DUDLEY — On Saturday, March 14, 2026, at approximately 8:20 p.m., Officer Dylan Reney of the Dudley Police Department said that dispatch received a call from a “known caller” who stated that a black Ford Fusion behind her had no lights on, was crossing the double yellow lines, and had just crashed into the curb outside Dudley District Court.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Dylan Reney for the incident and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“I then headed to the area, and upon arrival, I did not see any vehicle that matched that description,” Officer Reney said. “While searching the area, at 8:42 p.m., dispatch informed me that [the caller] called back and reported the vehicle had now turned onto Center Road and identified the vehicle as a black Mazda with a Massachusetts plate and a handicap placard in the front.”
Officer Reney said he then drove to Center Road, but could not locate the vehicle there as well.
“I then radioed I would be heading to the Yummy’s Chinese restaurant located at 3 Center Road to see if the vehicle was in the lot,” Officer Reney said. “Officer [Daniel] Brunelle arrived at Yummy’s before me and informed me that the vehicle was in the lot.”
Officer Reney said he then arrived on scene and observed a black 2012 Mazda 6 SE with Massachusetts plates that matched the caller’s description, stopped in the middle of the entrance of Yummy’s Restaurant.
“I exited my cruiser and approached the passenger side of the Mazda,” Officer Reney said. “A female identified as Stephanie Boneta, who was seated in the driver’s seat, rolled the window down and began to tell me that she stopped at the Chinese restaurant to get food for her mother.”
According to police, Stephanie A. Boneta, 32, is a resident of Southbridge, MA.
“While speaking with Boneta, I observed that she had slurred speech, her eyes were glassy and bloodshot, and I could smell the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on her breath,” Officer Reney said. “I asked Boneta if she had anything to drink tonight. Boneta told me she did.”
Officer Reney then walked around to the driver’s side of the vehicle and asked Boneta to exit the vehicle.
“As I walked around the vehicle, I observed a handicap placard hanging from the mirror, and the front driver-side tire and rear driver-side tire were deflated,” Officer Reney said. “I also observed that the vehicle’s keys were in the vehicle’s ignition. Boneta then exited the vehicle, and I asked her if she would walk to the front of the car. At the front of the vehicle, I asked Boneta if she would be willing to do standardized field sobriety tests. Boneta agreed.”
The first field sobriety test that Officer Reney asked Boneta 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 explained the test to Boneta,” Officer Reney said. “After explaining the test, I then checked Boneta’s eyes for equal tracking and equal pupil size. After that, I then checked for resting nystagmus. Boneta had no resting nystagmus, but did have equal tracking and equal pupil size. I then began the test. During the test I observed six out of six clues. The clues that I observed were lack of smooth pursuit in both eyes, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation in both eyes, and onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees in both eyes. I did not observe vertical nystagmus.”
The second test Officer Reney asked Boneta to perform was the walk and turn test. The walk-and-turn test requires the individual to walk heel-to-toe in a straight line with their hands at their sides for about nine steps (counted out loud), then turn around and return to the starting point in the same way.
“I asked Boneta to stand with her right foot in front of her left foot, touching heel to toe, and her arms by her side. I demonstrated this position for her,” Officer Reney said. “Boneta was unable to get into the starting position and could not follow the instructions that I demonstrated. I then began to explain and demonstrate the walking stage of the test for her. During the instructional phase of the test, Boneta was never in the starting position.”
Officer Reney then had Boneta begin the walking stage of the test.
“During the walking stage of the test, I observed three out of the eight possible clues,” Officer Reney said. “The three clues that I observed were improper turn and missed heel to toe and wrong number of steps. Boneta took 10 steps forward instead of nine, made a quick spinning motion instead of a series of small steps on the turn and missed heel to toe greater than six inches. An imaginary line was used for the test as there was no line on the pavement. After the turn, Boneta stood still then walked back to me disregarding the previous instructions I had given.”
The third test Officer Reney had Boneta perform was the one leg stand. This test involves lifting one leg about six inches off the ground, while holding the foot in a position parallel to the ground, with arms kept at the sides.
“I demonstrated and explained the test for Boneta,” Officer Reney said. “I then had Boneta begin the test. During the test I observed three out of four clues. The three clues I observed were swaying while balancing, uses arms for balance, and puts foot down.”
Officer Reney said the last test he administered was the Preliminary Breath Test (PBT), a portable breathalyzer used during roadside OUI investigations to estimate blood alcohol concentration (i.e., BAC).
“I explained to Boneta that the PBT would not be used in court, and that she could refuse to take it, but it would allow me to help determine if she was under the legal limit and ok to drive,” Officer Reney said. “Boneta agreed to the PBT. Officer Brunella administered the PBT to Boneta, however no reading could be obtained as Boneta could not follow the instructions to blow into the machine.”
Officer Reney stated that, after administering the field sobriety tests, smelling the odor of an alcoholic beverage on Boneta’s breath, hearing Boneta’s slurred speech, and observing Boneta’s bloodshot, glassy eyes, he believed Boneta was intoxicated and placed her under arrest for operating under the influence.
“Boneta could not be placed into handcuffs due to the fact that she was wearing a cast on one of her arms,” Officer Reney said, adding that she was then placed in the back of a cruiser.
“Before transporting Boneta back to the station, an inventory of the vehicle was performed,” Officer Reney said. “During the inventory, I observed an empty nip bottle in the driver side door. I also observed an empty nip bottle at the base of the driver’s seat where Boneta was found sitting.”
During the inventory search, Officer Reney also located a black handbag on the floor of the back seat behind the driver’s side.
Officer Reney stated that, inside the handbag, he observed a tied plastic bag containing brown powder which, based on his training and experience, he believed was consistent with heroin.
“I walked back to the rear of my cruiser and read Boneta the Miranda warning, which she stated that she understood,” Officer Reney said. “I asked her about the powder and she stated that she did not know who it belonged to and was confused. I terminated my conversation with her and Officer Thomas Motyka of the Webster Police Department along with his narcotics certified K-9 were requested to the scene.”
Officer Reney said that while waiting for Officer Motyka, Sergeant Philip Megas transported Boneta to the Dudley Police Station for booking.
After Officer Motyka and his K-9 completed their search of the vehicle, a further search was conducted, but no additional items were found.
“Officer Brunelle then seized the bag of brown powder placed it into an evidence bag and transported it back to the station,” Officer Reney said. “The vehicle was then towed from the scene by Precision Towing.”
Officer Reney said that, back at the Dudley Police Department, Boneta was advised of her statutory rights and given a consent form by Sergeant Megas, who then offered her a breath test.
“Boneta agreed to the breath test,” Officer Reney said. “While Sergeant Megas attempted to give Boneta the breath test, Boneta could not properly blow into the machine, leading to the test to becoming a refusal.”
According to Officer Reney, Boneta was then notified her license would be suspended, and her license was seized.
“While Sergeant Megas was going through Boneta’s property, two suboxone strips were found in a plastic encasing with no prescription bottle,” Officer Reney said. “Boneta also had an EBT card that did not have her name on it. The individual’s name on the card was Matthew Williams. I later asked Boneta if she had a prescription for the suboxone. Boneta told me that she used to, but she got the suboxone from Williams who was the owner of the EBT card she had. Boneta said Williams gave her the suboxone for her pain. I then seized the suboxone and it was entered into evidence.”
Officer Reney also asked Boneta about the brown powder that was seized.
“Boneta said the powder was her chocolate protein powder,” Officer Reney said. “Bail Commissioner Jen Caissie was contacted, and bail was set at personal recognizance.”
Stephanie Boneta, 32, of Southbridge, was charged with the following violations/offenses:
- OUI – Liquor
- Possess Class E Drug
- Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle
- Marked Lanes Violation
After she was booked, Boneta was transported to the Webster Police Department for holding.
“After Boneta was transported to the Webster Police Department for holding, Officer Brunelle transported the bag of brown powder to the Charlton Police Department for TruNarc testing,” Officer Reney said. “The test came back inconclusive. Once the powder was brought back to the station, it was disposed of in the trash bin.”
Boneta was arraigned on March 16, 2026, in Dudley District Court. Following her arraignment, she was released on personal recognizance. Her next court date is a pretrial hearing scheduled for May 8, 2026.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in March, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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