NH woman ordered to pay city back after SUV hits pole
Aug. 3—NEWBURYPORT — A New Hampshire woman was ordered to pay the city $1,500 after admitting Monday she was drunk when she crashed her sports utility vehicle into a utility pole and knocked out power to a High Street home for several days in February 2020.
Mary L. McMenemy, 52, of Hampton was arrested Feb. 2, 2020, and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and vandalism of property.
During her appearance in Newburyport District Court, McMenemy, the town accountant for Georgetown for several years, pleaded guilty to the drunken driving charge and was sentenced to a year of probation.
She also lost her driver's license for 90 days and must reimburse the city before her probation ends. Judge Peter Doyle ordered a restitution hearing in two months.
Edward O'Reilly, McMenemy's attorney, said her insurance company paid about $9,000 in restitution as a result of the crash.
McMenemy was intoxicated when she crashed her Mazda into a High Street utility pole, according to Newburyport police.
After taking out the bottom half of the pole, she drove onto a lawn before the SUV stopped, police said.
The crash resulted in "extensive" damage on both sides of High Street near the entrance to the Newburyport Senior Community Center, according to Essex County prosecutor Shailagh Kennedy.
A family was left without power for eight days. In addition to replacing the pole, a National Grid crew was forced to work underground to replace damaged fiber optic cables, Kennedy added.
