Mass. state trooper is struck, killed when suspected drunken driver hits pulled-over vehicle

Mass. state trooper killed by vehicle during stop

MANSFIELD, Mass. — A Massachusetts man has pleaded not guilty to charges that he was driving drunk when he crashed his truck into a stopped vehicle, pushing it into a veteran state police trooper and killing him.

Superintendent Marian McGovern says Sgt. Doug Weddleton had pulled over a car on Interstate 95 north in Mansfield after the vehicle tried to enter a closed ramp at about 1:30 a.m. Friday. Weddleton was out of his cruiser when a pickup driven by Anthony Perry struck another vehicle.

The driver of the other vehicle, 43-year-old Kenneth Weiand of Walpole, faces drunken driving charges. He is being held without bail pending a mental evaluation.

Perry pleaded not guilty to motor vehicle homicide, drunken driving and speeding charges. The 45-year-old Boston man was released on $10,000 bail.