Former Strafford man who led police on high speed Spaulding chase get year in jail

Benjamin Hatch (NH State Police photo)

DOVER - A former Strafford man who stole a car and led police on a high-speed chase before fleeing the vehicle and being chased down on foot in October was sentenced to a year in county jail on Wednesday.

Benjamin Hatch, 25, who was listed as transient on his January indictment, pleaded guilty to felony reckless conduct and receiving stolen property as well as resisting arrest for which he was sentenced to 12 months in county jail. He received 1-3 years on the two felonies, with part of the sentence suspended and part deferred, Strafford County Assistant Attorney Katelyn Henmueller said on Wednesday.

The incident unfolded on Oct. 13 around 3:15 a.m. when Dover police advised state police troopers of a blue Honda CRV failing to stop for a moving violation. The car, which was headed northbound, was seen a short time later by a trooper who clocked the vehicle speed at 95 mph.

When Trooper Nathan Sleight tried to pull the car over, it speeded up as the driver sought to elude police by continuing to drive north.

The vehicle chase ended when Trooper Matthew Bailey deployed "stop sticks," at the Rochester tolls, deflating the front driver's side tire. The driver exited the highway at Exit 11 and eventually came to a stop on Myrtle Street in Rochester, where Hatch and a passenger fled.

Sleight and Bailey took both individuals into custody after a brief foot pursuit.

A subsequent check of the Honda CRV's New Hampshire registration revealed it had been stolen in Rochester.

The passenger, Angela Ruotolo, 31, of Westbrook, Maine, was charged with resisting arrest.

Hatch still faces arrest complaints from a Sept 29 incident in which he was charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon and bodily injury, DV reckless conduct, DV simple assault and criminal mischief in connection with a Rochester incident.

Henmueller said there has still been no indictment on those charges.