Two local, 20-year-old females were placed under arrest in the early hours of Monday morning following a high-speed police chase through Webster, MA, according to a report from the Webster Police Department.
Police say that an officer was conducting traffic enforcement on Route 193/Thompson Road in the vicinity of the Exit 1 intersection with I-395 – about a mile north of the Connecticut border and the Town of Thompson – at about 12:30 am Monday morning. At that time, a northbound-traveling, white vehicle with Connecticut registration plates was observed to be speeding, at which point the officer activated his emergency lights and entered the roadway.
However, the vehicle – instead of slowing down – accelerated north on Thompson Road, traveling in excess of 80 mph. The suspect vehicle increased to speeds of over 100 mph, police say, even while passing LED display boards that warned of possible black ice conditions.
The vehicle did not slow down for any intersections, curves, or other responding officers that passed by – and blew through a red light at the intersection with East Main Street/Route 12 as a police cruiser attempted to enter the intersection. Police say that the suspect vehicle was out of sight after it illegally passed another vehicle, while traveling over 100 mph, on Route 12 heading towards Oxford.
Within minutes, Oxford police found the suspect vehicle parked and abandoned at the Oxford Industrial Park. Webster and Oxford police officers subsequently began to conduct a search for the vehicle’s occupants in the surrounding woods, and located 20-year-old Alyssa Groh, of Thompson Road in Webster. A short time later, 20-year-old Teryn Johnson, of Quaddick Town Farm Road in Thompson, emerged from beneath a tarp by some barrels next to a building.
Johnson was identified as the driver, and Groh as the passenger, according to police, who said that open containers of alcohol and marijuana were found in the vehicle. Possession of both are subject to civil violations for persons under 21 years of age in Massachusetts.
Police say that Johnson was found to be intoxicated following a breathalyzer test taken over an hour after the pursuit began. She was arrested for over 20 citations, and charged with operating under the influence; failure to stop for police; speeding and reckless operation of a motor vehicle; possession of open containers of alcohol and marijuana in a motor vehicle; and resisting arrest – among other violations. Meanwhile, Groh was arrested and charged with possession of alcohol and marijuana, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest, according to police.
Both Teryn Johnson and Alyssa Groh were brought before the judge at Dudley District Court on Monday, with a $540 cash bail set for Johnson, police say. Future court dates were not listed.
WINY Radio Station
December 20, 2016