Maine Man Found Hiding in Pond After Crashing Into Cars and a Home, Police Say

The short version: A 21-year-old Lebanon man who allegedly fled an attempted traffic stop, crashed into three vehicles and a house in Waterboro, and then ran from the scene was found hiding in a pond by a K-9 team Monday night, according to the York County Sheriff's Office. Zackery Lacourse was charged with operating under the influence, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, and additional counts, and was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.

The chase started as a traffic stop. It ended with a man waist-deep in a pond.

According to the York County Sheriff's Office, deputies attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Zackery Lacourse, 21, of Lebanon, Maine. Lacourse allegedly fled. What followed was a crash sequence across Waterboro: his vehicle struck three other vehicles and then a home before he abandoned the car and ran from the scene on foot.

Deputies set up a perimeter and brought in a K-9 team. The dog found him Monday night — hiding in a pond. He was taken into custody and booked on charges including operating under the influence and reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, along with additional counts. He was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.

A chase that could have been much worse

Fleeing a traffic stop multiplies the danger of every mile. A pursuit through residential roads at night turns one bad decision into a threat to everyone on the road. Three struck vehicles and a damaged house later, the outcome could have included serious injuries. That it apparently did not is the one piece of good news in an otherwise grim police report.

Reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon is a serious charge in Maine. The state's reckless conduct statute covers conduct that creates a risk of death or serious bodily injury to another person; the "dangerous weapon" element elevates it further. Combined with an OUI charge — Maine treats operating under the influence as a criminal offense with escalating penalties for prior convictions — Lacourse is facing a case that goes well beyond a traffic ticket.

The K-9 track

Finding a suspect who has gone to ground in the dark is what police K-9 teams are for. A dog working a fresh track follows the scent trail a person leaves behind — disturbed vegetation, skin cells, sweat — and a pond doesn't erase it so much as complicate it. The York County Sheriff's Office K-9 unit has been credited in past cases with finding suspects who tried to hide in woods, outbuildings, and vehicles. On Monday night, the trail led into the water, and the dog found its man.

There is a particular stubbornness to someone who, having already crashed into three cars and a house, decides the correct next move is to climb into a pond and wait. K-9 teams are trained for exactly that stubbornness.

Why the charges stack the way they do

Maine prosecutors routinely stack charges in fleeing-driver cases because each phase of the incident is a separate offense. The OUI charge addresses the alleged impairment behind the wheel. Separate counts typically cover the failure to stop for law enforcement, and any crashes become their own counts — property damage, and personal injury if anyone was hurt. Reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, the most serious of the charges Lacourse faces, reflects the allegation that fleeing in a vehicle — a several-thousand-pound machine — created a risk of death or serious bodily injury to others.

Under Maine law, operating under the influence carries mandatory minimum penalties that escalate with prior convictions, including license suspensions measured in months or years and potential jail time. When an OUI case involves a crash, a fleeing allegation, and additional felony-level counts, prosecutors have significant leverage in plea negotiations — and defendants have significant incentive to resolve cases before trial.

None of that has been decided yet. At Wednesday's initial appearance, the charges are read, a plea of not guilty is typically entered, and the court addresses bail and conditions of release. The deputies' reports, the K-9 unit's documentation, and any dash or body camera footage become the evidence both sides work from in the weeks that follow.

What happens next

Lacourse was scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Wednesday, where a judge would address bail and the formal reading of charges. In Maine, OUI cases move through the district court system, and felony-level counts like reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon can move to superior court depending on how prosecutors charge them.

The sheriff's office has not released details about what prompted the initial attempted traffic stop, the condition of the drivers of the three struck vehicles, or the extent of the damage to the home. Those details typically come out in charging documents and the deputies' reports as the case moves forward.

For the Waterboro neighborhood where the crashes happened, Monday night was an unusually loud one. The pond is quiet again. The court date is today.

Previously's crime desk follows the cases that matter in the towns they happen in. More Maine coverage on the way.