Maine Man, Police Troopers + Dog Fall Through Ice During Chase

A Maine man, two New Hampshire Police Troopers and their K-9 all fell into an icy pond as the man was trying to flee.

WLBZ-2 reports the pursuit started in Jeremy Hovey Leclair's hometown of Kittery, Maine Thursday night. He allegedly used his pickup truck to try and force a Maine State Police Cruiser off the road in Kittery. Police say he drove away and then similar incidents were reported in Eliot and Dover, New Hampshire, giving police the impression that he was trying to get them to chase him. During this time, Troopers received information that led them to suspect that Hovey Leclair's 4-year-old son might be in the car with him.

Out of concern for the child, police kept a safe distance away from the pickup and then used a deflation device to flatten the vehicle's tires. Hovey Leclair continued on until he hit a dead-end road in Milton, NH, where he got out of the truck and ran onto an icy pond. The child was left in the pickup and wasn't hurt in the incident.

Two State Police Troopers and their dog ran after the 39-year-old and all four fell through the ice. Additional police were able to use a rope to get them out of the frigid water in time so that none needed medical treatment. Hovey Leclair was taken to a local hospital to get checked out and then to the Strafford County Jail.

He's charged with reckless conduct, disobeying a police officer, endangering the welfare of a child, resisting arrest, willful interference with a police dog, and reckless operation. Additional charges may be filed.