Suspect Who Caused Rt 3 Augusta, Maine Road Closure Tuesday Identified

Many people around Central Maine received automatic emergency messages on their phones yesterday about an ongoing situation happening near Route 3 in Augusta.

We got word yesterday afternoon that a fairly large section of North Belfast Avenue (Rt 3) was closed between Churchill and Bolton Hill Roads for an 'ongoing situation'. We also learned through members of our audience that some area businesses, including multiple daycares, were on lockdown as well.

Wednesday morning, Shannon Moss from the department of Maine Public Safety, released an update about the situation. Moss went on to explain that Maine State Police had become involved in a vehicle pursuit on Route 32 in the town of Windsor, Maine.

The chase led to South China where the suspect then turned on to Route 3 and headed for Augusta. Coming into Augusta, police had laid down spike mats in an attempt to stop the suspect. However, in an attempt to not hit them, the suspect crashed his car on the lawn at Nadeau chiropractic in Augusta.

Following the wreck, the suspect barricaded himself inside the car. After several long hours, the suspect eventually surrendered and turned himself into police.

Shannon Moss went on to explain that 39-year-old, Jason Hewett, of Augusta, was taken into custody without further incident. He is also a suspect Hewett is a suspect in the Cushing death investigation. The deceased will be identified once the Office of Chief Medical Examiner can make a positive identification and next of kin is officially notified. Assisting the Maine State Police was the Kennebec County Sheriff's Office, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency. Further details about the incident remains under investigation.