EVERETT, MASS. (WHDH) - A gasoline tanker truck driver who was rushed to the hospital after he was found passed out behind the wheel Monday morning is facing two impaired driving charges after police say he was involved in a head-on crash on the same street six hours later, officials said.
Patrolman Patrick Johnston responded to a report of an unresponsive tanker truck driver slumped over the wheel at the intersection of Ashland and Beacham streets about 8 a.m., Everett Police Chief Steven A. Mazzie said in a release issued Tuesday.
Kenneth Davis, 50, of Foxborough, was arraigned Tuesday in Malden District Court on a charge of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs, second offense, and released on $150 bail.
“Officers arrived on scene to find the defendant in a motor vehicle with the key in the ignition and non-responsive to the officer’s attempts at waking him up,” Assistant District Attorney Yashmeen Desai said.
Davis was rushed to the nearby Cambridge Health Alliance Hospital to be treated for a possible narcotic overdose, during which police sought a complaint against him for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs, Mazzie said.
Then, at 2:25 p.m., Johnston was called to a reported head-on collision in the area of 67 Beacham St. and found Davis apparently under the influence of narcotics inside a heavily damaged Chevy Monte Carlo that witnesses said drifted over the center line and into oncoming traffic prior to the crash.
Following an investigation, Davis was arrested and an immediate threat notice was sent to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, Mazzie said.
When asked why he was back behind the wheel, Davis said “they told me I shouldn’t drive and I thought they just meant the truck,” according to Desai.
Officers also found a pen with a white substance on it, and the same white substance on Davis’ nose after the crash, according to police.
“I’m glad we were able to respond and prevent this individual that was operating a truck with dangerous cargo from causing more serious harm,” Mazzie said in a statement. “Impaired drivers are a real concern to all of us and we encourage the public to report anyone they believe is impaired and is operating a vehicle.”
Davis’ license has been revoked. A judge ordered him to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet.
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