TURNERS FALLS — A Turners Falls woman was arraigned in Greenfield District Court Thursday morning after she allegedly crashed her SUV into a light pole outside the Montague Public Safety Complex on Wednesday night.
Tawnya Brunelle, 51, is being charged with wanton destruction of property worth more than $1,200 and operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol after she allegedly destroyed a light pole and a “Do Not Enter” sign located near the Public Safety Complex’s entrance.
In his report, Montague Police Sgt. Justin Moody wrote that he was in the police locker room at approximately 11 p.m. when he heard a loud crashing sound outside. He stated that dispatchers saw a vehicle near the station’s sally port on the surveillance camera.
“Upon exiting the west side employee entrance, I observed a black 2017 Chevrolet Equinox in the parking lot between the west side sally port and employee parking area. I could hear the vehicle engine revving, however, the vehicle was not moving. Inside, I observed only one person, [Brunelle],” Moody wrote in his police report. “It appeared her vehicle came from Montague Street, heading south toward the police station, and continued into the grassy area in front of the station, hitting the light pole and sign, then skidded through the parking lot about 100 feet.”
In an interview Thursday morning, Montague Police Chief Christopher Williams said the driver struck the light pole, “ripping out” its wires and snapping it. He said the Chevrolet also nearly hit a nearby police cruiser.
After officers asked Brunelle to exit the SUV, Moody wrote in his report that she smelled of marijuana and alcohol, and that Brunelle’s speech was slurred as she was returning to the vehicle to get her driver’s license.
“As I approached, I observed Brunelle standing with her back against the vehicle, swaying. I could smell a moderate odor of alcohol coming from Brunelle’s person and a slight odor of marijuana coming from her person as well. I observed her eyes to be bloodshot and glassy,” he wrote. “I asked her if she had any drugs or alcohol today, to which she stated that she smoked marijuana approximately four hours ago and denied any alcohol.”
Moody stated that Brunelle became “confrontational” with the other officers, “believing that they shouldn’t be there or [were] secretly videotaping her.”
Implementing the walk and turn field sobriety test, Moody wrote that Brunelle “could not do any parts of the test properly,” was unsteady on her feet, “was unable to count properly out loud” and did not walk back. Despite multiple attempts to conduct a portable Breathalyzer test, the machine “could not get a reading on her breath,” Moody’s report states, noting that the machine needs two back-to-back successful attempts to work.
“Based on the crash, odor of alcohol emanating from Brunelle’s person, her bloodshot and glassy eyes, her unsteady walk and standing, slurred speech and [field sobriety test] failures,” Moody wrote in the police report, “I placed Brunelle under arrest for operating under the influence of alcohol.”
Brunelle was released on personal recognizance.
