NORWAY — It was a busy Thursday for police in the Oxford Hills as they hunted for the last of a three-member team of auto thieves.

A Mini Cooper, Ford Fusion and Chevy Impala were stolen from Alan’s Automotive and Johnston’s Auto on Main Street in Norway Wednesday night.

Norway Officer John Lewis responded to Town & Country Mobile Home Park after a resident called about two “suspicious” vehicles.

“I came upon the scene and saw [the Cooper and Fusion] out back. I saw a male … running.” Lewis says he determined the plates on the vehicles didn’t match. He also saw pristine Alan’s Auto plates on the vehicles. As Lewis approached the Mini, the driver took off. Lewis called for a K-9 and put out an alert for the car.

Lewis then heard that a green Mini had crashed  on Pottle Road in Oxford and Oxford Police Officer Rickie Jack had responded. The driver of the car had run from the scene.

Trooper Jon Russell and his K-9 unit went to the Pottle Road site to track the driver from there.

Lewis asked that a Paris unit go to Allen’s Auto to check if there were any “empty slots” in the cars for sale rows. Paris Officer Gino Valeriani  responded and confirmed there was.

Trooper Adam Fillebrown arrived with his K-9 unit and attempted to track the individual who had fled the Fusion.

Searching that car, police discovered a bike, three skateboards and a backpack. The backpack contained clothing and, in a pocket, there was a Maine fishing license for Jordan Shields, 19, of Norway.

After speaking with residents, police were able to locate the individual who had fled the Fusion in a nearby parking lot. Police found two males – a 16-year-old and 19-year-old Sean Tester – inside a black mini-van. Both were arrested and the juvenile’s parents were called.

They admitted to helping steal the plates from Johnston’s and that  a window at Alan’s had been broken to gain access to the keys to the stolen vehicles. A firearm was also stolen from Alan’s. It was recovered in the Mini. They also told police another vehicle had been stolen earlier this week from Machias.

Tester was issued a summons for a charge of Class B theft. The juvenile was charged with burglary, theft and operating without a license, and was released to his parents.

Thursday morning, while Norway Officer Jim Ventresca was investigating the thefts, he was informed by Johnston’s that a third vehicle had been stolen, from the Johnston lot, this one the Impala, a gray 2008. Ventresca put out a bulletin for the stolen vehicle and then responded to another call. En route he noticed a gray Impala stopped at the intersection of Town & Country and Main Street.

The driver fit the description of Shields. As he caught up with the vehicle, it took off down Route 26 at speeds between 50 and 70 mph. Oxford Police Officers Lt. Mike Ward and Zac Bisson also pulled in behind Ventresca. At this point the vehicle continued south on Route 26 at speeds of 100 mph, according to Ventresca, passing cars and trucks and forcing them onto the shoulders. Assistance from Mechanic Falls Police and the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office was requested.

Ventresca says he was traveling at approximately 107 mph and the Impala was pulling away from him as they passed the Oxford Casino. Approaching Five Corners in Poland, emergency lights could be seen at the intersection of routes 26 and 11. The Impala stopped at the bottom of the hill and the driver took off into the woods, leaving the vehicle rolling.

A passerby – Ryan Purington, 30, of Mechanic Falls — chased the driverless vehicle, jumped in and brought the vehicle to a stop. Purington told police he was afraid the vehicle would cause and accident and “just reacted.”

A K-9 unit was called in and police set up a perimeter to contain Shields until the K-9 Unite could arrive. Some time later, Ward had Shields in custody on Atlantis Road in Poland.

When asked if he was the subject who had jumped from the car, Shields replied, “no use denying it,” according to police.

Jordan then confessed to the burglary, theft of vehicles and theft of firearms, along with several other burglaries in other jurisdictions.

He was charged with theft of property, burglary of motor vehicle and a traffic offense and taken to the Oxford County Jail.