A 70-year-old Hudson man is facing a slate of charges after police say he repeatedly rammed another car on Library Street, then tried to force his way into the other driver's vehicle. Authorities identified the suspect as Richard Feener and said no one was injured. Officers found Feener a short time later and took him into custody, according to police.
Hudson police told NBC10 Boston that officers were called to Library Street around 3:45 p.m. Thursday. Investigators determined that Feener intentionally used his vehicle to hit the other driver's car multiple times, then got out and tried to get in through the other driver's door, before getting back into his own vehicle, striking the car again and taking off. When officers later arrested him, they reported he was under the influence of alcohol and "about twice the legal limit," according to the station.
A Hudson Police news release shared on Nashua Ink says Feener was charged with three counts of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, aggravated driving while intoxicated, conduct after an accident and disorderly conduct. The release notes that no injuries were reported and that Feener was held overnight at the Hillsborough County House of Corrections. He was scheduled to be arraigned Friday at 1 p.m. in Nashua District Court.
Charges and what they mean
Under state law, reckless conduct becomes a felony when a "deadly weapon" is used. Courts have sometimes treated a vehicle used to ram another car as a deadly weapon, according to RSA 631:3. The aggravated DWI provision allows prosecutors to seek an additional aggravated charge when a driver has an alcohol concentration of 0.16 or more. The threshold and related elements appear in RSA 265-A.
Part of a regional pattern
The Hudson arrest comes amid a run of violent road-rage incidents around Greater Boston in recent weeks. As reported by Boston.com, a Waltham confrontation in early June led to manslaughter charges after a driver was allegedly thrown to the pavement and later died. Boston.com also covered a Dedham case in which a driver allegedly slashed another vehicle with a machete, and NBC10 Boston has reported on a Bellingham incident where police say a driver pulled a gun during a roadway dispute.
According to the Hudson Police release, the case remains under investigation, and authorities have not released additional details beyond the charges and the scheduled arraignment. Court records or a future police statement will confirm whether prosecutors file formal indictments following arraignment and any testing results.
