BY TIMOTHY LA ROCHE
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NEWPORT — A Claremont man who led police on a chase through Acworth last month pleaded guilty on Wednesday in Sullivan County Superior Court.
Robert Spadjinske, 27, was sentenced to one year in the Sullivan County House of Corrections for reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, with another year for criminal mischief suspended upon good behavior. He was also ordered to pay restitution of more than $3,000 in damage to a police cruiser during the chase.
“The defendant’s behavior was incredibly reckless,” County Attorney Marc Hathaway said. “It was incredibly dangerous.”
On March 9, Spadjinske was arrested after leading multiple police agencies on a high-speed chase through Acworth.
The chase began after Charlestown police observed Spadjinske traveling 42 mph through a posted 25 mph zone on Sullivan Street in Charlestown. After police turned on the cruiser’s lights, he sped away onto Acworth Road with police in pursuit.
As Spadjinske approached the Acworth town line, he began driving on the left side of the road.
At one point during the chase, 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 turned into the Bascom Farm driveway travelling at 52 mph, where the snow made for slick road conditions.
“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,” Charlestown Officer Dennis O’Sullivan said in his affidavit. “During the course of this, the vehicle collided with my cruiser.”
Following the crash, Spadjinske 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, Vermont, joined the pursuit.
He 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 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 flee from police on foot.
“I yelled at the driver to get on the ground,” 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 continued to resist police commands until he was subdued and handcuffed.
Judge Brian Tucker imposed a lesser sentence on Spadjinske than the deal struck by Public Defender Lauren Breda and Hathaway asking for a suspended 2 to 7 years in New Hampshire State Prison for the criminal mischief charge.
“We think this sentence strikes the appropriate balance between sanctioning the defendant’s behavior, holding out hope for his future and protecting the community,” Hathaway said of the request for a suspended NHSP sentence.
Since 2011, Spadjinske has been convicted in Keene of possession of controlled drugs, theft, passing bad checks, criminal mischief, violation of a protective order and operating with a revoked or suspended license.
“A criminal history does not warrant a state prison sentence,” Tucker said in imposing a lesser sentence than that sought in the plea deal. “There is a three year period of probation on the reckless conduct charge. If he violates parole he can be sentenced to the maximum sentence for reckless conduct, which is three and a half to seven years. It serves as a deterrent for future crimes.”
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