Crime & Safety
“Too Many Drinks” Blamed in Chilmark Collision
A 43-year-old Edgartown woman is on probation until late January after she allegedly caused a non-injury OUI crash on South Road July 2, according to court documents. Arrest information does not indicate a conviction.
The driver accused of OUI in a two-car Chilmark crash has been placed on probation until Jan. 29, 2014 and fined $500 for having an open container of alcohol in her vehicle, according to documents filed in Edgartown District Court.
Beth Tessmer also had her driving license suspended for 45 days in the aftermath of the collision between her 2008 Ford Edge and a van on South Road at about 9:15 p.m. July 2.
The collision, at the Windy Gates corner, took place just after police caught sight of Tessmer’s vehicle after receiving a call about “an erratic operator in a dark SUV” who had “struck a granite post at the end of Quansoo Road and also a telephone pole and kept driving and was now swerving all over the road,” according to the police report of the incident.
The van’s driver and passenger were shaken up but said they were not injured. The driver of the van told police he was headed east on South Road when he saw Tessmer’s westbound SUV come around the corner into his lane and was unable to avoid the collision, the police report continues.
Find out what's happening in Martha's Vineyardwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Tessmer told police she was fine and the van had hit her, but the reporting officer said he “observed Tessmer’s eyes were glassy and there was a strong smell of alcohol coming from her car … I asked Tessmer how much she had to drink tonight. Tessmer replied ‘Two.’ I inquired ‘two what?’ and she said ‘too many drinks.'"
Police found an open container of vodka, cooled bottles of Mike’s Hard Lemonade and a cup that appeared to have alcohol in it that had also spilled inside the SUV, according to the report.
Find out what's happening in Martha's Vineyardwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Tessmer was booked at the jail where she was found to have a blood alcohol level of .11, the report continues.
In addition to the $500 fine for having an open container of alcohol, Tessmer must also pay $350 in court costs and $65 a month for probation supervision, court documents indicate.
Arrest information does not indicate a conviction.
For more police, court and fire news on and off the Vineyard, please follow our Police & Fire group.