Drunken Hit And Run Goes Down In Somerville

An alleged instance of drunk driving on Webster Avenue led to the arrest of a Cambridge man on Sunday, Feb. 15. A police report states that when officers arrested Mario Lopes of 17 Plymouth St., a mostly-empty bottle of Amsterdam vodka was discovered on the floor of his red 2004 Mercedes.

The Somerville Police Department says Lopes’s evening began to go south around 8 p.m. after he rear-ended a Nissan Sentra that had stopped on Webster to let a plow truck go by. The Sentra’s driver told police that Lopes’s lack of coherency prevented her from ascertaining his insurance information, but she managed to get his license plate number before he fled the scene.

Later, Cambridge Police stopped Lopes in the vicinity of 1157 Cambridge St., Cambridge. A search of his vehicle revealed the almost-killed vodka bottle, and a breathalyzer test performed at the police station indicated a blood-alcohol level of .23, well above the legal .08 limit.

Lopes is charged with operating under the influence and leaving the scene of property damage.