A Canton man who had already evaded police for 20 miles in a stolen SUV was arrested Friday morning while trying to call a cab, state police say.
Shawn Dame, 32, was attempting to call a cab from the bathroom of Hamilton Marine on Presumpscot Street in Portland when he was taken into custody, according to Maine State Police spokesperson Shannon Moss.
Shortly after 9 a.m., a state trooper on Interstate 295 in Brunswick spotted a Jeep Renegade that had been reported stolen out of Portland heading south.
The jeep belonged to Marpheen Chann, a local author who serves on Portland’s planning board, and was a member of the Charter Commission last year.
Chann confirmed it was his car Friday evening. It had been missing for several days. Chann said he found out his car had been involved in a crash Friday morning after friends sent him news stories.
Chann said he expects to press charges.
Dame had allegedly just stolen gasoline from a Richmond gas station when the trooper spotted him, Moss said. When the driver refused to pull over, the trooper pursued, but pulled back around Freeport “due to the suspect’s erratic passing, heavy traffic, and the vehicle heading into an urban/metro area.”
The SUV allegedly caused a minor crash that didn’t injure anyone at mile marker 17 in Yarmouth, then crashed again into a car and the guardrail at mile marker 11 in Falmouth. Two occupants of the second car were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Police said Dame got out of the SUV and ran into the woods for about four miles before he reached Hamilton Marine where employees called police.
Dame was charged with eluding, driving to endanger, criminal speeding, leaving the scene of a crash, and operating with a suspended license.
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