Maine

Pickup Truck Destroys Maine Store in Crash After Police Chase

"The impact was so violent that 30 feet away, there was packaging outside": The owner of Bolsters Mill Country Store in Otisfield, Maine, woke up to the news that a police chase had ended in a crash that destroyed the inside of his shop.

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A police chase in Maine ended with a truck destroying the inside of a general store in Otisfield, Maine.

Deputies from the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office checked on a suspicious vehicle at a gas station in Raymond, about 17 miles from the crash site, around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday.

That's when they say 31-year-old Zachary Mercier sped away, leading police on a pursuit that ended when the truck, which had three tires punctured by spike strips, hurtled into the Bolsters Mills Country Store.

"The impact was so violent that 30 feet away, there was packaging outside," said John Bisnette, the store's owner, who was woken up by a call about the crash.

"We do have insurance," he said. "It's up in the air what they'll cover."

Bisnette estimates the damage to be between $50,000 and $80,000. He did not immediately know if Mercier had insurance that would cover the crash.

Police say Mercier appeared to be impaired and had to be "tased" before his arrest because he was uncooperative.

Bisnette wasn't sure what he would say to Mercier if he had the opportunity.

His foremost concern was for his full-time staff of around a half-dozen workers who will be out of a job for the foreseeable future.

"It's lost salaries, lost wages," he said. "We're at a standstill right now … These stores don't work on much of a margin to begin with."

"I'm fortunate I have a second job," said Hannah Lowe, one of Bisnette's employees. "For the other girls, this is their only job, this is all they have, what are they going to do?"

Thursday morning, the staff gathered in front of the store with coffee to offer to patrons to try to restore a sense of normalcy.

Mercier is expected to be charged with criminal speeding, evading police and failure to submit to arrest, among other charges.

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