A Vassalboro man who was on probation for conspiracy to traffic drugs was arrested Sunday, April 19, after he allegedly led Maine State Police on a high speed chase into Newcastle.

Logan Nelson, 25, of Vassalboro, was arrested and charged with felony eluding after he reportedly tried to flee from Maine State Police troopers in Windsor.

According to a press release from Maine State Police Sergeant Patrick Hood, he and Trooper Scott Quintero were at the corner of Routes 32 and 17 in Windsor investigating a suspicious vehicle. While the pair was watching the vehicle, a Ford truck reportedly came into the intersection and the driver began squealing the tires before it pulled away east onto Route 17.

According to Hood's report, the truck began to swerve and cross the center line. The pursuit reportedly reached speeds of 95 miles per hour.

The chase continued 18 miles from Windsor to Route 32 then onto Route 215 and onto Route 194 in Newcastle, where the pursuit ended on Happy Valley Lane in Newcastle.

The roads soon became impassable, and Hood wrote that the troopers kept the truck in sight while they were on foot. Eventually, due to damage sustained over the course of the pursuit, the truck was finally stopped and the troopers were able to catch the driver, who was later reported to be Nelson.

Nelson reportedly admitted that he was on probation for conspiracy to traffic cocaine. He was also reported to have said that he was violating his probation by drinking. Nelson allegedly said he “felt that he was going to do everything in his power to get away so that he did not have to go back to prison,” according to the release.

Lincoln County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Brendan Kane assisted the State Police during the investigation, and Nelson was sent to Two Bridges Regional Jail, where as of Tuesday afternoon, he was still being held on $5,000 bail.

Nelson was charged with Class C eluding an officer, which is a felony and carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.