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Update, Thursday, Aug. 20: A hospital spokeswoman said Farmington Police Officer Matthew Hunt “was treated and released from the hospital” following Wednesday’s crash.
FARMINGTON – A police officer responding to a call was injured after his cruiser went off the road and crashed into a tree on Wednesday.
At about 3 p.m., Farmington Police Officer Matthew Hunt, 24, was heading north to a reported burglary-in-progress complaint at a seasonal camp and attempted to pass a vehicle slowing to turn left onto Cowen Hill Road from Route 27.
“He swerved around the car, hit the road’s soft shoulder and went off the road,” Lt. Jack Peck said. After leaving the road, Hunt’s cruiser went down the sloped embankment toward Adams Brook, struck a tree, wrapping around it and came to rest facing Route 27.
The State Police will be investigating the crash, Peck added, because it involves a Farmington Police Department officer.
Hunt has been with the Farmington Department for a year, having graduated in December from the Criminal Justice Academy’s 15th Basic Law Enforcement Training Program. He graduated from Husson University with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice after graduating in 2001 from Brunswick High School.
Hunt was transported to Franklin Memorial Hospital by NorthStar ambulance services, where he was treated and released.
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Speedy recovery to Officer Hunt. He’s a great guy and a good officer.
SO THIS OFFICER WAS WILLING TO CHANCE HIS LIFE AND ANOTHER PERSONS LIFE INSTEAD OF SLOWING DOWN A LITTLE, BY THE TIME HE GOT THERE THE BURGLARY WOULD OF BEEN GONE DUE TO HEARING THE SIRENS AND WHY DIDN’T THE PERSON THAT CALLED IT IN LOOK FOR THE GET AWAY CAR AND TAKE THE LICENSE PLATE NUMBER DOWN?
Are you sure he graduated in 2001? Because if he did than he graduated at the age of 16.
Before people make comments about how fast the officer was driving and how he should have slowed down, they should take a moment and think what if it was there house and how did the call come into dispatch. Just maybe someone arrived to their camp to find someone in it….and decided to call the police. I would want someone to get their quickly if it was my house/camp.
We do not know how fast Officer Hunt was driving, therefore judgements should not be made. As the article states an investigation will be conducted and I am sure the speed will be determined. Officer Hunt I hope you recover quickly and thank you for all you do, day in and day out.
I actually witnessed this officer FLYING past McDonalds doing at least 60mph in a 25 where children cross the road all the time. To ‘Understanding’ I say: what if it were your child in that street? Property can be replaced, LIVES cannot.
POLICE AS WELL AS OTHERS , ARE IN TO MUCH OF A HURRY TODAY.
WHEN WILL THE POLICE LEARN TO USE THE BEST TOOL AT THEIR DISPOSURE,
THE COMUNICATIONS SYSTEM.
Uncalled for! Not only was he endangering his life but the person he was trying to go around…to have reduced his speed a fraction, would have put him on the scene only seconds later.
Why don’t we let the State Police do their job before we run Officer Hunt out on a rail. All the facts aren’t in and I’m going out on a limb and assume most people don’t know the Farmington Police’s code of conduct by heart so let’s take a deep breath.
Next time and I hope it never happens, that you need an Officer, I BET you will want the Officer to arrive in a speedy manner. Good job Officer Hunt!
mike, i think that what people are upset about is the overall trend of law enforcement putting themselves above the law when it comes to driving. we’ve all seen police cruisers at one time or another driving too fast without strobes on, or responding a little to zealously to a call. sometimes on back roads, if you’re one of those suckers that likes to drive the speed limit, the police will tailgate or pass you. i’m not singling out the farmington police either, as i have noticed this behavior in a lot of places, and furthermore i don’t know the officer in question or the details involved. but i do see why people are upset, and that’s my two cents about it. those v8’s are pretty powerful, and too often the urge to drive like a teenager goes unchecked.
There would be no reprimand here even if this officer ran those other drivers off the road. We’ve already seen this when an officer was arrested in Wilton for OUI and the arresting Officer never showed up to court. This is how they back each other up.
There should be a reprimand in this case as well as in the case where Officer Joshua King arrested another officer for OUI then never showed up to court. King should be suspended. Wilton PD is the same as it always has been. They knock on my door , I’ll show them the sidewalk real quick!
Speed may be a factor in this horrible accident, however so is the stupidity of certain others involved. Sirens are used as a warning for surrounding motorists and pedestrians to get out of the way. Also, for clarity, mere seconds can determine the outcome of any crime. So, before anyone opens their traps about how those in law enforcement operate above the law, get the facts first. If you do not live with or around these heros and know from first-hand experience what they have to deal with, then don’t speak. These brave men and women endanger their lives day in and day out only to be criticized and scritinized for all that they do. We all owe them a huge amount of gratitude. My thoughts and prayers are with each and every one of you. And I hope Officer Hunt a speedy recovery.
I feel he was doing what he thought was in his best judgement. I am less satisfied when I see local Tow trucks speeding for no apparent reason. They run no lights on or anything.
I, too, hope the officer has a speedy recovery..also, that he has learned a lesson from this incident and will use a little common sense next time. This could have had a very different outcome. Next time..and there will be a next time..slow down a little bit. You are allowed a little leaway but there are others on the road and their lives are more important than some stolen piece of property. Just how quickly did you arrive on the scene this way, Officer Hunt?
michelle, i thought that it was clear that when i opened my trap i was not attacking the police but pointing out certain habits that occur here and there and how they may help to arouse the kind of reactions posted above. i don’t live with or around any police officers that i know of, but i certainly appreciate the job that they do and the risks that they run and hold no animosity towards those who do their jobs well. however, the facts are that the police are not beyond reproach or scrutiny simply by virtue of being heroic public servants. and while i agree there are many boneheads on the road who might create an obstacle for responding officers, the speed at which officers travel to a call might warrant more careful decision making than is sometimes exercised. though i’m sure that it’s a hard judgment call to make at times, the possibility of hooligans getting away from the scene of a theft or vandalism might not be worth the potential injury that could occur in a hasty response. and i’m not trying to imply that’s what happened in this case. again, to clarify my original idea: while quite possibly misdirected in this case, the concerns are still valid and worth examining.
and ditto on the tow trucks, dale.
Until people go through the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program, complete and pass the extensive 18-week program which includes EVOC, opinions are just that, opinions and not facts. Until people study Maine Motor Vehicle Law and department policies, stop judging.
I’m sure Officer Hunt used the best judgement and made the best decision he knew was best in the split seconds before the accident.
Every one of you place blame every day on police, fire, EMT’s, etc. for them doing their job. You gripe even more when you all get pulled over for speeding and are given a ticket. But who is at fault there; the police for doing their job or the person speeding because they are late for work or a doctor’s appointment? We all have to remember that whenever we get behind the wheel we ALL make stupid decisions that put others lives at risk, not just police or emergency personnel. (i.e. texting while driving or eatting fast food) Also, according to Maine Motor Vehicle Law, we ALL have to move over as far RIGHT as possible and come to a complete STOP when emergency vehicles approach us with their lights and sirens on.
I’m sure it doesn’t bother Officer Hunt to be judged by you all because he’d rather be judged by 12 than carried by six.
doglover, less than half of the above comments can be read as judging the actions of the individual in question. when you state that “every one of you place blame every day,” i have to wonder if you even to took the time to read all of the comments. furthermore, civilians have every right to be concerned about the conduct of their law enforcement–we’ve seen what happens when it goes unchecked–and to suggest this is merely a sort of retaliatory behavior because folks are bummed about speeding tickets et cetera is dishonest. one hardly needs to be well versed in state law to question whether an individual’s driving may or may not have been reckless. and while i agree that blame should not be placed on anyone without all facts known, an eighteen week course (nor anything else for that matter) cannot change opinions into facts. they are two different realms. without knowing all of the details on this issue, people have expressed resentment and concern as well as support and they have a legitimate right to do so. the anger on both sides of this issue seems a bit misdirected.