BY TIMOTHY LAROCHE
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CLAREMONT — A Charlestown man was arraigned in Sullivan County Superior Court on Monday on multiple charges related to an alleged police chase involving multiple area law enforcement agencies.
Robert Spadjinske, 27, is being held at the Sullivan County House of Corrections after he allegedly fled from police last week.
He is charged with reckless conduct, reckless operation, disobeying and officer, resisting arrest, speeding more than 26 mph over the limit, breach of bail, operating an uninspected vehicle, unlawful driving left of the center line, driving with a revoked license and operating without a valid license.
Just after 5:41 p.m. on Friday, Charlestown police allegedly observed a blue Chevy Tracker traveling 42 mph through a posted 25 mph hour zone on Sullivan Street in Charlestown. Police turned around after the car passed by, activating the cruiser’s lights. Spadjinske, operating the vehicle, allegedly began accelerating away onto Acworth Road while police still followed, affidavits state.
As Spadjinske approached the Acworth town line, he allegedly began driving on the left side of the road. At one point during the chase, police said that speeds were clocked at 74 mph in a 35 mph residential zone. As the road climbed in elevation near Bascom’s Farm in Acworth, snowfall picked up, covering the roadway.
Spadjinske allegedly turned into the Bascom Farm driveway travelling at 52 mph, where the accumulating snow made for slick road conditions, affidavits said.
“As the vehicle came to the dead-end of the drive, he began doing ‘donuts’ in the parking lot due to the freshly falling snow,” the affidavit said. “During the course of this, the vehicle collided with my cruiser.”
However, following the crash, Spadjinske allegedly turned his vehicle around again and headed back to Charlestown, where officers from the Walpole Police Department, Claremont Police Department, New Hampshire State Police and the Springfield Police Department in Springfield, Vt. joined the pursuit. He allegedly crossed into the left lane several times during the chase, almost striking traffic coming from the opposite direction.
When the chase crossed onto Old Claremont Road in Charlestown, Walpole police deployed ‘stop sticks’ to deflate the passenger side tires of the vehicle, but Spadjinske allegedly continued driving with the flattened tires until he arrived in Morways Park. Inside the “heavily populated trailer park,” Spadjinske struck a snowbank and proceeded to allegedly flee from police on foot.
“I yelled at the driver to get on the ground,” Charlestown Officer Dennis O’Sullivan said in his affidavit. “He continued running away from me. I employed my Taser in attempts to get the subject into custody.”
Police eventually grabbed the back of Spadjinske’s coat to bring him to the ground, where he allegedly continued to resist police commands until he was subdued and handcuffed.
During the booking process, police learned that Spadjinske was on probation for operating after his driver’s license was revoked on Nov. 27, 2017.
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