LEWISTON – A local man was arrested Wednesday after police said he flipped his car into a tree on Sabattus Street and then ran from the crash scene with his pregnant girlfriend.
Scott Estes, 25, was charged with driving with a suspended license and leaving the scene of a crash after police tracked him to his apartment at 15 Jefferson St., where his brother Mike, 27, also lives.
Mike Estes was also arrested on a charge of hindering apprehension after allegedly lying to police when asked if his brother was inside their Jefferson Street home.
The incident started about 5 p.m. when police were told a speeding car had flipped while the driver was trying to turn from Sabattus Street onto Bradley Street. The car flipped onto its side and then spun into a tree, Lewiston police Lt. Tom Avery said.
Several witnesses reported seeing a man and a pregnant woman crawling from the overturned car and then rushing away on foot.
Police said Estes’ girlfriend, who is seven months’ pregnant, had been riding in the passenger’s seat and may have suffered a bump on her head in the wreck.
While officers went to nearby hospitals to search for her, others went to Sabattus and Bradley streets where the car was abandoned against the tree. Police began investigating and spoke with several people who had witnessed the crash and the aftermath.
“Those witnesses pointed out a building after seeing the driver and his passenger run inside,” Avery said.
The building at 15 Jefferson St. is a block away from the crash scene. When police went to that address, they were greeted by Mike Estes, who lives in an apartment there.
“He initially denied that his brother was inside,” Avery said.
Scott Estes was found moments later and arrested on a charge of leaving the scene of a crash, which had a personal injury, and on a warrant for an unrelated charge of failure to appear in court on a charge of driving with a suspended license.
In addition to the hindering apprehension charge, Mike Estes was charged with having a fictitious inspection sticker on his car, the vehicle that his brother had crashed.
Police were still searching for Scott Estes’ girlfriend late Wednesday night. Her name was unknown.
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