LEWISTON — An Auburn man who police said was shot Sunday after he tried to run down an officer with a stolen pickup truck was in court Wednesday to face multiple charges.
Kyle Edwards Photo by Lewiston Police Department
His head bandaged, Kyle Edwards, 26, appeared in 8th District Court by videoconference from Androscoggin County Jail where a judge ordered $1,000 cash bail and house arrest for him. He had been released from a local hospital where he was treated for a gunshot wound.
Edwards faces charges of eluding an officer, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and theft by unauthorized taking, all Class C felonies and each punishable by up to five years in prison. A misdemeanor charge of driving to endanger carries a maximum of six months in jail.
He was on probation at the time of the police pursuit.
Judge Rick Lawrence on Wednesday prohibited any contact between Edwards and the owner of the stolen pickup truck as well as Sgt. David Levesque, unless it took place in the line of duty.
Edwards may only leave his home for medical or legal appointments and work, Lawrence said.
The judge barred Edwards from having any dangerous weapons or firearms, for which he can be searched at random.
Edwards was appointed an attorney to represent him on the criminal charges. His next court date is scheduled for April.
Defense attorney Richard Charest said Edwards has lived his whole life in Maine and has family and friends in the community. He lost his job and has no money for bail, Charest said. Edwards shook his head, “No,” when the judge asked whether a family member might be able to put up real estate as collateral for bail.
Charest said Edwards was experiencing dizziness from his head wound and argued he shouldn’t be in jail given his medical condition.
Deputy District Attorney James Andrews said the hospital had provided the medical release of Edwards to the custody of the jail.
Lawrence said Edwards could consult with his new attorney, who has the right to present to the court any medical documentation “as to why it would be inappropriate for him to be incarcerated.”
According to an affidavit written by Officer Thomas Murphy, police responded to a report of a stolen pickup truck shortly after noon Sunday the area of Main Street.
The owner of the truck reported he had located his Dodge Dakota truck that had been stolen in Auburn and that it was in the parking lot of Marden’s at outer Main Street.
Dispatchers told police the truck had left the parking lot heading towards downtown on Main Street, according to the affidavit.
An officer saw the truck stopped at a light and pulled in behind it.
When the officer tried to stop the truck to determine whether it had been stolen, the truck signaled to pull over, but took off into traffic and sped up to a “high rate of speed.”
The truck reached 70 mph in a zone posted 25 mph then turned off Main Street onto a side street and drove up onto the sidewalk before returning to the street, Murphy wrote.
The truck sped through two stop signs then headed away from downtown on College Street, again going at a high rate of speed in a 25 mph zone.
Sgt. David Levesque joined the pursuit of the truck at Russell Street, Murphy wrote. The truck weaved into oncoming traffic to pass vehicles and sped up to 75 mph in the 25 mph zone as it continued outbound on College Street.
Levesque called off the pursuit as the truck forced a vehicle onto the shoulder then sped through another stop sign.
As the truck turned back toward downtown on Main Street, police deployed a spike mat to try to slow the speeding vehicle, Murphy wrote.
The truck swerved up onto a curb and into a snowbank in an effort to avoid the mat, then continued.
Levesque was later searching the area of Hogan and Stetson roads when he drove into the back parking lot of the Greek Orthodox Church where he spotted the roof of the truck behind a large snowbank, Murphy wrote.
Levesque exited his vehicle and walked around the snowbank where he ordered Edwards out of the truck drawing his gun as he approached it. Levesque ordered Edwards to show his hands. The truck started to move in reverse, with tires spinning, in Levesque’s direction, Murphy wrote.
Levesque fired a shot into the back window of the truck. The bullet traveled through the rear window, through the driver’s side headrest and struck Edwards, according to the affidavit.
Edwards was taken to Central Maine Medical Center where he was diagnosed with a a bullet wound to the back of his head and a skull fracture, Murphy wrote.
He was listed in stable condition and admitted to the intensive care unit.
The officer who first pursued the truck identified Edwards as the driver.
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