A 31-year-old Massachusetts man was arrested this weekend after he allegedly fled from police while driving on Route 9 in Sullivan, New Hampshire, and then crashed his car and ran into the woods before officers arrived.
New Hampshire State Police say a trooper was on patrol, conducting radar speed enforcement on Route 9 around 9:12 p.m. Saturday when he saw a car traveling westbound, speeding. The trooper attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the driver refused, prompting a police pursuit.
According to police, the car reached nearly 90 mph speeding away from the trooper. Moments after, the trooper found the vehicle heavily damaged on Route 9; it had struck a utility pole.
The trooper saw two people run away from the crash scene toward a nearby river and into a heavily wooded area. Numerous troopers and officers from the Keene Police Department were on scene within minutes and a search was conducted in an attempt to find both people who got away.
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During that search, the passenger emerged injured from the woods, police said. The passenger was taken to Cheshire Medical Center and treated for minor injuries.
Hours later, around 3:30 a.m., there was a trooper still on scene who saw a man walking down Route 9 in the area of Granite Gorge and quickly identified him as the driver.
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The man, identified as Childlove Gelin, of Springfield, Mass., was taken into custody and taken by ambulance to Cheshire Medical Center for precautionary reasons since he was exposed to the elements.
He was later discharged from the hospital and transferred to the Cheshire County House of Corrections where he's being held without bail until his arraignment in Keene District Court on Monday, police said. Attorney information wasn't immediately available.
He's facing several charges including disobeying an officer, conduct after an accident, reckless conduct, criminal mischief, operating after suspension, speed, open container and fugitive from justice. Additional charges are expected pending further investigation, police added.
According to police, Gelin was found to have two full extradition warrants out of police departments in New York City, New York, and Springfield, Mass.
Route 9 was closed for several hours in the area of the crash while utility companies repaired the damaged utility pole.
