Two Rochester man face slew of charges after police pursuit that ended in Strafford

Christopher Vages (Rochester Police photo)

ROCHESTER - A Rochester man will face a Rochester District Court judge on Wednesday over charges of felony use of a firearm and two counts of drug possession.
Christopher Vages, 35, was arrested on the Nov. 1 charges while being confined at Strafford County Jail following his arrest in Dover.
The arrest came just one day after his arrest in Strafford following a multi-town pursuit that began in Raymond on Oct. 31.
The pursuit began around 11:30 p.m. when an officer with the Raymond Police Department attempted to stop the driver of a 2019 Toyota RAV4 for an equipment violation. A State Trooper in the area stopped to assist the Raymond officer and activated their emergency lights, according to a statement from the Dept. of Safety.
A pursuit was initiated as the driver of the RAV4 proceeded onto Route 101 and began to drive faster. During the pursuit, items from inside the RAV4 were thrown at police cruisers, including a hammer. A powder substance, later determined to be fentanyl through initial testing, was also emanating from the vehicle throughout the pursuit.
The pursuit continued through multiple communities before officers in Strafford were able to successfully deploy tire deflation devices. While the driver of the RAV4 proceeded at a low rate of speed, a passenger got out of the vehicle and ran into nearby woods. The driver of the RAV4, identified as Vages, stopped shortly after and was arrested without incident just after midnight.
In the hours that followed, Troopers worked with local police officers and coordinated a search for the passenger. Members of the State Police's K-9 Unit and Special Enforcement Unit also responded to assist. Around 8:35 a.m. on Nov 1, a Trooper in a State Police helicopter located the passenger hiding in a swamp. He was taken into custody and identified as Matthew Anderson, 36, of Rochester.
In that pursuit incident Vages was charged with felony reckless conduct, falsifying physical evidence, drug possession and a misdemeanor count of aggravated driving while intoxicated. He was also cited with a reckless operation violation.
Anderson has been charged with felony falsifying physical evidence, drug possession and reckless conduct, and misdemeanor resisting arrest. Police determined that Vages and Anderson were also each wanted on outstanding arrest warrants from other jurisdictions.
Anyone with additional information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Trooper Jacob Benjamin at Jacob.A.Benjamin@dos.nh.gov.
A booking photo of Anderson was not available as of this posting.