Justin Dutton, 40, no fixed address, LKA in Merrimack and Nashua

MANCHESTER — Two days after a Superior Court judge granted a warrant for his arrest for allegedly failing to appear at a court hearing, Merrimack resident Justin Dutton is accused of stealing a 2018 BMW 328 from a Bethlehem gas station, then allegedly taking off south on I-93 at speeds so fast that state police called off their pursuit out of safety concerns.

Dutton, 40, whose address in police and court records is listed as 89 Ledge St., Nashua, in January, and 18 Four Seasons Lane in Merrimack in May 2021, would eventually be taken into custody in downtown Manchester, where he reportedly lost control of the car while trying to turn onto Valley Street from Elm Street, according to police.

By then, the car was running on three flat tires, the result of police deploying tire deflation devices — commonly known as “spike strips” — on I-293 near Exit 5, just before the BMW reached that location.

With the tires losing air, Dutton got off I-293 at Exit 4, the Queen City Avenue exit, headed over the bridge, turned north on Elm Street and made it as far as Valley Street before losing control, according police.

The area was closed to traffic for a short time, and Dutton was transported to police headquarters for booking.

(Photo by JEFFREY HASTINGS) Several state troopers discuss the Saturday evening high-speed pursuit after taking the suspect, Justin Dutton, into custody near Elm and Valley streets.

According to reports, an ambulance was summoned to the police station to take the suspect, later identified as Dutton, to a local hospital complaining of unspecified pain.

State police said Dutton was charged with multiple offenses in at least two jurisdictions — Merrimack and Hillsborough counties. Whether he will face any charges in Grafton County, where Bethlehem, the town from which he allegedly stole the vehicle, is located, wasn’t immediately known.

Police said the charges include receiving stolen property, felony reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, reckless operation, disobeying a police officer, and operating after suspension — subsequent offense.

He was also charged on the outstanding warrants issued after he allegedly failed to appear in court.

The court hearing Dutton allegedly failed to appear at was a plea and sentencing hearing on two counts of possession/sale of a narcotic drug, which stem from his May 2021 arrest in Merrimack.

(Photo by JEFFREY HASTINGS) Awaiting a tow truck, Manchester police officers stand by the BMW that local resident Justin Dutton is accused of stealing and racing south on I-93 Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, state police said it was about 5:30 p.m. Saturday when the agency was contacted by Bethlehem police regarding the stolen BMW. Bethlehem is just about 100 miles north of Manchester, a roughly 90-minute drive under normal traffic conditions.

A feature of newer BMW vehicles called “BMW Assist” — an app that uses GPS positioning to connect the driver with assistance in the event of a breakdown, crash or other emergency — allowed police to contact the service to track the vehicle’s location after troopers ended the pursuit.

They tracked the car as it entered Canterbury, alleged at a high rate of speed that often exceeded 100 mph. A trooper tried to stop the car near I-93 Exit 18, but police said the driver allegedly “accelerated and weaved around other vehicles to elude the pursuing trooper.

“Due to the reckless operation and increasing amount of traffic in the immediate area, the pursuit was terminated … ,” police said.

Much of that increasingly heavy traffic consisted of vehicles leaving New Hampshire Motor Speedway in nearby Loudon as Saturday’s portion of “Race Weekend” NASCAR events were wrapping up.

Part of police coverage of the weekend events involved the state police helicopter, manned by troopers who assisted police on the ground by giving updates on the BMW’s location after the pursuit was ended.

Even after the pursuit was called off, police said, Dutton allegedly “continued to drive in a reckless manner at a high rate of speed, passing between other vehicles despite no longer being actively pursued by law enforcement.”

State police ask anyone who may have additional information on the incident to contact Trooper Kyle Cotnoir at 227-0089 or kyle.h.cotnoir@dos.nh.gov.

Telegraph contributor Jeffrey Hastings provided reporting for this story.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.