Driver loses control of car, lands in pool

By OWEN BOSS
Staff Writer

SOUTH HADLEY — A teen who allegedly had been smoking marijuana and taking painkillers and other pills lost control of his vehicle Thursday night and drove through a guardrail and wooden fence and into a private swimming pool, police said.

Kristoffer R. Breault, 19, of East Longmeadow, pleaded innocent Friday in Eastern Hampshire District Court to charges of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs, two counts of possessing a class E substance (Percocet and Klonopin) ; wanton destruction of property valued above $250 and negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

At 8 p.m. Thursday, Breault reportedly lost control of his 1993 Nissan Maxima on Willimansett Street and crashed through a guardrail and a resident’s wooden fence and into the deep end of an in-ground swimming pool. The crash was seen by two witnesses who told police that before losing control, Breault was driving “very dangerously and all over the road,” according to court documents.

Lt. Steven Parentella said Friday that 10 minutes before the accident, Chicopee police reported an erratic operator on James Street in a similar vehicle but were unable to confirm whether it was Breault.

After police responded to the scene, Breault reportedly admitted that he was driving the car when it crashed and that earlier in the night he had smoked marijuana and taken drugs.

After Breault failed a series of field sobriety tests, police reportedly found his wallet floating in the pool near his car and inside found two small plastic bags; one with five loose pills and the other with three, according to court documents. The car was eventually towed out of the pool, Parentella said.

Judge Laurie MacLeod released Breault on his own recognizance; he is scheduled to reappear for a pretrial hearing Oct. 2.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com