66°
MILFORD, Mass. – A 21-year-old Milford man was charged Sunday with his second drunken-driving offense after his car allegedly struck a large rock, leaving a trail for officers to follow to his house, according to the Milford Police Department.
Ryan Betti was arrested and charged with operating under the influence of intoxicating liquor – second offense, leaving the scene of property damage, and failure to stay within marked lanes.
At 3:09 a.m. on Jan. 20, Milford police were dispatched to Purchase Street near the Hopkinton line for a report of an erratically-driven vehicle. Hopkinton police said the vehicle in question had driven past an officer at approximately 75 mph.
The Hopkinton officer then reversed direction and tried to stop the car, but the officer lost sight of the vehicle due to its high rate of speed, Milford police said.
The Hopkinton officer said there were visible skid and fluid marks in the road to possibly locate the vehicle. The Milford officer followed the trail of fluids and tire marks, which went over the lawn of 1 Esther Dr., and then the driver parked at 40 Camp St., police said.
While making his way to the house, the officer observed that the gray BMW in the driveway had heavy front damage on the passenger side front bumper and a flat tire.
The officer then talked to Betti, who was asked if he had any recollection of what happened that morning, police said. Betti told the patrolman that he “did nothing wrong.”
The officer asked Betti if he had anything to drink that night, and Betti said he had approximately two beers at a friend’s house in Hopkinton, according to police. While speaking to Betti, the officer could smell a “very strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from his breath and body,” police said. Betti was unsteady on his feet and had red bloodshot eyes, according to police.
Betti then agreed to take part in some standardized field sobriety tests, which he failed, according to police. At that time, the officer “formed the opinion that Betti operated a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol,” and Betti was handcuffed and transported to the police department, according to police. Betti refused a breathalyzer test, which automatically suspended his driver’s license, police said.
Another Milford officer then conducted a more detailed investigation and found that the primary impact of the crash was at 269 Purchase St., according to police.
The investigation found that Betti’s vehicle swerved across the road in the left line of traffic and struck a large rock at 269 Purchase St., where the vehicle then swerved out of control, police said. Due to the heavy damage, there were visible fluids trails and tire marks leaving the crash scene, according to police.
Comments