BANGOR, Maine — A Medway man is facing multiple charges after a 15-mile high-speed chase Friday night through Old Town, Orono and Milford that reached speeds of nearly 100 mph.
Lauren MacArthur, 27, is being held at the Penobscot County Jail.
He is charged with aggravated attempted murder, eluding a police officer, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, operating after suspension and violation of a condition of release.
MacArthur was driving south on Interstate 95 about 9:15 p.m. Friday when Maine State Police Trooper Chris Hashey attempted to pull him over for an obstructed registration sticker and license plate a mile north of the Stillwater Avenue exit in Old Town. When he attempted to stop MacArthur, Hashey believed there was an outstanding warrant for the driver and that MacArthur was armed and dangerous.
It was not until the chase ended that Hashey learned the warrant for MacArthur no longer was active.
The driver refused to stop, Hashey said Saturday. Instead, MacArthur sped up, took the exit onto Stillwater Avenue and headed into downtown Old Town, the trooper said. MacArthur took Center Street to Route 2 and turned right toward Orono. Once in Orono, the driver turned right on College Avenue.
An Orono police sergeant who was directing traffic at the Alfond Arena entrance to the University of Maine was attempting to clear College Avenue of traffic when MacArthur purposely swerved toward him, according to Hashey. The sergeant was able to jump out of the path of MacArthur’s vehicle to avoid being hit.
MacArthur crossed Stillwater Avenue and continued speeding on College Avenue Extension, according to the state trooper. One of MacArthur’s tires was punctured by a spike mat set out by deputies with the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office but MacArthur kept going.
He turned right on Gilman Falls Road and led police into Milford. As MacArthur was turning left onto Route 178, Hashey said he rammed his cruiser into the 2007 Toyota Yaris MacArthur was driving. That disabled MacArthur’s car, the trooper said, but MacArthur jumped out and fled on foot toward Bradley.
Hashey caught up with MacArthur and placed him under arrest about 9:30 p.m.
The cruiser had damage to the front bumper and front passenger-side lights, according to the trooper. The Yaris, which is not registered to MacArthur, had significant damage.
Because he is charged with felonies, MacArthur must appear before a judge Monday at the Penobscot Judicial Center before bail can be set.
MacArthur could face additional charges once the case is reviewed by the Penobscot County District Attorney’s Office.
Hashey said a firearm was found near MacArthur’s car once it was stopped. If it is linked to MacArthur, he could be charged in federal court with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
He hasn’t been out of prison very long. His sentence taught him a lot now didn’t it? Has quite a rap sheet including vandalizing a church.
write his rap sheet all down why don’t you seeing as to how you know so much about it….
Stealing firearms,Burgulary, Drugs, vandalism, to name a few.
yes you are right I’m glad that you feel good judging others while you hide behind a screen name…BAD 96….thats OK not agreeing to what he did….AGREE 100% but bashing someone just rude….
BAD96 is neither judging or bashing; rather, he/she is merely stating the facts.
Actually Billof Augusta Bad69 is doing both because his “rap” sheet doesn’t have a thing to with this incident…The courts know what it is and really I don’t think it is a relevant topic of discussion concerning this particular situation…This is here and now…that was there and then..he has been punished for the crimes he has committed so people should be done with it…At least stay on topic with this particular situation…Instead of acting like you “know”…trust me just because someone is from the “area” and think that everything they hear is true…there is usually ALOT more too it…
How do you know all that, did you run a record check on him
Small area,seems everyone here knew what he did.
Hmmmm EVERYONE..really did EVERYONE know what he did or did EVERYONE think that they knew and went on what they HEARD?…Seriously as an adult I’d like to think that most people don’t just listen to what they hear but wait to “judge” based upon what actually happened and in order to that you would have had to be there or at every single court proceeding which I doubt you were…because even I didn’t go to all of his court hearings…So before you say you KNOW because f small town gossip trust me when I say there is ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS more to any story than the general public that live in the “area” knows
I was actually in the middle of this chase, twice, because he looped around old town a second time. No offense to the men in uniform, but seeing a little bitty yaris running from multiple police crusers was a sight to see. Almost couldnt believe my eyes
He thought he was the Bandit.
Lauren MacAurther? Lauren…Male? Ok. Does he have a nickname?
The “Hashman” wins again. You go boy.
to bad hot rod yaris did not have a v8 lol…. what was this guy thinking
Don’t speed near Bangor, or Hashey is gonna getcha!
I got the feeling, after reading numerous comments in regards to other similar incidents, that Trooper Hashey might be a bit of a “legend” in his patrol area. After doing a quick search on the internet, my thoughts were confirmed.
I’d venture a guess, after reading of his many arrests and traffic stops, he doesn’t spend a lot of time hanging out in the local doughnut shop.
Folks in his patrol area should consider themselves fortunate to have Trooper Hashey on duty, he is definitely deserving of his quickly developing status as a local “legend”.
I often travel the Maine Turnpike, and will always now wonder who’s behind the wheel of the unmaked cruiser I encounter. I hope it’s Trooper Hashey.
probably a legend in his own mind. A bully probably by others.
30 years in the military doesn’t really make you an expert on everything. Sounds like your a legend in your own mind. Get over yourself.
How about fleeing from the trooper, driving to endanger and criminal speeding? I guess you believe Law Enforcement should take the “oh, I guess he didn’t want to stop, oh-well” approach. As far as I’m concerned the only foolishness involved is Macarthur’s and the comments like yours.
Plus, the cops had reason to believe he had a warrant out.
No, the trooper failed to do his job as he is trained and check NCIC first…that is basic police work
delete by author
I wan’t protecting anyone..just stating where the trp failed to do his job
i misunderstood the comment. My apologies. I saw that after i typed it
No biggie
And how many of the 27 weeks a Trooper trains in the academy have you gone through?
I am a retired operations officer after almost 30 years with the military so I am more the qualified to see that the basics were not followed. I can assure you that I have seen more mistakes by LEO then I would have like to have seen. If someone fails to see room for improvement and they are in LE then they need more training.
The officer obviously knew who he was since the Yaris wasn’t registered to him and thought there was a warrant for him. Catch him later, and save potential tragedy. Yes, it’s MacArthurs fault, but high speeds through city streets don’t make sense if you know who the suspect is, and he isn’t an imminent threat. Sounds like there was considerable traffic at the time near the Alfond arena. Chases are necessary sometimes, but not all times. Too much risk for innocent drivers. The risk doesn’t outweigh the reward. I hate second guessing the officer. The story says he suspected Macarthur was armed and dangerous, but doesn’t elaborate, or say what the warrant was for that the trooper thought was active. Obviously I’m not a fan of high speed chases, though I do understand the necessity of them in some cases. Wish the story contained more facts. Well, anyway, glad nobody got hurt.
I agree.
Yeah…. let him go. A felon with a gun in the car….. thats always a good mix. Hats off to the officer.
Boxer if you re-read the story….the gun WAS NOT in the car in was close to the vicinity of his vehicle. I’m not saying it wasn’t his because I don’t know..But comments like that are what turns a story into something it isn’t. They will find out if it was his. But saying it was in the car when it wasn’t is a rush to judgement for sure. Don’t get me wrong I know a lot of people are upset by this whole thing…But be careful what you say if it’s not a fact….In every life situation….
That was unknown at the time and was discovered afterwards. The trp should have checked first to see if the warrant was active.
Catch him later? How do you prove it was him if you catch him later? Damn if you do damn if you don’t I say chase him down and arrest him, it was interstate 95 not Bangor Gardens..
It passed the Alfond Arena. Don’t believe that’s on I-95. I’m not being critical of the officer, but the story reads like he knew who he was chasing. If a chase becomes too dangerous it should be terminated. That’s all I’m saying. It’s not up to me to judge this one. If someone involved in the chase broadsided your loved ones car at 80 mph, would you feel the same way you do now? It happens.
I agree he was foolish . The man was not speeding before the cop tried to stop him . Sometimes kids driving don’t make good choices . Should that be a possible death sentence for a simple mistake like trying to out run a cop????? I had a few run ins in my day cops that were not so honest. If you have a plate number or the cop new who he was he could have just picked him up latter.
“Simple mistake like trying to out run a cop”…….. You ARE kidding….right?
Kid? He’s 27.
You no the police have spike belts and radios no need for speed chases any more . I think they are as much at fault for the high speed chases .
I highly doubt that a police officer doing a routine traffic stop causes high speed chases. You make it sound like the cop (doing his job) antagonizes the criminal forcing him to speed away… Much easier if he had just stopped like he was supposed to.
But, the trooper knew who he was putting the general public at risk and amost killed another officer. none of this needed to happen if the tooper had did his job correctly and check first to see if the warrant was in the system….
How did he know who was in the car if the plate was obstructed and it wasn’t even registered to him?
You’re absolutely right that none of this needed to happen…IF the perpetrator would have stopped like he was SUPPOSED to when the blue lights came on. Don’t blame the state trooper for doing what he’s supposed to do. Rather, place the blame on the total loser who apparently feels that the law doesn’t apply to him. Hopefully, he’ll be convicted of all charges against him. The state of Maine (or any state, for that matter) doesn’t need people like him on the road, endangering the lives of innocent people.
P.S. If you used spell check, your comments may (or may not) be taken more seriously (e.g. “if the tooper” had done his job….).
They both put the public at risk. And, I dont care enough of what people like you think to bother spell checking.
Right past the Alfond with a large crowd. Had no idea that happened. Fortunately the game went into overtime or the crowd might have been leaving.
High speed chases don’t occur because of obstructed registration sticker and plate violations. They are the result of failure to stop for the officer. The driver escalated the situation. The story isn’t really clear as to whether the officer was also stopping the subject because of the warrant.
I’m going to write this on behalf of Lauren’s family…We agree with some of what people are saying but as a whole I highly doubt anyone knows him or the complexity of his life. My brother has fought as I’m sure many others have to find a way to function when it is some times nearly impossible…..I’m not going to blame this particular situation on anything except for his own bad judgement. I just would ask out of respect for myself and my 2 sisters that no personal attacks or rude comments are made about him, my father(who is deceased) or his mother on here..It is hurtful enough that this has happened and we are glad that no one was hurt…Thank you….
yes fortuanately your brother did not kill the officer.
Since you have taken it upon yourself to act as the family spokesperson, please take a moment and share with the readership some positive attributes your brother possesses. You know, things like career accomplishments, communtity service, that sort of thing. It might help convince those casting aspersions they are premature in passing judgement.
Agreed. I feel bad for the family but not for this guy. Consequences consequences. It is human nature to talk about things like people are on here. right or wrong that’s the way it is. either here online or at the local diners. guarantee you that this story is making the rounds on the local diner circuit. The family has the choice to not read the comments. No one forces them to be on here.
green_archer I agree but I will read what people say and like I have said, and will continue to say agree for the most part. But when people write comments about his mom or my deceased father I feel it is my right/responsibility being the oldest sibling to at least try and cool the sting of some people thoughtless words…His grandmother and many family members read the Bangor Daily ..its just what you do and should they come upon some of the comments I want them to at least know I’m looking out for them and trying keep it as civil as possible..
Your words are very thoughtful and well written. I agree that this really has nothing to do with the family as they were not the ones going 100 down the streets. I haven’t read any comments directed at the grandmother or parents. The people that write those are dicks. Your brothers actions are his alone. just like anything that I might do has nothing to do with my grandmother or parents.
i flagged them and they were deleted and they were about my father who is deceased and Lauren’s mother who has been nothing but kind compassionate and supportive to him and myself…I only mentioned the grandmother etc…because I care about all of them very much…….and thank you
I have taken it upon myself to be the family spokesperson only for one reason and that is because I know the pain my family feels…The pain Lauren feels he will have to deal with etc. He has not been a positive person in society so to speak but has a son, 2 nieces and nephews that love him…a grandmother that has many memories of him growing up his Mom who loves him and many aunt, uncles and cousins and also My sisters and I that love him regardless…I only wish I had more positive to post but unfortunately because of how he chooses to live his life(for most of it) ..I can only ask people be respectful for what our family has gone thru….
I, and I’m sure many others, appreciate your candid response. While reading the article, I was at a loss trying to comprehend the curcumstances that would turn a minor motor vehicle stop into a full blown high speed pursuit, resulting in possible jail time.
You indicated your brother has led a troubled life. Do you feel his choosing to flee, even with the thought of the ramifcations involved, was a plea for help, or another form of lashing out at society.
The whole incident makes absolutely no sense without a better understanding of your brother’s mind set.
If you choose to enlighten us a little more about your brother, I’m sure it would be appreciated by everyone following your posts, and help us better understand how this whole incident went spiraling out of control.
I can’t tell anyone for sure what he was thinking..I haven’t yet talked to him since this incident and not sure when I will be able to…Yet I would at least like to put what I think knowing him was his reasoning for his reckless behavior.. As I think about this really the only thing I can conclude would be that he was driving without a license and was probably scared that he was going to go back to jail. I don’t know and can’t answer why certain peoples judgement is so misconstrued the only thing I can say is that Lauren enjoyed his freedom, He didn’t want to go back to jail…and instead of doing what he knew was right he did what was wrong and was hoping to not get caught…as I said this is also my speculation as I haven’t been able to talk to him as of yet. I love him and will continue to speak on behalf of the family when needed…..
You strike me as a kind and caring person, well suited for being the family spokesperson. You have handled yourself in a commendable manner under a stressful situation, with a remarkable degree of control under the curcumstances. Your willingness to openly discuss your brother’s current dilemma speaks volumes of your sense of duty to your brother and family.
Please keep us posted as to future developments.
I believe your posts here have made a diffrence in how others perceive the situation your brother is in; I know they have for me……………….
My heart goes out to the family. It certainly isn’t their fault and most people know that, but what your brother did was wrong, no matter what the reason. Hopefully, he will find a way to cope with life and its stressors and get his life back together after he serves his punishment.
It seems the only thing your brother has going for him right now is a loving family…Hopefully with your family’s support he can straighten out his life…Peace
and to later find out he has a firearm and can be charged as a felon with a firearm…yeah 9 out of 10 times if someone is running from the police, they are hiding something, let the chases go, if this took getting someone with a gun who was not allowed to have one off the street, nobody should be complaining about this. If the cop let him get away and he later commits a crime that killed someone with that gun, oh I bet you and 50 other people would be on here complaining the police didn’t do their jobs.
you’re right and you’re wrong. If they had let him go and he then committed a crime some would have blamed the officer, and if the chase had ended in death the same people, again, would have blamed the officer. It’s usually a no win situation for the police.
You are right there too, just someone has to complain but yet they can get hit by a bus walking the street and you don’t see them protesting buses should be banned, etc.
A normal person wouldnt run from the cops if he wasnt guilty of something far worse than an inspection sticker, especially a high speed chase where he goes down the middle of a 2 way street risking a head on colision risking his own life
“normal people” don’t run from the cops anyway.
A normal person not all people are normal.
“this is the way we do it in Medway” well guess what bubba your not in Medway anymore!!!
Dun…dun…dun……. another one bites the dust….. The Hashman strikes again. Thank You!
So the Trooper that “thought” that he had an active warrant to find out later that he did not. Did the trooper not to his job first and first check and see that it was in NCIC? Fruit of the poisonous tree may apply here. Had he stopped when the trooper failed to do his job, he would walk on the gun charge which would have been awful because the trooper did not do his job correctly. Some training is needed for this trooper. Wondering if he followed policy for the initial stop? He did however unessary almost cause another fellow officer to loose his life.
Suspecting that the operator had a warrant is in itself articulable suspicion and surpasses the threshold for a lawful detention or traffic stop. The operator failed to stop. At that point the operator committed a felony by refusing to stop for the Trooper using emergency lights and siren, while traveling at high speeds. I would suspect that Trooper Hashey had his hands full driving and relaying information pertinent to keeping a potentially dangerous situation as safe as possible. I am also confident that the highly trained Trooper with an impeccable performance history would have terminated the chase, had things gotten too far out of control or posed an unnecessary risk to the public. I am thinking it is you who needs to get some more training before you go spouting off about something you obviously know nothing about.
Really? He wasn’t out of control driving at those speeds over what…a warrant that he did not have? Just because your brother in blue ended getting his guy doesn’t doesn not mean he did it safely. He endangered everyone’s life by pushing this guy beyond the capabilities of the car. He only has a “impaccable performance history” goons like you want to protect the police when improvement can be made. You saying that traveling over 100 mph does not endanger the public? Of course you wouldn’t….sheep
Apparently, you’re obviously either related to, or friends with the perpetrator. I’d be willing to bet that if the state trooper hadn’t turned on the blue lights, and the perpetrator ended up maiming or killing a member of your family, you’d be among the first to complain that the trooper didn’t do his job by pulling him over. On another note (as mentioned in one of my previous posts), you really need to use spell check. Otherwise, your apparent lack of education is clearly shining through.
And you might want to read my response from your other post. Not worth typing it again
Understood. As long as you understand that I refuse to engage any further in verbal warfare with someone who’s obviously totally unarmed.
He’s not related. Washboy is a cop hater and spends his time and welfare money trolling the BDN to bash cops whenever he can. Probably had bad experiences in Washington Cnty Jail.
Thank you. That explains everything.
You have no clue what you talking about, the only poisonous fruit here is the one you seem to be nibbling from. Please explain what was the reason for the stop.
Obstructed registration sticker? Obstructed by snow and slush like 90% of the cars on the road? Not to cordone what the guy did afterwards, but the original probable cause to stop the guy is kinda on shaky legal ground, given the environmental conditions at the time. I wonder if everything is going to get thrown out due to faulty probable cause? Let’s face it, if those blue lights never would have come on, this whole unfortunate chain of events wouldn’t have unfolded as it did. Kinda like fruit from the poisonous tree. Everything that came after has to be throw out?
I make sure that my license plate is free of snow before driving so my vehicle can be identified, just like I make sure my windows are clean so I can see and my roof is clean so other people won’t be hurt by flying snow and ice.
It only takes a second to sweep the license plate off. People are really getting lazy.
27 year old irresponsible driver. Hmmm….. Do we hold another set of meetings? Raise the age to 27? Oops, wait 28…..Watch the media and stay posted because coming soon the age of stupidity will rise again!!!!
My sediments exactly. What do they make these planes for? Can’t they send a plane up, use GPS and send police ahead? Abort chase. Criminals aren’t too smart.
I saw a young man get hurt pretty bad when he didn’t make it around a corner. He didn’t realize in the state of Maine, police abort motorcycle chases. About 20 minutes later the cop pulls in behind him and says, “I thought I might find you on this corner….” The officer did nothing wrong, he was following him, but not chasing him. I had called 911 for ambulance.
Why did they flag my comment?
I have no idea. I do notice at times they start flagging a particular persons and then that person keeps getting flagged. It must be political. I have never gotten heads or tails out of it.
Good going, Chris. Glad everyone is safe, and that this guy is off the roads.
Hmmm, there is something that just doesn’t add up with this story. First of all there are many obstructed stickers and license plates in Maine during the winter with snow and/or salt. It sure appears that the obstructed plate and sticker were secondary and that the officer knew the car and was under the impression there was an active warrant on the person and used the obstructed plate as a reason to put chase to what he “thought” was someone with an active warrant. Putting others at danger by using high speed chase should only be used in extreme cases. Think of the people that could have been hurt because of an obstructed sticker!!!!! There are other ways this could have been and should have been handled without putting so many in danger.
If the perpetrator simply would have stopped when the blue lights came on, as required by law, nobody else would have been in danger.
The trooper is suppose to be a better man and catch him another day. They both put people at risk…period. And I bet he did not follow policy
Yes, the resulting chase was not under “ideal” circumstances – if any chase can be under such circumstances. However, to the people who are saying “It was just an obstructed sticker/Not reason enough for a chase/blah blah blah” – the guy FAILED TO STOP FOR AN OFFICER. Driving 101: When you see blues behind you, you pull over, regardless of whether you feel you’re doing anything wrong or not. The fact that the guy was suspected of having an outstanding warrant out for his arrest was probable cause enough – but then he DOESN’T pull over?? The officer’s actions in pursuing him were totally justified. The innocent typically don’t flee. But, being from Medway, I can’t really say this surprised me, sadly enough.
Does it really matter he was from “Medway”?…Its not like only “people from Medway” do things like this…I agreed with your whole comment up until that one…
I actually meant, I myself am from Medway (proudly, I assure you), and therefore was unsurprised at the man involved.
oh ok I see what you meant now…
These criminal apologists are ridiculous. The troopers job is to enforce the law, and if the sticker was obstructed then he’s doing his job. When the perp chose to run, then he set in motion the ensuing events. Thanks to all law enforcement officers for the job you do and the risk you face every day. Rules are rules, laws are laws, and no matter how minor, it’s what holds society together. If the trooper elected to pull him over for an obstructed regeistration tag, then he was well within his jurisdiction to do so, and if the guy runs, there’s obviously a reason.
Well ya maybe the guy had a reason. Lets say a cops make a u-turn for 1 of 2 plate lights being out. Witch of the 2 crimes is more dangerous the u-turn or 1 plate light being out???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Oh wait its not a crime to make a u-turn If you are a cop.
You are absolutely right…..its NOT a crime for a cop to make a u-turn! Get over it!
u-turns are dangerous……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
all of you should be ashamed of yourselves, judging someone on one terrible mistake. none of you know what is going on in his head or his life. I highly doubt any of you have had a mistake free life. shame on you.
Like…like…like and double like!!!!!!!!!
I have empathy for the family, but this is not his only terrible mistake……. he needs help and hopefully, he will get it.
I dont hate cops I just see room for improvment in this case. Funny thing, had the suspect killed someone the same people here defending the Trp’s actions would be the same one wanting him held accountable. My whole point is that the regardless of what the police found (afterwards) does not mean the Trp followed policy. If he did follow policy then then the State Police need to revise the policy. I am sure this officer has a video camera in the cruiser. A review of that will show that way too many risk were taking for a obstructed plate and LATER all other offenses does NOT outweight the risk.
I think this is just so funny people putting all the comments on here, when they more then likely work in a walmart or something and here you all are putting down a trooper for doing his job. Nothing more its the idiots fault for running, the trooper was just doing his job get over it! I really think that BDN REALLY needs to not let these comments be posted its full of a bunch of people thinking they are big and bad getting all their “big” words out and just being rude..I know the trooper and he works very hard for the people in our community and has saved many of lives! Grow up people.