MOUNT VERNON — An Augusta man was killed Saturday evening when the car he was driving crashed into the woods in Mount Vernon after police had been seeking him in two speeding incidents in Manchester and Augusta.
At 6:22 p.m. Saturday, a deputy with the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office saw a motorcycle traveling east on Route 202 in Manchester at a speed estimated at more than 100 mph, according to information released Sunday by the Sheriff’s Office.
The deputy tried to stop the motorcycle, but did not give chase because of the high speed.
A short time later, the motorcycle was found abandoned near the Augusta-Manchester line and a man was seen running into the woods.
The owner of the motorcycle was identified through a registration check. When contacted by police, he said he was in the process of selling the motorcycle to Mark Sousa, 44, of Augusta.
At about 9:30 p.m., deputies learned Sousa had been seen driving his Volkswagen Jetta on Burns Road in Augusta. A deputy and an Augusta police officer tried to stop the car, but it sped off with its lights off, traveling north on Prescott Road, according to reports.
Police said they decided not to pursue the Jetta because of the driver’s reckless driving, but they were able to track the speeding car after witnesses reported they had seen a speeding car.
Near the intersection of Bartlett Road and Wings Mills Road in Mount Vernon, police found signs a vehicle had left the roadway. At about the same time, the dispatch center was receiving reports of a crash in that area.
Police found the car, with no occupant, in the woods. After a search, police found a man lying in the field. Rescue personnel confirmed he had died at the scene. The man was identified as Sousa.
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