Traffic & Transit
Mass. Man Accused Of DWI At 114 MPH, Assault, Other Charges
Troopers arrest Craig Cooper of Amesbury on I-95 Tuesday. He was accused of assaulting corrections officers in the Rockingham County Jail.
PORTSMOUTH, NH — A Massachusetts man is facing several charges after being accused of drunken driving on Interstate 95 on Tuesday.
Around 9 a.m., New Hampshire State Police received reports that a white SUV was driving erratically on the highway in Portsmouth. A trooper from the special enforcement unit, monitoring traffic from the air, found the vehicle, later identified as a 2017 Ford Explorer, and clocked it driving up to 114 mph, according to Lt. Sean Haggerty of Troop A.
The trooper radioed more troopers on the ground and one accused the SUV of going more than 100 mph in Greenland, he said.
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A sergeant made contact with the driver, Craig Cooper, 51, of Amesbury, MA, in Hampton, and accused him of being intoxicated. He was then placed under arrest.
“(Cooper) was transported him to the Hampton Police Department where he was originally processed,” Haggerty said. “It was determined that he would be transported to the Rockingham County Jail to be held for protective custody due to his level of intoxication. Once at the jail, Cooper then assaulted two correctional officers.”
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Cooper was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated, reckless operation, and simple assault on a correctional officer charges as well as an open container violation. He was processed and released later. Cooper is due in Portsmouth District Court on Jan. 31.
Haggerty said the department’s special enforcement unit regularly tracks elevated speed violations and other aggressive driving behaviors.
“Its members patrol across the state often utilizing the state police aircraft during commuter traffic periods and holiday travel times with the goal of keeping New Hampshire’s roadways safe,” he added.
Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the New Hampshire State Police and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the removal request process for New Hampshire Patch police reports.
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