boudreau's truck turn.

Paar said units immediately secured the woods around the sandpit and started an organized search for Boudreau, but were unable to find him. They called off the search about 3:30 a.m. Sunday, but Boudreau surrendered to police in the afternoon.

"It was a very well-done track," Paar said of the team effort to locate Boudreau. "They all did a great job, but we just couldn't find him."

All three women were later taken to Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway, where they were treated and released.