By Guy Page
Last May 8, authorities say drugged driver Jason Ball of Alstead, NH was driving under the influence of heroin when the Jeep he was driving struck and fatally injured a 77-year-old resident of a local senior home who was walking on Rte with the help of a walker.
Diane Clementine was knocked face down into the grass, her walker destroyed by the crash. She died June 2 in a Worcester, MA hospital.
The driver and the Jeep’s occupants were known to police as fentanyl users. Ball, 23, was charged the day of the accident with driving while under the influence of drugs, serious injury resulting, and gross negligent operation, serious injury resulting. He was jailed without bail. The case is still in Vermont courts. A Change of Plea hearing is set for February 20.
The incident is an example of what police say is a growing problem: driving under the influence of illegal drugs.
Vermont police say that the likelihood of DUI crashes is twice as likely when the driver is under the influence of drugs, compared to alcohol.
A WCAX report quotes Vermont State Police Lieutenant Paul Ravelin of the Vermont’s Traffic Safety Program: “Drugged-only fatal crashes outpace alcohol only crashes often by double, and that’s been consistent the last five years.”
State police are reporting a sharp increase in impaired driving arrests, with 953 DUI arrests recorded so far this year compared to 850 in 2024, according to Lt. Ravelin. The arrests include cases involving alcohol, drugs, or a combination of both.
Ravelin added that the rise is partly due to more troopers on the road and an increase in officers trained as drug recognition experts, improving detection of drug-impaired drivers.
Local police are seeing the same trend. In Berlin, Police Chief James Pontbriand said officers are responding to a growing number of crashes involving suspected drug use.
Ravelin also noted that third-offense felony DUI charges hit a four-year high of 365 in 2024.