POLAND — A Warren man was arrested Tuesday morning after crashing on Poland Corner Road in what police say was a stolen car.
Police said 28-year-old Isaiah Strong-Gassama was arrested after fleeing into the woods after crashing the SUV that had been stolen from an area dealership.
The drama began about 8:15 a.m., police said, when Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Deputy Lance Neal spotted the black SUV being driven south on Maine Street at a high rate of speed.
“Deputy Neal attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the operator accelerated and failed to stop,” according to a Sheriff’s Department news release. “The vehicle turned onto Aggregate Road and continued onto Poland Corner Road. The operator lost control of the vehicle in the area of 106 Poland Corner Road, striking and breaking a utility pole before coming to rest in a wooded area.”
Police said Strong-Gassama ran into the woods but was quickly captured. Believing there may be a second suspect, sheriff’s deputies were joined at the scene by officers from Mechanic Falls, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and a Maine Warden Service agent with a tracking dog.
Investigators later concluded that Strong-Gassama was alone when he crashed.
He was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, police said, to be treated for minor injuries. He was booked into the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn on charges of theft, failure to stop for police, driving to endanger, driving without a license, driving after suspension and attaching false registration.
Poland Corner Road between Northern Springs Drive and Plains Road was closed for several hours while the utility pole was repaired.
Strong-Gassama is familiar to the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office, having been convicted for a 2017 home invasion on Empire Road in Poland. He was sentenced to two years in prison but entered a deal to remain free upon the promise of committing no further offenses.
A day after that plea deal was reached, Strong-Gassama was arrested again, accused of leading police on a high-speed chase. He was convicted of eluding police, driving to endanger and criminal speed in that 2018 incident.
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