Orange Construction Cone Thwarts Alleged Drunk Driver Getaway

Middletown police recently arrested three out-of-towners, including one alleged drunk driver whose short-lived attempted getaway from the scene was thwarted by an orange construction cone stuck inside the SUV's wheel well.

Allison Bouchard, 34, of 20 Kathleen Drive, Warren, was arrested Friday morning around 2:15 am on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, as well as refusing to submit to blood-alcohol breath and chemical tests.

Police reportedly first found Bouchard's green 2004 Isuzu SUV parked off West Main Road near Beacon Street and she told police she was calling a friend to pick her up. After the police officer on scene instructed her to sit in her passenger's seat while he returned to his patrol car to call for assistance, Bouchard allegedly attempted to drive away but instead drove a short distance across the street, pulled into another lot, and wound up parking on the grass.

After another officer arrived, police conducted physical field sobriety tests on Bouchard, but stopped for Bouchard's "own safety" after she nearly fell backwards, reports indicate. Police also allege Bouchard then refused to take a preliminary blood-alcohol breathalyzer test, reportedly insisting that she was "a good girl" and that another friend was driving, even though she was alone in her SUV.

Following Bouchard's arrest, when operators were hooking Bouchard's SUV to a tow-truck, police on scene said they recovered an orange construction cone that had been wedged into a front wheel well, likely from a nearby construction zone.

Middletown police also reported the following recent arrests:

• Thomas Pereira, 21, of 8 Louthan Kirby Way, S. Dartmouth, MA, was arrested Thursday night around 11:41 pm after police stopped his 2004 red Saturn L300 on West Main Road near the Home Depot. Allegations include driving under the influence of alcohol, refusing to submit to a blood-alcohol level breath test, having open alcohol containers in his car, and refusing to submit to a chemical test. Police at the scene reported seeing Pereira's car swerve into the next line, narrowly missing the sideswiping of another car "within inches." Pereira then failed field sobriety tests involving physical movements and refused to submit to a preliminary blood-alcohol breathalyzer test, police allege.

• Middletown Police Department arrested Eric Noel Anderson, 45, of 3 Congdon Ave, Newport, Thursday around 2 pm after picking him up from the Newport Police Department, for failing to appear before Municipal Court.