BANGOR, Maine — A 12-year-old boy charged May 3 with taking a school bus for a joy ride was apprehended again Saturday morning after allegedly stealing a van and driving it through the streets of Bangor’s east side, until a police officer stopped it with his cruiser.
The Bangor boy, whose name is not being released, is charged with driving to endanger, a misdemeanor, and eluding a police officer and theft, both felonies.
Police Chief Mark Hathaway said officer Evan Haskell noticed a 2011 white Kia van on Ohio Street, near the intersection of Griffin Road, about 4 a.m. The van was driving without headlights, had front end damage and was dragging part of the front bumper on the pavement.
Haskell signaled for the vehicle to stop, but the driver refused, the chief said. Sgt. Jason Stuart tried to get the van to stop on Broadway near Center Street. He was able to stop the van with the front end of his cruiser, Hathaway said.
No one was injured, but Stuart’s patrol car had minor damage. The van being driven by the boy also was damaged.
Officers are investigating how the damage Haskell noticed on the van, which is consistent with prior collisions, happened, the chief said.
“We have requested the Maine State Police investigate the collision between the patrol car and the other vehicle,” Hathaway said.
Additional charges could be filed against the boy. Further information about his status was not available Saturday morning.
Under Maine law, the boy’s name and more information about the incident will be released in the next few weeks. Information about juveniles charged with misdemeanors is not available to the public.
“This individual was involved in similar conduct prior to this,” Sgt. Tim Cotton, spokesman for the Bangor police, said Saturday.
In May, the boy was charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle and operating without a license, according to a previously published report.
The bus was parked at the John T. Cyr and Sons lot on Ohio Street when it was taken around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday May 3, Cotton said last month.
The keys were in the vehicle when the boy got access to the bus.
The boy’s joy ride was captured on cellphone video by John W. St. Germain III, who spotted the stolen vehicle with his girlfriend. The pair subsequently began following the vehicle and called police.
St. Germain, who got onto the bus and intervened when it stopped at the intersection of Griffin Road and Ohio Streets, was presented with a challenge coin by Bangor police a few days after the incident.
If convicted of a felony, the boy could be confined to Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland until he turns 21.