Maine man accused of killing girlfriend arrested in Dunbarton after car chase

A 911 call on Jan. 14 led police to a home in Skowhegan, Maine, where they found a woman dead. Three days later, the suspect was arrested in Dunbarton after a high-speed chase.

Authorities identified the suspect as 55-year-old Dane Burke of Skowhegan, Maine, and the victim as his 46-year-old girlfriend, Nicole Jackson.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta ruled Jackson’s death a homicide, determining the cause of death was blunt force and sharp force trauma.

On Jan. 17, around 8 a.m., Burke was spotted driving a 2018 silver Jeep Compass in Lowell, Massachusetts. When local police attempted to stop the vehicle, he refused to pull over, which led officers on a pursuit that crossed state lines into New Hampshire, according to Maine State Police. 

Burke is also accused of trying to hit law enforcement personnel during the chase, according to an arrest warrant filed at the Concord District Court.

As the pursuit continued onto Interstate 93, his speeds ranged from 60 to 100 miles per hour, with the chase moving through Manchester, Goffstown, and Dunbarton. 

At about 9:12 a.m., on Route 13 in Dunbarton, Burke’s vehicle left the roadway and crashed head-on into a tree. 

According to court documents, officers repeatedly ordered him to exit the vehicle, but he did not respond. 

A drone was deployed to get a visual of Burke inside the Jeep. 

When he still failed to comply, members of the New Hampshire State Police SWAT team used less-lethal tools to break the vehicle’s glass. A K-9 unit then approached from the passenger side, and officers removed Burke through the passenger window and took him into custody.

Burke faces charges in three states. In New Hampshire, he is charged with disobeying an officer, resisting arrest, reckless conduct with a deadly weapon and being a fugitive from justice. He also received criminal charges in Maine and Massachusetts.

He was transported to Concord Hospital to be treated for his injuries. 

Burke was scheduled to be arraigned in court on video on Wednesday. But according to a bail order, medical staff reported that he was “not sufficiently aware” to participate in the hearing. 

Once released from the hospital, Burke will be transported to a New Hampshire jail.

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