KNOX COUNTY — A domestic violence call that subsequently reported gun shots being fired toward the victim as she fled from the residence turned into a two-scene situation when the cruiser of one of the responding deputies went off the road approximately two miles from the house.

This is the second Knox County Sheriff’s Office cruiser towed from a scene in just over two weeks, generating an opportunity for the Pen Bay Pilot to ask about policies and procedures regarding cruisers and officer-involved crashes.

At 2:34 a.m., Friday morning, Jan. 16, 2026, deputies were informed of a domestic violence situation where the victim fled to a neighboring house on the Eastern Road, in Warren. But as deputies were being notified, the victim returned to the house. Upon fleeing again, the accused discharged a weapon in her direction from the residence.

Two deputies made it to the scene in their individual cruisers. However, a third deputy operating in emergency mode was still a couple of miles from the scene when the vehicle went off the road into a field around the time that snow had begun to fall from the sky. The airbag deployed, causing a laceration to the deputy’s scalp. That deputy remained conscious and alert, and though having just been involved in a crash, continued to provide Knox Regional Communications Center with information, instructions for whom to call, and in turn requested periodic updates regarding the welfare of the other deputies at the other scene. Fire and EMS were called to the car crash, and the deputy was transported to MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital for treatment and assessment. The investigation remains as to what caused the cruiser to go off the road.

On New Year’s Eve, at approximately 11:40 p.m., a different Knox County deputy and cruiser were involved in a two-vehicle crash just inside South Union Road, in Union. According to Sheriff Pat Polky, the deputy had approached the Heald Highway intersection behind another vehicle that should have been in the process of turning. However, the driver was taking a noticeably long time to proceed with that turn. Feeling that something was wrong, the deputy activated his lights to pull over the driver. At that point, the vehicle went into reverse, smashing into the cruiser. Though shaken, the deputy was able to take the driver into custody, having determined obvious signs of operating under the influence, according to Polky.

The deputy and the driver were transported to the hospital for observation. The driver then proceeded with judicial formalities. The deputy was back to work several days later.

Often, when a government vehicle is involved in an incident, law enforcement from another town is called to conduct the incident report as a way to ensure a level of neutrality between the parties involved.

In this case, a third party of neutral standing happened to witness the crash and provided KCSO with a verbal statement, according to Polky. This statement allowed KCSO to forgo calling another law agency away from their own coverage area on New Year’s Eve.

In the Jan. 16 incident, Waldoboro PD responded to the scene, along with KCSO admin. However, the cruiser didn’t hit any other vehicle or property, resulting in minor damage, according to Polky. For this reason, a decision was agreed upon to keep the investigation under KCSO control.

In both cases, the cruisers were towed to Creek Hill, which is policy for KCSO. Polky likes to have the mechanics do a thorough review of the vehicles and to deal with any issues before they become bigger issues.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com