Waitsfield to Waterbury to Williston: Burlington man faces charges after high speed chase
April 24, 2021 | By Mike Donoghue | Correspondent
This story was updated on April 27.
WAITSFIELD — What started as a heads-up to a driver for one of his brake lights being out turned into a Burlington man leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase Friday night through parts of Washington and Chittenden County.
It also resulted in new criminal charges against the motorist whose record includes multiple driving while intoxicated convictions, authorities said.
The highway chase ended when Peter M. Smith II, 44, of Linden Terrace in Burlington, crashed his truck in Williston and fled from officers on foot through a large swamp, the Washington County Sheriff's Department said.
Smith was caught hours later at his home after a tip from a Williston resident who assisted Smith who asked for a ride late Friday night, the sheriff’s department reported.
In the early moments of the chase, Smith ignored a sheriff’s blue lights and sirens signaling him to pull over. Smith’s front-seat passenger, fearing greater injury, said he jumped from the truck while it was moving at about 20 mph, according to Lt. Marc Poulin with the Washington County Sheriff's Department.
Smith pleaded not guilty by video Monday in Washington County criminal court in Barre to a felony count of negligent operation while eluding law enforcement and misdemeanor counts of gross negligent operation, reckless endangerment, giving false information to law enforcement, violating conditions of release, and driving with a suspended license.
If convicted, Smith faces a maximum sentence of 11½ years in prison. He was ordered held at Northwest Correctional Facility in St. Albans on $25,000 bail with 10% needed to be posted to secure his release. Smith will also only be released into the custody of a responsible adult. Smith also is on probation for a domestic assault conviction in Chittenden County.
Pulled over in Waitsfield
The chain of events began when Deputy Sheriff Tyler Jordan, while on routine patrol for the town of Waitsfield, spotted a New Hampshire-registered truck with a defective brake light and pulled over the driver to alert him, Poulin said. Jordan reported he detected a heavy odor of intoxicants during the interaction with Smith on Old County Road near Main Street at about 7:54 p.m. Friday, Poulin said.
Smith got out of the truck a couple of times during the stop and Jordan asked him each time to remain inside while the deputy checked information, Poulin said. During the stop, Smith reportedly claimed to be his younger brother, the lieutenant said.
Smith instead opted to speed away. Soon after the truck made its way down Main Street with Jordan in pursuit, a passenger jumped out and was injured as he fell to the ground. Jordan called for an ambulance for Robert Leo, 54, while bystanders helped him out of the road. Leo was taken to Central Vermont Medical Center, officials said. Leo, who was reportedly knocked unconscious initially, was later released.
After some back and forth, the chase eventually proceeded north on Vermont Route 100 at speeds between 40 and 90 mph, officials said. It followed Route 100B into Middlesex where Smith turned onto U.S. 2 and then got onto Interstate 89 northbound, officials said.
Evading pop-up spikes and a K-9
Jordan reported that the truck, which had reached speeds of 100 mph, made three U-turns in the grassy median on I-89 near the Waterbury exit. Smith exited the interstate in Waterbury and the chase proceeded on U.S. 2 through Bolton and into Richmond, where Williston Police attempted to deploy tire-deflating spikes to disable the vehicle on Cochran Road, police said.
Sgt. Eric Shepard activated the stop stripes with pop-up spikes, but Smith drove into the opposite lanes to avoid the spikes, police said. Shepard then joined the pursuit as it continued on backroads into Williston and eventually onto South Road and the dead-end Mud Pond Road.
At the end of the dirt road, Smith drove through a locked chain link fence that had a large orange caution sign and continued into the woods until his truck became disabled due to the rough terrain about 8:47 p.m., investigators said. Smith got out and then fled on foot.
South Burlington Police K-9 Rush and handler Officer Sarah Keller were called and tracked Smith for about a half mile in the dense woods and swamp, but lost the scent, police said. They ended the search by Oak Hill Road near Old Creamery Road in Williston.
Later at about 11:15 p.m., a resident of Old Creamery Road called Williston Police to report he had been asked by a man for a ride to his home in Burlington. During the ride, the man mentioned he was running from police, Poulin said. The driver called Williston Police to report the incident and the address on Linden Terrace in Burlington where he dropped off the man.
Jordan and Williston Officer Avery Lemnah went to the Burlington residence where Smith’s father reported that his son was downstairs. Poulin said Smith was found trying to hide at about 11:50 p.m.
Williston Police transported Smith to the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans pending his arraignment. Judge Mary Morrissey ordered Smith held for lack of $25,000 bail.
Times-Argus staff writer Eric Blaisdell contributed to this report.