Woman Involved in Loudon Road Crash Had Prior DWI Conviction

CONCORD, NH – A local woman is due in court next week on numerous driving charges after a crash on Loudon Road that tied up traffic at the I-93 interchange for hours.

Sarah E. Keith, 31, of Burns Avenue in Concord, was arrested at 4:30 p.m. on June 23, 2016, for felony habitual offender, driving while intoxicated, driving while intoxicated-second offense, driving after revocation or suspension, and suspended registration.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Concord Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the name removal request process for NH Patch police reports.

At just before 4 p.m., Concord Fire and Rescue teams and officers were sent to the area of I-93 and Loudon Road of a report of a two-vehicle crash involving a minivan and a Jeep.

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Officers met with the driver – Keith – to speak with her about the accident and alleged she was “slightly anxious and agitated, but overall calm and collected.” But while speaking though, the officer allegedly detected “the possibility of impairment,” according to the report.

“I tried to smell the odor of alcohol on her breath but I could not,” the officer reported. “The only odor I was able to smell was her perfume. I observed that her pupils were watery and bloodshot and her cheeks were red, which she stated was from crying earlier. I asked Sarah to follow me several feet to get off the road and onto the sidewalk. I observed that she was walking fine without any issues.”

The reporting officer spoke with a passenger who was reportedly “heavily intoxicated” but calm and polite. After speaking with him, the officer returned to Keith but reportedly didn’t detect the smell of alcohol or any problems walking.

The officer returned to the accident scene and allegedly found an empty whiskey glass positioned upright underneath the Jeep while a second officer reported seeing a bottle of beer under the vehicle, too.

The reporting officer returned to speak with the passenger and requested that he be “forthright” about whether or not Keith had reportedly been drinking and he alleged that she had “earlier today,” according to the report. The passenger stated that Keith allegedly had been drinking in the late morning before tending to some business but he became “increasingly nervous” and was “not clear” about the business was she was dealing with, according to the report.

The passenger allegedly became hostile as the officer tried to find out who was in possession of the beer and whiskey glass before the crash, according to the report, with the man stating that the officer was trying to accuse him of being in possession. As he reportedly became more aggressive, a sergeant stepped in between the reporting officer and the passenger.

A check of Keith’s license came back as suspended as a habitual offender due to a DWI conviction in Laconia District Court in July 2007. She was deemed a habitual offender at the same time and her license and registrations were suspended later that year, according to documentation.

When asked about her license being suspended, she allegedly admitted she knew that it was and was arrested.

After being transported and taken out of a police cruiser, the officer alleged that Keith gave off “the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage” and other officers allegedly noticed it, too, during processing.

Keith is due in court on July 11