Easthampton car chase leads to OUI charge

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

EASTHAMPTON - A suspected drunken driver who led local police on a brief car chase Monday night quickly exited his vehicle and denied driving before being found in possession of marijuana and placed under arrest, police said.

Matthew J. Stevens, 22, of 11 Highland Ave., Easthampton, pleaded innocent Tuesday in Northampton District Court to charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and failure to stop for police.

At 9:53 p.m., police reportedly saw Stevens backing his car out of a Pleasant Street parking lot and spin out his tires as he quickly accelerated southbound on Pleasant Street - at one point reaching 54 mph in a posted 30 mph zone.

Although police had activated their emergency lights in an attempt to pull him over, Stevens reportedly sped away, traveled past Searle Avenue and crossed over the dividing line to pass another vehicle before turning into the parking lot adjacent to the Peter Pan Cafe "at an unsafe speed."

Stevens reportedly jumped out of his vehicle, walked away from his car and refused to produce a license or registration, telling police on scene that he hadn't been driving, according to court documents.

After submitting to and failing several field sobriety tests, Stevens reportedly registered a blood alcohol content of .19, which is more than twice the legal limit, and was issued a citation for possessing less than an ounce of marijuana.

Judge Richard J. Carey released Stevens on his own recognizance. Stevens is scheduled to return to court on April 1 for a pretrial hearing.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.