Woman Who Rammed 3 Maine Cruisers Tasered—Twice

July 22--SACO -- A Massachusetts woman is behind bars after Saco police say she rammed several cruisers while going the wrong way on the Maine Turnpike and assorted exit and entrance ramps.

The incident began just before 1 a.m. Monday when the Maine State Police notified Saco police that a woman driving a convertible had been headed southbound in the northbound lanes on the turnpike and got off at Exit 36 in Saco.

An officer responding to the report was climbing the on-ramp from Route 1 to the Interstate 195 spur westbound when he encountered the convertible coming down the ramp the wrong way toward him, said Deputy Chief Jeff Holland.

The officer was able to avoid a collision, but the woman stopped and put her car in reverse and rammed him, then rammed him again, Holland said.

The woman then drove up onto I-195 headed for the turnpike and got off the highway at the Industrial Park Road on-ramp, stopped and then rammed the pursuing officer again, disabling his cruiser, he said.

At this point, the rest of the late-night shift was responding. A second officer started down the ramp and was able to avoid a collision with the woman who drove back up, Holland said. She crossed the turnpike connector and started to head northbound on the turnpike.

Two officers pursued her until she stopped again, put her car in reverse and rammed one of them, Holland said. The other officer pulled his cruiser in front of her vehicle, and she rammed the cruiser head-on, but in so doing disabled her car, Holland said.

The officers determined she was alone in the car but she refused to come out. The officers smashed the driver's side window and were able to get her out of the car but were unable to restrain her and used a Taser, Holland said.

The officers still couldn't secure her in handcuffs and Tasered her a second time, he said.

After she was handcuffed, an ambulance took her to Maine Medical Center in Portland for treatment and evaluation.

Holland said she wasn't seriously injured and none of his officers were either.

"We're very lucky no other citizens were injured by this," he said. "Nobody else was involved in these rammings. We're counting our blessings at this point, for sure."

Police charged Monique Vallee, 43, of Andover, Mass., with four counts of aggravated reckless conduct, three counts of assault on an officer and three counts of criminal mischief, Holland said. She was taken to York County Jail in Alfred later Monday morning.

Holland said one cruiser was destroyed and another is repairable. It wasn't yet known if the third cruiser could be repaired.

The department has spare cars, he said, and the damage will not have an impact on public safety or the number of officers patrolling the city.

The department has taken delivery of two new cruisers but they are still getting their lettering, he said.

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