WEST BROOKFIELD, MASS. (WHDH) - A 19-year-old Dudley man is facing a raft of criminal charges after police say he crashed through a house in West Brookfield while attempting to evade arrest early Friday morning.
An officer who noticed an erratic operator in the area of Cottage Street about 5 a.m. tried to stop the vehicle, which sped away and later drove through a house on Wickaboag Valley Road, according to West Brookfield police.
The driver, later identified as Owen West, fled into the woods nearby.
West surrendered after about an hour and a half.
The homeowners were asleep in their bedroom while their newly renovated dining room was destroyed by the crash.
“I was just going to wake him up and the next thing you know we heard this explosion. All the lights went out and everything and we jumped out of bed and found our room gone.”
Now, those shaken homeowners say they are just grateful no one was hurt.
“I mean, it is just a room and it is no big deal,” they said. “We’re OK, everyone else is OK.”
West was arraigned in East Brookfield District Court on charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, failure to stop for police, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, and reckless operation.
He was released on $500 cash bail and ordered to stay sober pending the outcome of the case.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)