Police: Amesbury man high on fentanyl when he crashed truck | Local News

AMESBURY – A local man, high on fentanyl when his truck slammed into a utility pole in December, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a second charge of driving under the influence of drugs and was sentenced to a year in jail. 

Judge Peter Doyle originally sentenced 33-year-old David Barresi to two and a half years in jail but suspended all but a year for three years while he is on probation.

Barresi was given credit for 29 days already served. While on probation, Barresi must remain drug and alcohol free with random screens and pay $600 in fines. He also lost his driver’s license for two years. 

Barresi also pleaded guilty in Newburyport District Court to negligent operation of a motor vehicle and fentanyl possession. He was sentenced to a year in jail for the drug offense and three years of probation for negligent operation. 

At the time of his arrest Dec. 28, Barresi was on probation for an initial driving under the influence of drugs offense that was resolved in October in Lynn District Court. 

Barresi’s Ford F-250 veered off Whitehall Road and struck a mailbox and a stone wall Dec. 28 about 7:30 a.m., according to a police report. The truck then crossed the road and slammed into a utility pole, snapping it in half. 

When Amesbury police Chief William Scholtz arrived, he found Barresi unconscious and the doors locked. Paramedics quickly arrived and smashed a passenger side window to get Barresi out.

Initial attempts to revive him from what was quickly identified as an opiate overdose were unsuccessful. As paramedics tended to Barresi, Amesbury police Officer Travis Tremblay saw a hypodermic syringe on the driver’s side floor and an open, clear plastic bag containing fentanyl residue. Tremblay also found a small Altoids can with burn marks on it. 

“Based on my training and experience, I know that fentanyl is typically heated inside metal containers prior to injection,” Tremblay wrote in his report. 

Within minutes, Barresi regained consciousness but remained groggy and sluggish. He was eventually transported to Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport. Tremblay later learned that Barresi refused medical treatment and walked out of Anna Jaques. 

With the utility pole snapped in half and the power line resting on a streetlight, National Grid was called to the scene to restore power and make the road safe for motorists. 

The overdose occurred a day after Barresi was involved in a minor car crash in Amesbury, according to Tremblay’s report. 

During Barresi’s appearance in District Court, Essex County prosecutor Michelle Rowland said it was obvious that he cooked fentanyl in his truck and then injected himself before driving. She asked Doyle to sentence him to 14 months in jail. 

“He’s out of control in the community,” Rowland said. 

Staff writer Dave Rogers can be reached at drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.