The Androscoggin Sheriff’s Department arrested a Warren man on Tuesday after he allegedly fled law enforcement in a vehicle stolen from a local car dealership.
[RELATED: Benton Man Arrested on Five Outstanding Warrants After Fleeing Police in Stolen Car…]
At approximately 8:14 a.m., Androscoggin Deputy Lance Neal was conducting routine traffic enforcement when he observed a black SUV traveling at high speed northbound on Maine Street in Poland.
Neal attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver allegedly accelerated and fled.
The suspect reportedly turned onto Aggregate Road and continued fleeing onto Poland Corner Road.
He allegedly lost control of his vehicle near 106 Poland Corner Road and crashed into a utility pole.
The suspect allegedly came to a stop in a wooded area and exited the vehicle and fled on foot.
Deputies quickly apprehended the suspect and took him into custody.
He was identified as Isaiah Strong-Gassama, 28, of Warren.
Strong-Gassama was transported to the Central Maine Medical Center for treatment for minor injuries before being brought to the Androscoggin County Jail.
During the investigation, police learned that the suspect’s vehicle had allegedly been stolen from a local car dealership.
Strong-Gassama was charged with theft by unauthorized taking or transfer, operating without a license, operating after license suspension as a habitual offender, failing to stop for an officer, driving to endanger, and false attachment of registration.
The Poland Fire-Rescue, Mechanic Falls Police Department, and K9 units from the Maine Warden Service and the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department assisted in the investigation.
Though police did not mention any charge of violating conditions of release, Strong-Gassama has a lengthy criminal history.
Maine Department of Corrections (MDOC) records reveal that Strong-Gassama was previously sentenced for eluding an officer.
According to records, he was sentenced in 2023 to four years, with all but 60 days suspended, and two years of probation.
He is currently listed in those records as living in a community in Mexico, Maine.
He was also previously arrested in 2017 in connection with an armed robbery in Poland.
Long time Maine family history ?
Not ?