WICOMICO CO. - Maryland State Police say a Cambridge man was arrested Saturday night after he drove the wrong way on Route 13 for several miles before crashing into a MSP patrol vehicle and a bystanders' SUV.
They say around 7:30 p.m., the MSP Salisbury Barrack received multiple reports of a Ford pickup truck driving north in the southbound lanes of the Salisbury Bypass. Police say a trooper near the Johnson Road overpass saw the truck and tried to intercept it, but the truck continued to drive and almost hit the patrol car.
Then, they say the trooper continued to follow the truck and tried to make another traffic stop, but the truck continued driving in the wrong lanes.
A second trooper responded to the incident, and MSP say they noticed multiple stopped cars and people inside them on the shoulder just ahead of where the truck was driving, in the area of Route 13 at Route 50. They say Trooper First Class K. Dean recognized the extreme danger those drivers and pedestrians were in, so he drove his patrol vehicle directly into the path of the truck driver to try and stop the truck.
MSP say the truck driver tried to go around the patrol vehicle, but hit the trooper's car, absorbing the impact. The crash caused the truck to spin and hit a Ford Expedition before stopping.
Maryland State Police say the driver of the truck is 36-year-old Joshua Jorette. They say he was arrested on the scene, and is charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, and other related charges. They say he is being held at the Wicomico County Detention Center.
The MSP trooper that was hit while in his vehicle was taken to a local hospital for treatment and has since been released. The driver and passenger in the Ford Expedition that was hit, a 66-year-old man and a 64-year-old woman, were both taken by ambulance to a local hospital as well.
MSP say the investigation remains active and ongoing.
