Cruiser Damaged In Nighttime Pursuit

Cruiser Damaged In Nighttime Pursuit By Sandy Vondrasek

A former Randolph resident was in Orange District Court Monday, facing multiple charges related to a 20-mile police pursuit that started in Randolph Village in the early morning hours of Sunday, Oct. 5.

While Benjamin G. Harper, 23, of Hartford was pleading not guilty to four charges, including attempting to elude and reckless endangerment, the Randolph police cruiser he allegedly rammed midway during that pursuit was heading off to the body shop for repairs.

No one, including RPD Sgt. David Leighton nor Harper’s four passengers, was injured in the pursuit, state police said. The chase ended on a back road in Chelsea, when Harper’s car gave out.

Harper, was who held on $50,000 bail after his arrest, had his bail reduced to $5000 on Monday, at his arraignment in court. At the time of his arrest he was on parole for a sexual assault conviction.

Sgt. Leighton reported that the pursuit began shortly after 1 a.m., when he observed several young people run around the Cumberland Farms lot, hurriedly enter a green Kia, and drive off. Leighton, who was in the department’s marked, 2008 Ford Crown Victoria cruiser, followed, suspecting they might be avoiding him for some particular reason.

While Leighton was following the car on Central Street, dispatch radioed that a caller had just reported being followed by several subjects in a green Kia.

Leighton decided to stop the Kia—"to investigate a possible stalking"—but after taking an evasive turn on Hedding Drive, the car took off.

The chase continued up to Randolph Center and the East Bethel Road, with speeds reaching 60 mph. After the Kia circled back on Crocker Road to the East Bethel Road, two VSP cruisers joined Leighton—but behind the RPD cruiser.

With no police available to put out road spikes, Leighton passed the Kia in an attempt to slow it down. At that point, however, the Kia started weaving back and forth, in an attempt to pass the cruiser. For two miles, the two cars swerved from one side of the road to the other.

At the intersection with Route 66, the Kia passed Leighton on the left, hitting the front of the cruiser in the process.

According to RPD Chief Jim Krakowiecki, the collision ripped off a bumper, damaged a head light, and affected the steering—probably due to a bent tie rod.

VSP Troopers Slusser and Corliss maintained the chase down Route 66, onto Route 14 in East Randolph, and over the Chelsea Mountain Road at speeds up to 70 mph. The troopers, who abandoned the chase near Route 110, where the Kia gave off a big cloud of smoke, later apprehended the driver—Harper—at the end of Jenkins Brook Road, off Route 110, south of Chelsea Village.

Pursuit Policy

This week RPD Chief Krakowiecki said he would, as is standard in any pursuit, review the conduct of this one.

He noted that the department has an 11-page pursuit policy, and key elements for review include officer experience, time of day, type of road, nature of charges, volume of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, speeds, and weather.

"Like any other serious incident, this will be reviewed, and the policy will be reviewed, to make sure we are on the right page," he said.

The damaged cruiser should be back in service in about a week, the chief said. The department still has a marked 2007 Crown Vic. RPD is still waiting for an out-of-state company to install lights on the new Chevrolet cruiser won by the department last month.