Arrest in Skowhegan murder after chase & crash

A man suspected of committing murder in Skowhegan was apprehended on Saturday morning following a police pursuit that originated in Massachusetts and concluded with a crash in New Hampshire, as reported by the Maine State Police. The suspect, identified as 55-year-old Dane Burke, has been accused of the murder of his girlfriend, Nicole Jackson, aged 46, in Skowhegan. Jackson's body was found on Wednesday evening after a 911 call reporting a person in distress at a residence on 361 West Front St. Following various interviews and a postmortem examination, investigators determined that Jackson died as a result of injuries caused by blunt and sharp force trauma, confirming her death as a homicide. Burke's arrest occurred on Saturday around 10:30 a.m. after a pursuit spanning multiple states that began in Lowell, Massachusetts, and traversed through Dracut and Methuen before entering New Hampshire along Interstates 93 and 293, as well as sections of Rt. 101 and 114. According to Maine State Police, the pursuit ended when Burke crashed his silver Jeep Compass into a tree on Route 13 near Barnard Road in Dunbarton, New Hampshire. Subsequent to the crash, Burke barricaded himself in his vehicle, resulting in a SWAT team intervention. Law enforcement officers encircled the vehicle and used non-lethal measures to subdue Burke before taking him into custody. Burke was transported to Concord Hospital via ambulance under police escort, with Maine State Police indicating that his injuries were not life-threatening, while New Hampshire State Police characterized them as "serious." It remains uncertain whether Burke sustained injuries from the collision or due to the use of non-lethal force by authorities. No law enforcement personnel were harmed during the incident. Upon his release from the hospital, Burke will be transferred to a New Hampshire detention facility and will undergo extradition proceedings to Maine to face charges of murder. Apart from the charges in Maine, Burke will also be confronted with additional charges in Massachusetts and New Hampshire linked to the pursuit. A specific court date for Burke has not been arranged as yet.