CLINTON — On Saturday, November 29, 2025, at approximately 12:44 p.m., the Clinton Police Department’s dispatch center received a 911 call reporting a two-car motor vehicle accident near 174 High Street.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Matthew Champagne and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
Officer Matthew Champagne said police units were dispatched right after the call, and while en route to the location, Clinton dispatch advised police that one of the operators appeared to be intoxicated.
“At approximately 12:50 p.m., I arrived on scene and was flagged down by a female party in front of The Palace Barbershop located at 172 High Street,” Officer Champagne said. “Patrolman Brendan Rutherford arrived shortly after.”
Officer Champagne noted that at the time of the crash, the Town of Clinton was celebrating “Small Business Saturday,” which began at 12:00 p.m. and was scheduled to end at 5:00 p.m. that day.
Officer Champagne said that as he got out of his cruiser, a woman, later identified as a 35-year-old named Shauna, approached him and stated her husband’s truck was struck by a vehicle as it was parked off the roadway on the side of the road. Officer Champagne said Shauna’s husband, later identified as a 38-year-old named Peter, is the registered owner of a white Chevrolet Silverado with Massachusetts plates, which had been struck.
Shauna then pointed Officer Champagne in the direction of the vehicle which she claimed hit her husband’s Silverado, a grey Ford Explorer with Massachusetts plates driven by 54-year-old Jennifer Fisher.
“[Shauna] stated the grey Explorer was traveling south on High Street when it veered right and struck the rear of the parked Silverado,” Officer Champagne said. “I made my way to speak with Ms. Fisher who at the time was standing outside the vehicle looking dazed and confused.
Officer Champagne said that as he attempted to speak with Fisher, she sat back in the driver’s seat of the vehicle, which was still running. Officer Champagne then turned the vehicle off and asked Fisher for her identification.
“At this point, I took notice of Ms. Fisher’s very slow and deliberate movements, her slurred speech, bloodshot and glossy, red eyes, and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from her person and vehicle,” Officer Champagne said. “She was unable to locate her identification, which I later found in her wallet located on the floor. I had to repeat myself numerous times for Ms. Fisher to be able to understand what I was asking. When asked what occurred, Ms. Fisher was unable to explain.”
Officer Champagne said he then asked Fisher whether she had consumed any alcohol or taken any drugs, and she denied both.
“I then asked if she needed any medical attention, which she denied at this time. I eventually was able to have Ms. Fisher step out of the vehicle and move to the rear,” Officer Champagne said. “As she walked, she was very unsteady on her feet, nearly falling multiple times. With the smell of intoxicating liquor growing stronger as she spoke, I asked how many drinks she had and she replied ‘just a couple.’”
Officer Champagne said that due to Fisher’s actions, he asked whether she would be willing to perform standardized field sobriety tests (SFSTs) to determine if she was safe to operate a motor vehicle.
“Ms. Fisher continuously mumbled responses that made it difficult to understand. I asked her how far she made it in school, [in response] to which she stated she was an ‘NP,’” Officer Champagne said.
Officer Champagne said he then asked Fisher if she knew the entire English alphabet and she said “yes.”
“I then asked if she could recite the entirety of it from A to Z without singing it. Ms. Fisher began and made it to letter ‘Q’ before completely stopping and not being able to continue,” Officer Champagne said. “Due to the level of intoxication and Ms. Fisher being unsteady on her feet, I made the determination that Ms. Fisher was operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor.”
Officer Champagne said he then handcuffed Fisher, escorted her to the rear of his cruiser, and read her Miranda warnings from a card he carries on his person.
Officer Champagne then transported Fisher to the Clinton Police Department for booking.
“While transporting Ms. Fisher, I detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage that was not present prior to the transport,” Officer Champagne said.
During booking, Officer Champagne said Fisher refused a breathalyzer.
“After booking was completed and Ms. Fisher was placed in a cell, I and other officers detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage in the booking room which was not present prior to Ms. Fishers arrival,” Officer Champagne said. Later adding, “Ms. Fisher’s license was seized to be destroyed.”
Officer Champagne said that Guaranty Auto Sales & Service was contacted to take possession of Fisher’s vehicle and was advised it would be held due to the charge.
“Officer Rutherford conducted a motor vehicle inventory per department policy,” Officer Champagne said. “While conducting the inventory, Officer Rutherford located five empty Sauvignon Blanc cartons, one which was labelled ‘Black Box’ and four which were labelled ‘Bota Box.’ Each carton was listed too equal three glasses of wine. There were also two cups in the car, one which still had remains of an alcoholic beverage in it. One witness advised Officer Rutherford that Ms. Fisher seemed to be eating dog treats, and a bag of ‘Pup-Peroni’ was found inside the vehicle. All evidence was photographed and logged per department policy.”
Officer Champagne added that in 2019, Fisher was charged with operating under the influence of liquor, and the case was resolved with a continuance without a finding.
Jennifer Fisher was arrested and charged with the following:
- OUI-Liquor or .08%, 2nd Offense
- Negligent Operation of Motor Vehicle
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the arrest in this story took place in November, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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