Warren Mongo, left, makes his initial appearance at 8th District Court in Lewiston on Friday with attorney Ed Rabasco. Mongo faces a string of charges including operating after revocation. (Sun Journal photo by Andree Kehn)
LEWISTON — An Auburn man who fled from police Thursday night onto “jagged rocks” overlooking the Great Falls of Androscoggin River, prompting rescue crews to assist in the search before his arrest, appeared in court Friday on a felony charge.
Warren M. Mongo, 45, of 248 Turner St. was charged with operating after revocation, punishable by up to five years in prison. He also was charged with a string of related misdemeanors, including reckless conduct, driving to endanger, failure to stop for an officer and criminal trespass.
Police wrote in an affidavit that an officer was seeking to serve Mongo with a warrant for unpaid fines Thursday night when he was seen driving his girlfriend’s car after leaving his job at Dunkin’ Donuts.
Police tried to stop the Toyota Camry with lights and siren, but the driver “disregarded my signals” and continued before running a red light at Hampshire and Union streets. It traveled in the direction of Great Falls Plaza, patrol officer Kenneth G. Jones wrote in a sworn statement.
The car slowed and a man fled from it toward the trails of West Pitch Park that overlook Androscoggin River’s Great Falls. The man ignored verbal commands to stop, then “ran down onto the rocks near the river, all of which were marked as a no trespass zone,” Jones wrote.
Mongo continued to run on the rocks under the train trestle, then back toward the river, according to the affidavit.
“Due to the nighttime temperatures and the overall severity of the call” Lewiston’s police and fire crews responded to the scene to assist, as well as Auburn Rescue.
Mongo “continued to run and hide behind multiple rocks, all while being advised to turn himself in,” Jones wrote. Police officers climbed down onto “jagged rocks” near the river to take Mongo into custody, he wrote.
Assistant District Attorney Andrew Matulis argued Friday that bail should be set at $2,500, telling the judge that Mongo “ran from the police and put the police at risk.”
Eighth District Court Judge Rick Lawrence appointed an attorney to represent Mongo and set his bail at $1,000 cash bail or $500 cash with supervised release. If freed from Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn, Mongo is barred from driving a motor vehicle and from having any car keys.
Attorney Ed Rabasco said Mongo has a history of a significant head injury from an assault during a robbery and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
cwilliams@sunjournal.com
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