Mass. woman charged with 3rd OUI after crash in Tewksbury

A Massachusetts woman is facing several charges after police say she drove drunk for at least a third time, crashed her car in Tewksbury and then assaulted a firefighter who responded to the scene Thursday night.

Susan Kapopoulos, 58, of Marlborough, was arraigned Friday in Lowell District Court on a charge of operating under the influence of liquor -- her third drunk driving offense -- and assault and battery on ambulance personnel. She's also charged with open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle, failure to wear a seatbelt, leaving the scene of personal injury, leaving the scene of property damage, possession of a Class B substance, and marked lanes violation.

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According to Tewksbury police, officers responded around 6:24 p.m. Thursday to a report of a crash in the area of 10 Clark Road and arrived to find a Honda CRV had struck a tree and a fence. The driver, identified as Kapopoulos, was not wearing a seatbelt and was initially unconscious, police said.

Officers could reportedly smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from Kapopoulos, who eventually regained consciousness and allegedly punched a firefighter at the scene.

Police then learned that there was a second vehicle involved in the crash about 500 feet away. An investigation shows Kapopoulos' SUV struck that vehicle, as well as a tree and a fence further down the street. A passenger in that car was injured, police said.

Two open bottles of alcohol were found in Kapopoulos' vehicle, police said.

Kapopoulos was taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries. She was released on her own recognizance Friday on the condition she abstain from drugs or alcohol. It was not immediately clear when she's due back in court.