The following is a brief summary of the facts pertaining to Incident #16024968:
On May 4, 2016 at 0033 hours, I was dispatched to the intersection of Packard Ave and Talbot Ave, for a one car accident of a motor vehicle.
Upon my arrival I was met by the Tufts Police who informed me they had a female detained. This female, identified as Ali Penniman, had been operating the MV that crashed, a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado. I was also informed there were several witnesses to the crash, and other passengers that were inside the MV at the time of the crash. The MV had been moved from the crash location, by Ms. Penniman, and parked in the road, approximately 25 feet from the crash location.
I spoke with two occupants of the vehicle, XXXXX and YYYYY. They stated they never met the driver, Ms. Penniman or her companion, ZZZZZ, before this evening. The two young men were standing at the corner of Packard and Professors Row. They observed Ms. Penniman driving toward them, and spoke to her as she pulled alongside of them. Ms. Penniman was operating the MV, and ZZZZZ was sitting in the front passenger seat. They requested that Ms. Penniman take them to Taco Bell, and she agreed. Both men got into the MV, in the back seat. Ms. Penniman then turned onto Packard Ave heading toward Powderhouse Blvd, and accelerated at a high rate of speed. Ms. Penniman attempted to turn left onto Talbot Ave, but was unsuccessful, and lost control of the MV. The MV proceeded onto the sidewalk and crashed into a ONE WAY street sign, knocking it out of the sidewalk. There were 2 female pedestrians, AAAAA, and BBBBB, walking in that area at this time, and had to jump out of the way, in order to avoid getting hit by the MV. The MV crashed into a black steel railing, and into several bushes where it finally came to rest. XXXXX and YYYYY, exited the MV, and then Ms. Penniman reversed and proceed onto Talbot Ave, where she was parked the MV. This crash caused damage to the railing, the bushes, and street sign. I would like to note, that all streets, and locations mentioned are public ways within the City of Somerville, and the property that was damaged belonged to Tufts University.
Ms. Penniman was seated on the curb, approximately 10 feet in front of her MV. As I walked past Ms. Penniman’s MV, I observed a blue SKY VODKA bottle that was in plain view, sitting in one of the cup holders. There was also a small Gatorade bottle that contained a mixture of Gatorade and vodka, next to this. I could see that the SKY VODKA was uncapped, and the bottle was approximately half full. After further inspection it was determined that it was a 750 ML bottle and did in fact contain vodka.
I then approached Ms. Penniman, and asked her if she was ok. Immediately I could smell an odor of alcohol coming from her. As I observed Ms. Penniman I realized that her speech was slurred, and her eyes were glassy. I asked Ms. Penniman to stand up and she was stumbling all over the place, and needed to be held by Officer Curry from the Tufts PD, to balance. All of these observations led me to believe that Ms. Penniman may be under the influence of an intoxication liquor. I asked Ms. Penniman if she suffered from any medical issues, or conditions that would cause this behavior, and she said no. I then requested that Ms. Penniman perform several standard Field Sobriety Tests. Ms. Penniman refused to perform the tests, and was placed under arrest. The mobile detention unit 200 arrived and transported Ms. Penniman to the station. She was booked in the usual manner, by Lt. Chris Ward. The MV was towed from the scene by PATS Towing.
Ms. Penniman was issued citations R4782372, and R4782373. These citations were for the following offenses:
MGL c90 s24 – OUI Liquor, 2nd Offense (1st Offense was 11-24-14, Concord District Court, DKT #1447CR001568A).
MGL c90 s23 – Operating MV with License Suspended for OUI.
MGL c90 s24 – Negligent Operation of a MV.
MGL c90 s24 – Possessing an Open Container of Alcohol inside a MV.
Respectfully submitted,
Officer James Radochia
Patrolman #284