NEWBURYPORT — A New Hampshire man is behind bars after a wild ride and crime spree that spanned three states.
Newburyport Police are continuing to investigate the spree, which started in Maine on Thanksgiving Day, caused a police chase and manhunt in Newburyport Thanksgiving night and ended a couple days later after police say they caught him in a pizza delivery man's car he stole in New Hampshire.
Police say William York, 50, of Dover, N.H., jumped from one stolen car to the next — including one he took from a disabled Newburyport man — stole cell phones, some prescription drugs and led them on two chases. He's being held in New Hampshire, but police hope to have him back in Massachusetts soon to face charges.
At 9:17 p.m., Sgt. Maguire of Newburyport Police heard West Newbury Police were chasing a vehicle refusing to stop on Route 113.
"He was clearly refusing to stop and disobeying speed, traffic lights and signs, lane markings, plaza," Newburyport Inspector Brian Brunault said. "Vehicle continued on High Street leaving Newburyport and going into Newbury. Shortly later, we were notified the vehicle was heading back into Newburyport on Route 1A."
Officer Ed Rice deployed stop sticks in the area of Rolfe's Lane in Newbury, which the black 2006 Chevy Silverado ran over. The truck continued west on High Street where cruisers lost track of the truck.
"At approximately 9:30 p.m., the chase stopped, and we began searching for the truck," Brunault said. "About quarter of 10 p.m., we discovered the vehicle in the driveway of 47 Longfellow Drive."
State and Amesbury Police canine units were called in to search for the driver, but after a four-hour search, no one was found.
Brunault said that with the help of the dogs, police were able to track the man through the wood line of the Artichoke Reservoir, east following the woods on Route 113 in the area of Hoyts Lane and Daniel Lucy Way onto Curzon Mill Road and east onto Pine Hill Road.
The suspect then traveled back over Interstate 95 behind Woodman Way and onto the Evergreen Golf Course, where the dogs lost the scent.
Inside the man's truck, Burnault found two cell phones, paperwork and a pill bottle with the owner's name scratched out.
Brunault was then able to identify the suspect as York through contacts in the phone.
"The vehicle was stolen out of Portsmouth on Nov. 18," Brunault said. "It had New Hampshire plates initially, and when we found it, he had swapped the plates for Maine plates off a car stolen in Maine."
Police later found the New Hampshire plate in the back of the truck.
The Maine plate was found to be from a car stolen from a York, Maine, Park and Ride lot early on Thanksgiving.
Upon further investigation, Brunault was able to link the vehicle to a robbery at a Wakefield, N.H., gas station, in which a woman's purse was stolen from her as she pumped gas.
"Through their investigation, it was found the Wakefield victim's prescription bottle was taken," Brunault said. "I was able to decipher the name and verify the pill bottle was hers. I then reasonably concluded the suspect was the person who robbed the woman in Wakefield, based on the pill bottle."
On Friday morning, Brunault was alerted that the home on Harding Street was broken into and a car stolen out of the driveway.
"Sometime in the early morning hours, an unknown person entered the home through the side door and stole medication, cash and car keys," Brunault said. "The victim was sleeping in the living room when the suspect entered the living room and ransacked a desk for more cash and checkbooks and took a blue 1987 Cadillac Seville with handicap plates out of the driveway."
Brunault noted the victim is a disabled man who is hard of hearing and was not woken up by the burglary.
Later that day, police received a call from Lawrence Police noting that the car stolen from Harding Street was found in the parking lot of Lawrence General Hospital. The car was missing a cell phone the victim's daughter had left in the vehicle.
"On Saturday, Epping, N.H., police called to say they arrested Mr. William Yates after he stole a vehicle from a pizza delivery person at a gas station."
Another chase ensued, and police later arrested York in Chester, N.H.
Also on Saturday, Lawrence Police found the wallet of the woman who was robbed in Wakefield, N.H., on the ground in the area of Lawrence General Hospital.
York is now being held on$15,000 cash bail in Rockingham County Correctional Institute on charges stemming from vehicle theft, the chase and receiving stolen property.
Newburyport is still investigating the incident and is looking to charge York additionally with burglary, vehicle theft and receiving stolen property. Brunault said the department is currently looking at a number of vehicle complaints to piece the puzzle together. Maine Police are also investigating charges of credit card and vehicle theft.
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