CLINTON — On Sunday, March 17, 2024, at approximately 2:38 a.m., Officer Michael Frick of the Clinton Police Department responded to a call from a woman on Beacon Street who reported that a motor vehicle struck a guide wire attached to a utility pole on Franklin Street.
“[The caller] described the vehicle as a white Ford Explorer and stated the vehicle continued travelling on Franklin Street towards Main Street in the westbound direction,” Officer Frick said. “Sergeant Joseph Lefebvre, Patrolman Kyle Grady, and Patrolman Adam Prentiss, and I all were dispatched to the area of the reported motor vehicle crash hit and run.”
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Frick and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
When Officer Frick turned onto School Street from Union Street, he saw a white Ford Explorer matching the description given by the caller at the top of the hill.
“I reported over the radio to all officers that I could see an SUV on Franklin Street facing Main Street stopped at the top of the hill on School Street,” Officer Frick said.
The headlights of the SUV were not on, according to Officer Frick. As he made his way to the top of School Street, the SUV began driving down Franklin Street in the direction of Main Street.
“As I turned onto Franklin Street, I took note that the vehicle did not have rear lights on the vehicle as well. The white SUV then took a right hand turn onto Main Street heading northbound,” Officer Frick said. “At this time, I had caught up to the vehicle and took note of the license plate bearing Temp MA plate [# redacted].”
The driver of the vehicle – later identified as Maria Dos Santos, 54, of Coburn Terrace, Everett – continued down Main Street traveling between 25 and 31 mph.
“As the vehicle turned onto Main Street from Franklin Street, I took note that the vehicle made a wide righthand turn, crossing over the center of Main Street with the front and rear driver side tires, then returned to the correct travel lane. At this time, I then activated my overhead emergency blue lights to conduct a traffic stop,” Officer Frick said. Later adding, “Ms. Dos Santos did slow down to about 25 mph then back up to 30 mph as we passed the Clinton Fire Station on Main Street. Ms. Santos then turned on her right-hand turn signal.”
Officer Frick radioed Sergeant Lefebvre to inform him that he was attempting to stop a motor vehicle that was driving slowly, but not pulling over to the right side of the road.
“I then activated my emergency sirens multiple times in an attempt to stop the vehicle,” Officer Frick explained. “Ms. Dos Santos continued at a very slow speed down to under 20 mph. Ms. Dos Santos continued on Main Street and took a right hand turn onto Water Street. This turn was at a very slow rate of speed nearing 5 mph.”
Officer Frick continued to update Sergeant Lefebvre of the speed the driver was operating at and its location.
“I again used my emergency sirens in an attempt to stop the vehicle,” Officer Frick said. “Ms. Dos Santos continued up Water Street eastbound up to the area of 24 Water Street and finally pulled over to the right and stopped. It should be noted that the vehicle parked more than one foot from the curb on Water Street.”
Officer Frick approached the driver’s side of the vehicle. Dos Santos was in the driver’s seat crying and looking down at her phone, which had a GPS map with directions open on the screen.
Since the window of the vehicle was still up, Officer Frick said he had to knock on it to get the attention of Dos Santos, who then slowly turned her head towards him in a “deliberate” manner, initially with her eyes closed, and then slowly opened them.
“I asked Ms. Dos Santos to put the window down. As soon as Ms. Dos Santos put the window down, I could detect a very strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from the vehicle,” Officer Frick said. “I asked Ms. Dos Santos why she was not stopping for me and she completely ignored my question and began yelling that ‘it is all their fault,’ ‘they made me drink,’ ‘they wanted to get me in trouble.’”
Officer Frick then asked Dos Santos for her driver’s license and the vehicle’s registration.
“Ms. Dos Santos picked up her wallet which was in the center console area,” Officer Frick said. “She opened her wallet and took out all the cards in the wallet and began shuffling through the cards one-by-one looking at the cards slowly. Ms. Dos Santos passed by her driver’s license one time, and then went back one card and handed me her driver’s license. She began speaking to me again as she was crying uncontrollably. She told me she was trying to go home to Everett and just wanted me to let her go home. It should be noted that Ms. Dos Santos’ eyes were bloodshot, red, and glassy, and every time she began speaking to me a very strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emitting from her breath.”
Officer Frick then asked her for the vehicle’s registration again.
Dos Santos pulled a folder from her glove box and as she looked through them, Officer Frick could see it was full of divorce paperwork.
At this time Patrolman Gilman, Patrolman Grady, and Sergeant Lefebvre, arrived on scene.
“I asked Ms. Dos Santos to exit the vehicle. I took note that Ms. Dos Santos had to hold onto her door for balance as she exited the vehicle and then walked away from her door out into the road a bit before walking to the rear of her vehicle. I took note of Ms. Dos Santos’ footwear which was flat tennis style shoes,” Officer Frick said. Later adding, “Ms. Dos Santos immediately sat on the back of her rear bumper and I asked her to not sit on her bumper, but rather step up onto the sidewalk area.”
At the officer’s request, Dos Santos walked toward the sidewalk, attempted to step up, then put her foot back on the roadway. She then stepped up onto the sidewalk and grabbed hold of a light pole of a decorative lamp that was cemented into the sidewalk.
“Ms. Dos Santos hugged the pole with both arms,” Officer Frick said. “At this time, I formed the opinion the Ms. Dos Santos was intoxicated and advised her that I was placing her under arrest. I told Ms. Dos Santos to turn around and place her hands behind her back and at this time Ms. Dos Santos let go of the pole and put her hands behind her back. I placed Ms. Dos Santos in handcuffs double locked and then escorted her to the rear of Patrolman Gilman’s cruiser. Patrolman Gilman transported Ms. Dos Santos to the Clinton Police Station to be booked according to department policy.”
Officer Frick said that – at this time – he took note of the damage to the Ford Explorer.
“There was a crack in the front bumper, and the front license plate and bracket were missing,” Officer Frick said. “Patrolman Prentiss advised me that the guide wire that was damaged was to pole number 16 at the corner of Franklin and Grove Street. Patrolman Prentiss took photos of the damage as well as a photo of a black front plate bracket left near the guide wire to the pole.”
Officer Frick then met Patrolman Gilman at the Clinton Police station for the booking process.
“Ms. Dos Santos had to be helped out of the rear of the cruiser and was escorted to the booking area,” Officer Frick explained. “Ms. Dos Santos had the handcuffs removed and was seated in a chair in the booking area. Ms. Dos Santos was able to answer all booking questions but had difficulty spelling her mother’s and father’s names. It should be noted that Ms. Dos Santos spoke English the entire time in booking. [Her native language is Portuguese].”
Officer Frick said he then read Dos Santos her Miranda warnings and “all applicable rights to that of a person arrested.”
“Ms. Dos Santos stated she understood but refused to sign the form acknowledging her rights, and she stated she has had too much to drink to sign any forms,” Officer Frick said. “I then asked what Ms. Dos Santos had to drink and she stated ‘beer, wine, everything, everything they gave me I drank.’”
According to Officer Frick, when Sergeant Lefebvre attempted to read Dos Santos her statutory right and consent form, which is given to anyone who is arrested for operating under the influence of alcohol, she “refused to listen.”
“Ms. Dos Santos refused to listen to the Sergeant and told him because it is not in Portuguese she was refusing to listen or cooperate with this form,” Officer Frick said. “Patrolman Prentiss then contacted an interpreter and Sergeant Lefebvre read the form and the interpreter then read the form to Ms. Dos Santos in Portuguese. Ms. Dos Santos spoke in return in Portuguese to the interpreter. Ms. Dos Santos refused to take the breath test, but would not indicate this on the form and not sign the form again telling Sergeant Lefebvre she would not sign anything because she has had too much to drink so she is not signing any forms.”
Dos Santos was advised of her charges and her bail, which was set at $200. The Ford Explorer Dos Santos was driving at the time of her arrest was registered to a man who resides in Halifax.
“Ms. Dos Santos stated multiple times during booking that she just wanted to go home and kept asking when she could drive home,” Officer Frick said. “I advised Ms. Dos Santos that her license was suspended due to the refusal for the breath test and also advised her that her vehicle was towed and she was in a crash. Ms. Dos Santos became very upset when I told her she crashed her motor vehicle and stated she did not remember ever crashing her vehicle. Ms. Dos Santos was placed in a temporary holding cell and then made a phone call a few hours later to secure bail.”
Dos Santos was charged with:
- Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle
- Operating a Motor Vehicle Under the Influence of Intoxicating Liquor
- Fail to Stop for Police
- Lights Violation
- Fail to Keep Right
- Leave the Scene of Property Damage Accident (Pole)
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from March, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to get the court documents for the incident. FOIAs are time consuming.
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