PEABODY, MA —Federal immigration officials detained the driver accused of being involved in a wrong-way crash that injured a state trooper in Peabody early Sunday morning.
Lucas Di Benedetto, 41, of Newburyport, was set to be arraigned in Peabody District Court on Tuesday on charges of operating under the influence of liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and operating a motor vehicle the wrong way on a state highway.
But as he arrived for his hearing, the Essex County District Attorney's Office said: "Upon appearing at Peabody District Court, and prior to his scheduled arraignment, Mr. DiBenedetto was taken into ICE custody.
"Today, at the request of the Commonwealth, Judge Frances Dallmeyer issued a default warrant."
DiBenedetto had been released after posting a $500 magistrate-imposed bail on Sunday.
CBS Boston cameras caught DiBenedetto being taken into custody in a parking lot next to the courthouse, which is not subject to the guidelines of Gov. Maura Healey's Protect Act, which bans ICE activity in non-public areas of courthouses, hospitals, schools, churches and day care centers.
The union representing members of the Massachusetts State Police lauded the trooper injured in the wrong-way crash on the North Shore for responding with "unwavering courage, professionalism, and selflessness, placing himself in harm's way to protect others without hesitation."
The trooper, who has not been identified, was part of the same police academy graduating class as Kevin Trainor, the 31-year-old Salem High alumnus killed three weeks ago when he also put himself and his cruiser in the way of a driver going the wrong way on a nearby stretch of Route 1 in Lynnfield.
The trooper responded out of the State Police barracks in Danvers at about 2 a.m. on Sunday as part of a coordinated effort to intercept the wrong-way driver, the union said.
Both the trooper and the wrong-way driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the ensuing crash, which badly damaged both vehicles.
"We are grateful that this incident did not result in a more tragic outcome and extend our wishes for a full and speedy recovery to our injured trooper," the State Police Association of Massachusetts said. "His actions exemplify the commitment, bravery, and sacrifice demonstrated every day by the men and women of the Massachusetts State Police in service to the Commonwealth."
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