Ross A. Atstupenas
Chief of Police
15 St. Paul St.
Blackstone, MA 01504
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: ben@jgpr.net
Blackstone Police Charge Man With Drugged, Drunk Driving Following Crashes
BLACKSTONE — Chief Ross A. Atstupenas reports that a man was charged with striking multiple vehicles while driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol down Main Street late Tuesday night.
WILLIAM HALFELDER, AGE 59, OF WOONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND was charged with:
- Operating Under the Influence of Drugs
- Operating Under the Influence of Liquor (Fourth Offense)
- Leaving the Scene of Personal Injury
- Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle
- Failure to Stop/Yield
- Failure to Drive in the Right Lane
He was issued a summons to appear in court at a later date for arraignment.
At approximately 9:45 p.m., Tuesday, June 19, Blackstone Police responded to the area of 97 Main St. for a report of a motor vehicle crash.
Upon arrival, officers saw HALFELDER outside of his Dodge van. He was bleeding from his nose and head.
In attempting to speak with HALFELDER, it was determined that he be administered the overdose-reversing drug Narcan. He was then transported to Rhode Island Hospital for medical care.
Witnesses at the scene told police that HALFELDER was allegedly driving down Main Street and swerving all over the road.
As he came upon the intersection of Main Street and Saint Paul Street, he struck a vehicle from behind that was stopped at a red light. The female driver of the car was injured and transported to a local hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.
HALFELDER then proceeded to drive around the vehicle he struck and continued through the red light down Main Street in the opposite lane of travel.
A short distance later he struck another vehicle head-on, pushing it off the road and into a driveway. The male driver of the vehicle was injured and taken to an area hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.
Through the subsequent investigation, it was determined that HALFELDER had allegedly struck more vehicles while driving in nearby Woonsocket, Rhode Island prior to driving into Blackstone.
The preliminary investigation revealed that HALFELDER had allegedly been driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time of the incident. The crash remains under investigation.
These are allegations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty.
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