CHARLTON — On Saturday, July 18, 2026, at approximately 4:19 a.m., Charlton Police Officers David Fortier and Ray Sherbourne were advised of a vehicle that was failing to stop for Auburn police which was heading west on Route 20.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer David Fortier and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“Officers were being updated of the location of the vehicle not stopping for police,” Officer Fortier said. He added that the vehicle was described as a gray Ford F-150 pickup truck.
Officer Fortier was advised that the vehicle had turned onto Richardson’s Corner Road and was heading toward Oxford Road.
“I responded to the area and as I approached the intersection of Muggett Hill Road and Dresser Hill Road, I observed a gray Ford F-150 fail to stop at the stop sign and turn left onto Dresser Hill Road,” Officer Fortier said. “The truck did not have any lights on at the time. I had already had my blue lights activated and I began to pursue the Ford. Officer Sherbourne began to follow me and call in the pursuit.”
Officer Fortier said that as he pursued the vehicle, his speed was between 70 and 85 mph, which was well above the posted speed limit of 40 mph.
“There were no other vehicles on the road at the time,” Officer Fortier said. “The Ford kept its lights off most of the time but would turn them on when nearing a corner.”
Officer Fortier said the driver kept going over the yellow center line of the road while negotiating turns.
“As I followed, the Ford pulled away and I began to slow down so that I did not cause a crash,” Officer Fortier said. “The operator of the Ford was operating in a very reckless manner, speeding with no lights and crossing the center line. I completely lost sight of the Ford prior to E. Baylies Road. Officer Sherbourne and I continued toward Dudley but were not able to locate the Ford again.”
Officer Fortier said dispatch notified the Dudley Police Department of the pursuit.
A short time later, dispatch informed Officer Fortier that Southbridge police were out with the Ford, which had crashed on Torrey Road.
“I responded to the area and learned that the operator and two others fled the scene of the crash,” Officer Fortier said. “Upon my arrival, I observed the Ford on its roof. It had failed to make a corner, went off the road, and rolled over. Multiple officers from several agencies were on scene to assist with locating the subjects.”
Officer Fortier said two Torrey Road residents told responding officers that two individuals had fled toward Southbridge, while a third went into the woods toward Charlton.
“The one who went toward Charlton was described as wearing a white shirt and black shorts. At this point, Trooper [Jack] Doherty deployed his K-9 Roxy to begin a track of the one subject who fled toward Charlton,” Officer Fortier said. “As officers began to set up a perimeter, dispatch advised that the male registered owner of the Ford called the Auburn Police Department and claimed he was at 35 Reynolds Road in Charlton and that he wanted to report the truck stolen.”
Officer Fortier said that he then responded to 35 Reynolds Road with Officer Sherbourne and several other police officers.
“We were able to make contact with the residents…who advised there was no one there other than the residents,” Officer Fortier said. “I advised them of the incident that we were working and asked if they knew the owner of the truck, who was identified as Benjamin Scobie.”
According to police, Benjamin L. Scobie, 19, is a resident of Auburn, MA.
“The residents advised that they did know him as a friend of their son,” Officer Fortier said. “Their son…called Benjamin and tried to talk him into coming out of the woods to no avail.”
Officer Fortier said that while he was speaking with the residents, he was advised that Trooper Doherty and K-9 Roxy as well as other state police troopers had located Scobie and taken him into custody.
“He was offered medical treatment several times and refused multiple times,” Officer Fortier said. “Benjamin was transported to the Charlton police station where I booked him with the assistance of Officer Sherbourne. I observed that Benjamin had several minor cuts but was still refusing any medical treatment.”
Officer Fortier said he advised Scobie of his Miranda rights, which Scobie invoked by declining to speak with police.
“I then spoke with Officer [Daniel] Hemingway who initiated the pursuit in Auburn,” Officer Fortier said. “He advised me that the two other subjects were located and he interviewed them. They both told him they were passengers in the vehicle and had tried several times to get Benjamin to stop, but he refused. The vehicle was towed from the scene back to the Southbridge Police Department.”
Benjamin L. Scobie, 19, of Auburn, was charged with the following violations/offenses:
- Reckless Operation of a Motor Vehicle
- Failing to Stop for Police
- Speeding
- Marked Lanes Violation
- Fail to Stop/Yield
Scobie’s bail was set at $2,500.
“During a phone conversation while attempting to get bail, Sergeant [Brian] Cardrant heard Benjamin tell his friend he ran from police and crashed his truck,” Officer Fortier said. Adding, “Officer Sherbourne completed an immediate threat form and submitted it to the RMV.”
Scobie was arraigned in Dudley District Court on July 20, 2026. Following his arraignment, he was released on $2,500 bail under the condition that he not operate a motor vehicle.
Scobie’s next court date is a pretrial hearing scheduled for Sept. 16, 2026.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in July, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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