Crime & Safety
Fitchburg Man Gets 5th OUI After Cape Cod Chase, Crash
The Saturday chase ended in a crash on Route 3 after the driver swerved at police, authorities said.
FITCHBURG, MA — A 66-year-old Fitchburg man is facing over a dozen criminal charges — including a fifth operating under the influence charge — following a chase and crash that began Saturday afternoon in Sandwich.
At around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sandwich police responded to Route 130 on a report of a dangerous driver. Police followed the vehicle as it ran red lights, and at one point drove off the roadway. At one point, the driver, identified as Robert Leonard, swerved into a Sandwich officer's car, police said.
Police stopped following the driver after he sped over the Sagamore Bridge heading northbound. But moments later, officers saw smoke rising above Route 3. Leonard crashed his car into a tree in the median of the highway, police said.
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Leonard was take to Beth Israel Deaconess-Plymouth for treatment of injuries. Police are charging him with a fifth OUI, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, reckless operation of a car, driving with a suspended license, resisting arrest, and a litany of other moving and other violations — including littering.
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