The driver police have accused of striking a family of four on a sidewalk in Lincoln earlier this month was arrested again on Sunday following a pursuit that ended when he hit a police cruiser.
Carl Hartley, 57, of Mattawamkeag, was arrested following the July 18 crash in Lincoln and charged with operating under the influence and unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs, according to the Lincoln Police Department. Additional charges of driving to endanger and reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon were added in the days after.
The July 18 crash injured the family of four, including one member who was trapped under the vehicle. Officials said a 24-year-old woman was seriously injured, while a 29-year-old man, a 5-year-old, and a 3-month-old were also injured.
On Sunday, just days after he was released on bail, Hartley was arrested again. He was charged with operating under the influence, aggravated criminal mischief, refusing to stop for a law enforcement officer, driving to endanger and violating conditions of release, the Lincoln Police Department said in a news release on Monday.
Police responded to several 911 calls around 6:50 p.m. Sunday reporting a white pickup truck weaving across the roadway on Lee Road and nearly striking oncoming traffic, the department said.
An officer located the vehicle on Lee Road and attempted to initiate a traffic stop, the department said, but the driver, later identified as Hartley, failed to stop and continued to repeatedly cross the center line. Hartley eventually turned onto Main Street and entered a parking lot.
“During the pursuit, the pickup truck turned around in the parking lot of a business and drove directly toward the pursuing cruiser, striking the driver’s side and temporarily trapping the officer inside,” the department stated in the news release. “The officer exited the cruiser through the passenger side and safely took the driver into custody without further incident. The officer was not injured.”
Hartley was taken to the police department where an intoxilyzer test indicated he was not under the influence of alcohol. However, the department stated that “investigators developed probable cause to believe Hartley was operating under the influence of drugs.”
Hartley consented to a blood draw and the toxicology results are still pending, the department said. He was transported to Penobscot County Jail, where he was still in custody as of Monday.
The investigation into Sunday’s incident is ongoing. The Lincoln Police Department is encouraging any witnesses to call them at 207-794-2221.