Man who led police on a high speed chase indicted in Northampton Court

By Linda Cicoira

      A man, who led police on a high-speed chase through Maryland and the Eastern Shore of Virginia before crashing on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel last October, was indicted by a Northampton Grand Jury earlier this week on charges ranging from drug possession to attempted murder.

     Thirty-four-year-old Christopher Alan Northcraft, of Patrick Henry Drive in Brooklyn Park, Md., was indicted in connection with the alleged crimes that occurred Oct. 19. The charges included possession of cocaine and Fentanyl, maliciously wounding a victim who was severely injured and has permanent and significant physical impairment, abduction, and the attempted murder of thirty-five-year-old Brandy Bowen, who was a passenger in the 2011 Toyota Camry that Northcraft was driving.

     Maryland police were pursuing the defendant and Bowen, both of whom were wanted by authorities, Sgt. Michelle Anaya of the Virginia State Police reported. The Toyota was traveling at a high rate of speed with no headlights illuminated. Once the vehicle reached the Virginia state line, a Virginia State Trooper attempted to stop/slow down the vehicle by deploying spike strips, but was unsuccessful.

     Anaya said the car continued on Lankford Highway and deputies from the Accomack County Sheriff’s Office joined the chase. The car reached speeds in excess of 120 mph. As the vehicle entered Northampton, the Virginia State Police took over. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel was then notified of the approaching vehicle to ensure that no one was in the toll lanes.

     The Toyota sped through the toll plaza at about 90 mph, the officer continued. Bridge-tunnel police attempted to slow down the vehicle, due to bridge repairs that had one lane closed, and were unsuccessful.

     “The vehicle then approached the North Channel high rise, lost control, and struck a curb, spinning the vehicle out of control before flipping over and landing on its roof,” Anaya said. “Northcraft exited the vehicle through the rear glass and attempted to get” Bowen out of the vehicle.

     She was still trapped inside the car when “Northcraft attempted to flee the scene … went over the guardrail, and fell to the ground approximately 30 feet below the road.”  At the hospital a few days later, “Northcraft barricaded himself in the room, and attempted to open/break a window to escape custody, but was unsuccessful.” He was later taken to Eastern Shore Regional Jail.

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