Two Women Face Multiple Drug Charges After Allegedly Driving Erratically

A woman from Beverly and another from Groveland are facing multiple drug charges after their car was allegedly swerving on Topsfield Road.

Two women face multiple drug charges after a police officer saw their car allegedly swerving all over Route 97 in Wenham. The arrests happened at about 9:30 p.m. on Thursday. Kristina Thumm, 46, of 31 Groveland St. in Groveland was allegedly driving a green Oldsmobile northbound. Behind her was Wenham police officer Shane Kavanagh, who saw the Oldsmobile cross the centerline. The first time Thumm corrected but the second time a vehicle headed the other way had to swerve and hit their brakes, according to a police report on the arrest. Kavanagh stopped the Oldsmobile near the rail trail crossing, not far from the Topsfield and Danvers town lines. After conducting some tests, Thumm was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of…

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Driver Crashes, Snaps Pole for Second Time in a Year

The same utility pole that was smashed in a crash last winter was snapped again over the weekend in a crash on Route 97 in Wenham.

For the second time in about a year, a driver crashed into the same utility pole along Route 97 and snapped it in half. The latest crash happened just after midnight on Saturday morning when Wenham police said the driver of a Chevrolet headed north went off the right side of the road and crashed into the pole. The driver allegedly left the scene after the crash and was located by police further north on Route 97 (Topsfield Road). The driver, who was not named by police, was not injured and denied medical treatment. He told police he fell asleep at the wheel. He was issued a summons for marked marked lanes violation, operating with a suspended license and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. He’ll have to appear in Ipswich …

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What Caused the Huge Traffic Backup on Rt. 97?

Here's an explanation for why traffic was backed up more than a mile on oute 97 in Wenham earlier this week.

Traffic backed up on Route 97 for nearly a mile and a half on Monday morning - congestion that was worse than is typically seen in Wenham. At its worst, southbound traffic backed up along Route 97 from the traffic lights at Conant Steet in North Beverly to the intersection of Route 97 (Topsfield Road) and Burnham Road and Cedar Street in West Wenham at about 8:30 a.m. On Hamilton-Wenham Patch's Facebook page, one user said it took her about 15 minutes to get from Burnham Road in Wenham to L.P. Henderson Road that leads to Beverly Airport. Michael Collins, the Commissioner of Public Services and Engineering in Beverly, said a section of Conant Street between Cabot and Dodge streets was closed on Monday. "That was one day of work by the …

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Rt. 97 Closed For Hours After Crash Knocks Down Live Wires

A Wenham resident was not injured after the car crashed into an utility pole on Rt. 97 on Thursday evening, closing the road for several hours after live wires crashed to the ground.

A portion of Route 97 in Wenham was closed during the rush hour on Thursday evening after a car crashed into an utility pole, knocking live wires to the ground. It was not immediately clear why the car left the road near 21 Topsfield Road, just north of the Beverly line. Wenham police said the driver, Nancy MacKenney, 82, of Wenham was not injured and she denied medical attention. Police gave her a ride home to her Maple Street home after the crash. Wenham Police Sgt. Jeff Tobey said it was unclear whether charges would be filed or tickets would be issued. The investigation will continue, police said. The air bag went off in MacKenney’s 2005 Lexus sedan and she was wearing her seatbelt, police said. The first call about the crash came in …

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Robert Gates

11:27 pm on Thursday, January 19, 2012

As of 11:30 p.m., Rt. 97 is still closed.   more ›