A Fair Haven man is in custody after allegedly crashing into the police officer who was chasing him.
Jake F. Desjadon, 38, pleaded not guilty on Monday in Rutland County criminal court to a felony charge of reckless driving while eluding police. The charge carries a maximum of five years in prison. Desjadon was held for lack of $25,000 bail.
Vermont State Police said Fair Haven Police Ofc. Thomas Covino was in pursuit of Desjadon after trying to pull him over for speeding on Route 22A at around 7:30 a.m. Saturday. Desjadon lost control on the westbound ramp for Route 4, police said, and the two vehicles collided, after which Desjadon climbed out through his window and fled on foot.
Fair Haven Police Chief William Humphries said on Monday that Covino was unhurt.
“He’s fine,” Humphries said. “The car’s not totaled — it’s not minor damage but minor, relatively speaking.”
Police said Covino got a good enough look at Desjadon to identify him from his DMV photo. Police said they located Desjadon later that day in the basement boiler room of a private residence and arrested him.
Desjadon allegedly told police he had not been speeding prior to seeing Covino, and when he saw Covino turn to follow him, he tried to get away because he did not want to go back to jail. He said he lost control on the on-ramp, according to affidavits, and never took his foot off the gas.
“The defendant advised that was why his truck hit the guardrail and then shot back across the entrance ramp and down into the ditch,” the affidavit reads. “The defendant advised he was on the gas the entire time his truck was sliding down the embankment with the hope he would get back on the road and get into New York to get away, and then stated doing so would have created more problems for himself.”
Police said Desjadon had a warrant for his arrest in Bennington County on poaching and stolen property charges, as well as a non-extraditable warrant from New Hampshire on unspecified charges.