PARIS — A Waterford teen involved in a car chase that left a Norway police officer severely injured has pleaded not guilty to assaulting a woman in a separate case.
Andrew Emerson entered pleas in Oxford County Unified Court Thursday to misdemeanor counts of domestic violence assault and reckless conduct, Class D crimes which each carry a maximum penalty of a year in prison.
Emerson, 18, has been denied a court-appointed counsel in the matter because his assets exceed the value to be declared indigent.
He is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on the charges in December.
Emerson was arrested on July 5 at a house on Sweden Road on charges of causing bodily harm to a family member, and recklessly creating a risk of harm to the same 18-year-old woman, according to a complaint by Oxford County Sheriff’s Deputy Danielle Welch.
Emerson is not allowed to have contact with the victim, possess alcohol or dangerous weapons, and is subject to random search by police, according to court documents.
In February, Emerson, then 17, was charged with aggravated counts of eluding an officer and driving to endanger after leading Norway police officer Stephen Cronce on a car chase in Waterford on Dec. 26.
According to police, Emerson was speeding in a 2004 Mercedes registered to his mother and failed to stop when Cronce activated the police cruiser’s blue lights. In the ensuing chase, Cronce lost control of his cruiser while making a turn, went off road and slid into a tree.
Cronce was severely injured in the incident and is expected to return to duty for the first time on Monday.
A prosecutor later dismissed the charge of driving to endanger and Emerson is being tried as juvenile on a felony count of eluding an officer.
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