Man Charged at Pumpkin Fest Riot Arrested Again After DWI Crash

PELHAM, NH — A local man who was arrested two years ago during the Keene Pumpkin Festival riot on an alcohol charge was arrested this morning on numerous charges after a pursuit through two communities that resulted in a crash, according to police. Justin Soeum, 22, of Hudson, was arrested on Oct. 5, 2016, for aggravated driving while intoxicated, disobeying a police officer, and reckless operation.

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

At around 3:30 a.m. this morning, according to Pelham Police, an officer monitoring traffic on Route 38 reportedly observed a white sedan driving north “at a high rate of speed, partially in the breakdown lane.” The officer attempted to catch up to the vehicle and alleged that it traveled at a high rate of speed and was swerving in and out of lanes. At the intersection of Main Street and Route 38 in Pelham, the vehicle allegedly went through a red light and the officer attempted to stop the vehicle, according to Capt. Stephen R. Toom of the Pelham Police Department.

Watch police dash cam of the incident below:

“The white sedan traveled on Nashua Road then onto Mammoth Road towards the town of Windham,” Toom alleged. “During this time the white sedan traveled at high rates of speed at times above 80 miles per hour, extinguished its headlights and crossed over the yellow line on several occasions.”

During the pursuit of the sedan, the vehicle reportedly nearly lost control on several occasions almost resulting in a crash. When the vehicle entered Windham, the officer notified dispatch that he was “reducing his speed as the speed of the white sedan was extremely dangerous.” The officer reduced his speed and continued in the direction the white sedan was traveling, according to Toom.

As the officer approached Mammoth Road and Castle Hill Road, he noticed that the sedan had crashed and ended up on its roof, according to the report. Another officer arrived to assist and Soeum was arrested. He was transported to Parkland Medical Center in Derry by Pelham Fire and Rescue teams.

According to online reports, Soeum has been arrested a number of times during the past three years. He was arrested in Wilmington, MA, in June 2013, for felony nighttime breaking and entering of a building, larceny from a building, larceny over $250, and possession of a burglarious instrument. Two years later, he was arrested twice in Nashua, for resisting arrest in July 2015, and driving under the influence in June 2015. In October 2014, he was arrested in Keene on an alcohol charge and taken into protective custody, according to WNTK News, after numerous people were rounded up during the Pumpkin Fest rioting.