Needham woman arrested for OUI, prescription drugs

On Saturday, June 5, at 1:30 p.m., Wellesley police responded to a motor vehicle crash at 8 Church St., where two vehicles had suffered significant damage.

When the officer arrived, he saw a woman, Barbara Pierce, 54, of 14 Howe Road in Needham, unsteady on her feet, who identified herself as the driver of one of the vehicles. She said she had driven into a parked car.

The officer also observed that the woman's speech was slurred and her eyes were glassy. When the officer asked if she had been drinking, she said no, but she was on prescription drugs, Paxil and Amitrylane, and had taken more than the prescribed amount.

Pierce failed a field sobriety test, and was arrested and charged with operating under the influence of drugs, negligent operation and marked lanes violation.  Her bail was set at $2,000, which she did not post, so she remained at the Wellesley Police Department and was transferred to Dedham District Court Monday morning.