Crime & Safety

Not Guilty Plea In Danvers Hit-And-Run

Prosecutors say a Maine man crashed into gas pumps then fled the fiery scene after drinking at the Golden Banana on Route 1.

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Wade Stedt told police he drank on a plane and a receipt shows he had three drinks at the Golden Banana before the August crash.
Wade Stedt told police he drank on a plane and a receipt shows he had three drinks at the Golden Banana before the August crash. (Dave Copeland/Patch)

DANVERS, MA — A 51-year-old Maine man was accused of leaving the scene after crashing into pumps at a Danvers gas station in August. Wade Stedt, 51, of Turner, ME, was summonsed to Salem District Court Wednesday, where he pleaded not guilty to driving to endanger and leaving the scene of a property damage accident during. He was released after the arraignment on personal recognizance.

Prosecutors said in court filings that Stedt drank on a flight to Boston earlier in the day on Aug. 23, then continued drinking at the Golden Banana on Route 1 in Peabody. Stedt was found a few miles from the crash scene standing next to his company-issued pickup truck, according to the Salem news. He was taken to Beverly Hospital but removed an intravenous line before police could obtain a blood sample to measure his blood alcohol content.

Previously on Patch: Driver Flees After Crashing Into Gas Pump In Danvers

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