Driver in rollover crash now denies taking fentanyl | Local News

SALEM — Prosecutors say the driver who rolled over on Highland Avenue last Sunday, trapping his passenger in the wreckage, was in the throes of a fentanyl overdose at the time of the crash. 

Roberto Santiago, 53, of Lynn, was back in court on Friday for a hearing to determine whether he poses a danger if released. His passenger, a 37-year-old woman, remained at Massachusetts General Hospital with serious injuries. 

Santiago is facing a string of charges in the crash, including driving under the influence of drugs causing serious bodily injury, driving to endanger, driving without a license, speeding and failing to stay within marked lanes. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Santiago has a 10-page criminal record that includes nearly a decade in state prison for an assault with a handgun in Lynn in 2006, as well as 21/2 to three years for an escape conviction.

“He’s shown to the court that he cannot follow conditions,” said prosecutor Erin McAndrews, who asked that Santiago remain in custody until trial. 

“This is a very serious motor vehicle accident,” McAndrews told Judge Emily Karstetter. Firefighters had to cut the victim out of the wreckage. 

Meanwhile, he said, Santiago was overdosing in an ambulance. 

A police report says Santiago admitted to having used fentanyl before the crash, and blood tests showed cocaine, opiates and methadone in his bloodstream. But his lawyer, Patrick Regan, told the judge that Santiago now denies that he had used drugs before the crash. 

“He tells me he did not remember saying it,” Regan told the judge. 

Santiago says he was cut off by a truck and ended up crashing into a pole. 

But Karstetter pointed out that the police report contains a conversation between Santiago and a doctor. 

And, said the judge, “he was overdosing in the ambulance.” 

“He denies that,” said Regan. 

“I am persuaded that Mr. Santiago is a danger,” Karstetter said. 

However, she also found that conditions, including house arrest and a GPS bracelet, would protect the public should Santiago come up with the $10,000 cash bail she also set in the case. 

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for July 24. 

Courts reporter Julie Manganis can be reached at 978-338-2521, by email at jmanganis@salemnews.com or on Twitter at @SNJulieManganis.