Woman Charged with Texting, Drunken Driving After Allegedly Hitting Pole

A Hingham woman crashed into a pole and almost hit a home while texting and driving while under the influence of alcohol, police say.

Heather Sladen, 30, was arrested on Sept. 17 and arraigned the next day in Hingham District Court on charges of drunken driving, leaving the scene of an accident, operating to endanger, texting while driving, and marked lanes violation. She is free on her own personal recognizance according to court records.

At 10:17 p.m. on the night of the alleged incident, police received a call of a car that may have hit a come on Cushing Street and drove towards Derby Street. While the house was not struck, there was some property damage and no injuries.

A witness told police that the driver drove over their lawns and their neighbor’s before hearing towards Derby Street and Ward Street. When police arrived on Ward Street, they found a Nissan Altima with heavy front damage on the side of the road.

The operator, later identified as Sladen, admitted to police to texting and driving. A preliminary investigation by police says that Sladen hit a pole on the right side of Cushing Street, bounced off the pole across the street, and almost hit a home.

Police described Sladen as unsteady when attempting to get her license and an officer wrote that she could smell alcohol, adding that her eyes were slightly red and glassy.

Sladen was taken into custody after failing a field sobriety test. She is due back in court on Nov. 3.

Photo Credit: Hingham Police