GROTON — On Sunday, October 5, 2025, at approximately 12:38 a.m., Groton Police Sergeant Kevin Henehan was traveling west on Farmers Row when he observed a 2015 Jeep Cherokee with New Hampshire plates heading east.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Sergeant Kevin Henehan and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“I observed the Jeep bear left onto Mill Street,” Sgt. Henehan said. “As I observed the vehicle traveling northbound on Mill Street, I noted that the rear of the vehicle was in complete darkness, with no visible taillights illuminated. I believed the vehicle was operating with only its daytime running lights, as I observed illuminated headlights, but no taillights.”
Sergeant Henehan said he turned onto Mill Street and caught up to the Jeep Cherokee, following directly behind it with no other vehicles on the roadway.
“I again noted that there were no taillights illuminated, but did note that the brake lights did illuminate once I activated my blue emergency lights and siren,” Sgt. Henehan said. “The vehicle pulled to the right of the roadway on Mill Street.”
Sergeant Henehan said he radioed dispatch his location and exited his cruiser.
“As I approached the driver’s side front window, the operator rolled down his window,” Sgt. Henehan said. “I greeted the operator, and sole occupant, identified by his NH [New Hampshire] license as the registered owner, Mr. Joseph Wade.”
According to police, Joseph Wade, 44, is a resident of Hudson, New Hampshire.
“I advised Mr. Wade that his vehicle had no illuminated taillights and it appeared that he had only turned on his daytime running lights. He appeared confused and apologized. I requested his license and registration,” Sgt. Henehan said. “Mr. Wade grabbed a stack of papers from his glove box and fumbled through them looking for his registration.”
Sergeant Henehan said that, after a few moments, Wade located his registration and retrieved his license from his back pocket and handed them to him.
“While standing at the window I immediately detected an overwhelming odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from the vehicle,” Sgt. Henehan said. “I asked Mr. Wade where he was coming from and where was he heading to. He stated that he had left his father’s house in Worcester and was heading to his residence in Hudson. I asked if he knew where he was. He stated that he did not. I advised that he was in Groton.”
Sergeant Henehan said that while speaking with Wade, he noted that his speech was slurred and he mumbled some of his words.
“His eyes were glassy and bloodshot,” Sgt. Henehan said. “I asked if he had any alcohol to drink this evening. He stated he had consumed three Bud Light cans of beer approximately two hours ago.”
At this time, Sgt. Henehan radioed dispatch and requested an additional police unit respond to the scene.
Shortly thereafter, Officer Tyler Melanson arrived on scene.
“I asked Mr. Wade to exit his vehicle to perform Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST’s) in order to ensure that it was safe for him to operate his vehicle. He agreed to do so,” Sgt. Henehan said. “Mr. Wade opened his door and pulled himself out of the vehicle by grabbing onto the door frame. As he stepped out of the door frame he appeared off balance and stumbled slightly before walking to the rear of his vehicle. As I stood directly in front of him, approximately three feet away, I again detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating directly from his breath.”
Sergeant Henehan said he noticed Wade swaying slightly forward and backward while standing still.
“I had Mr. Wade perform the SFST’s on the side of Mill Street which was paved, level and free of major defects and foreign matter,” Sgt. Henehan said. “The area was illuminated by my cruiser headlights and spotlight. The cruiser front facing blue emergency lights were shut off. Officer Melanson monitored traffic to ensure scene safety. I advised that I would demonstrate and explain all tests prior to any attempts and that I would not start any test until he stated that he understood the directions.”
Sgt. Henehan asked Wade whether he had any eye-related medical conditions or if he wore glasses or contact lenses.
Sgt. Henehan said Wade acknowledged wearing glasses and mentioned having leg or foot issues, the details of which were redacted from the report. Sgt. Henehan said he asked Wade to elaborate on his injuries, but “Mr. Wade was vague” and gave limited responses about his physical condition. According to Sgt. Henehan, Wade initially said he would attempt the field sobriety tests but later claimed he could not perform balance-based exercises, joking that he could “stand on his head” instead.
“I advised I would not ask him to perform the Walk and Turn test, nor the One Leg Stand test,” Sgt. Henehan said. Adding, “Mr. Wade was wearing a black t-shirt, camouflage shorts and black Under Armour sneakers. The weather was mild in the low 60’s with clear skies.”
The first test Sergeant Henehan asked Wade to perform was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test. According to findlaw.com, the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test is a field sobriety test where an officer has an individual follow an object (such as a pen tip or pen light) with his/her eyes. The HGN test checks for the involuntary jerking of one’s eyes as they gaze side to side. This involuntary jerkiness is said to increase while under the influence of alcohol.
“I observed Mr. Wade’s eyes to have equal pupil size and equal tracking,” Sgt. Henehan said. “I also observed a lack of smooth pursuit in both eyes, a distinct nystagmus at maximum deviation in both eyes and an onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees in both eyes.”
The next test Sergeant Henehan asked Wade to perform was the Alphabet test.
“I asked Mr. Wade if he understood the English alphabet,” Sgt. Henehan said. “He stated that he did. I asked what his highest level of education was. He stated he graduated from high school. I instructed him to recite the alphabet starting with the letter ‘D’ as in Dog and stopping at the letter ‘W’ as in Whiskey. He stated that he understood. Mr. Wade whispered A, B, C, D, then recited the letters E, F, G, H, J, W.”
The last test Sergeant Henehan asked Wade to perform was the Portable Breath Test device.
“The result of PBT test #00251 was 0.174%,” Sgt. Henehan said. “Based on all of the above, I formed the opinion that Mr. Wade was intoxicated. He was placed under arrest, handcuffed (double locked) and placed into the rear of my cruiser.”
Wade’s vehicle was towed by Groton Collision Repair. Officer Melanson performed an inventory of the vehicle per department policy.
“I transported Mr. Wade to the Groton Police Station for booking,” Sgt. Henehan said. “While en route to the station, I detected an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from the rear of my cruiser that was not present at the start of my shift.”
Sergeant Henehan said that at the Groton Police Station, Wade “was booked in the usual manner and afforded all applicable rights.”
“He was advised of his Miranda warning rights which were read to him and signed by him indicating that he understood his rights,” Sgt. Henehan said. “He was also advised of his rights detailed on the Statutory Rights and Consent Form. He acknowledged that he understood these rights and elected to take the chemical test. He signed the Statutory Rights and Consent Form indicating his acknowledgement of these rights.”
Sergeant Henehan said that, as a certified operator, he administered the chemical breath test to Wade.
“The test was performed on the Alcotest 9510 ARBK-0079 breath test machine that is currently certified and I have every reason to believe that it was functioning properly,” Sgt. Henehan said. “I entered his information into the breath test unit and waited the fifteen-minute observation period using the breath test machine countdown timer.”
Sgt. Henehan said the observation period started at 1:25 a.m. and concluded at 1:40 a.m.
“During the observation period, I stood directly in front of Mr. Wade while conversing. At no time did he vomit, belch, hiccup or cough, nor did he place his fingers in his mouth,” Sgt. Henehan said. “Once the observation period ended, I proceeded to administer the test to him. While performing the test I detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath. The results of the test were: 0.163% for Mr. Wade’s first breath sample, 0.081% for the calibration check and 0.163% for his second breath sample. He was advised of the results and provided a copy, including the notice of suspension.”
While reviewing Wade’s criminal history, (i.e. Board of Probation (BOP) record summary), Sergeant Henehan found out that Wade had two prior OUI dispositions.
Sgt. Henehan stated that on May 11, 2014, Wade was charged in Hudson, New Hampshire, with driving or operating under the influence of drugs or liquor. According to Henehan, the listed disposition for the case, dated July 24, 2013, was a 90-day license revocation and a $620 fine.
Then, on Dec. 12, 2016, Wade was charged in Hudson, New Hampshire, with DUI, driving while intoxicated. According to Sgt. Henehan, the case disposition dated June 7, 2017, shows a guilty finding, a nine-month license revocation, the requirement to complete an impaired driver care management program, and a $620 fine.
Sergeant Henehan said that, following a review of his BOP, Joseph Wade was charged with the following:
- OUI- 3rd Offense
Sergeant Henehan said Wade was issued a Massachusetts Uniform Citation in hand, charging him with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor, third offense, and a lights violation.
“At approximately 3:00 a.m., Bail Commissioner Charlene McCormack released Mr. Wade on personal recognizance,” Sgt. Henehan said.
Wade’s arraignment was scheduled for Oct. 5, 2025, in Ayer District Court.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in October, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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