Laconia Man Arrested After State Police Chase, DWI Crash In Lee

LEE, NH — A Laconia man is facing numerous after being accused of fleeing from police and being involved in a high-speed chase that ended in a crash in Lee on Friday.

At just after 2:15 a.m., a state trooper monitoring traffic on Route 16 saw a vehicle traveling south at a high rate of speed. The vehicle, a 1996 Nissan Maxima, was clocked at 106 mph, according to Lt. John Hennessey of Troop A. The trooper began to pursue the car, attempted to stop it, and learned Dover police had accused the driver of fleeing from them minutes before.

"As (the) trooper caught up to the vehicle, he observed obvious lane control issues and suspected that the driver was possibly impaired," Hennessey said. "It quickly became obvious to (the) trooper that the driver had no intention of stopping for him as the Nissan continued to travel at a high rate of speed onto Interstate 95 south."

The trooper accused the vehicle of drifting between several lanes of travel and then, getting off the Interstate onto Route 101 in Hampton. Later, a Stratham police officer attempted to stop the vehicle with stop sticks.

"The stop sticks deflated several tires of the Nissan and greatly reduced its speed, however, the Nissan continued westbound until it exited the highway at Exit 7 and traveled north on Route 125," Hennessey stated. "Now traveling on three rims as only one tire remained, the pursuit continued onto Route 4 west from the Lee traffic circle, where a short time later, the Nissan left the roadway and crashed into a ditch."

After the crash, the driver, later identified as Christopher Deputat, 31, of Laconia, was accused of fleeing the area. A K-9 was called in, found Deputat, and he was arrested. A passenger in the vehicle, a 30-year-old woman from Salisbury, Massachusetts, was taken into protective custody due to "her impairment, presumably by a controlled substance," Hennessey said.

Deputat was charged with felony reckless conduct, aggravated driving while intoxicated, disobeying an officer, conduct after an accident, resisting arrest, and driving after suspension. He is being held in the Strafford County Jail and is expected to be arraigned on Friday.

State police were assisted by several police agencies including Epping, Lee, and Stratham police as well as the Barrington Fire and EMS team.

Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the New Hampshire State Police and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the removal request process for New Hampshire Patch police reports.

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