DA: Woman was driving drunk, high in crash that killed Randolph cop, a Norwell father of 8
Almost 10 months after a Randolph police officer from Norwell was killed in a Route 3 crash in Hingham, a Rockland woman accused of causing the crash has been arraigned on drunken and drugged driving charges.
Kaleigh Davidson, 35, pleaded not guilty Thursday at her arraignment in Brockton Superior Court, where she was charged with vehicular manslaughter while drunken driving, vehicular manslaughter while drugged driving, aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person over 60 years old. She was indicted on the charges in December.
The state requested that Davidson be held on $50,000 cash bail, but Judge Mark Hallal released her on the conditions that she refrain from driving, remain drug and alcohol free with random screening, stay away and have no contact with the victim’s family, wear a GPS monitoring ankle bracelet and remain in Massachusetts. She is due back in court May 1.
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Michael Beal, of Norwell, a 35-year veteran of the Randolph police force, was killed in a crash in Hingham on May 14, 2022, on the way to pick up his wife, Carol. They were planning to attend their youngest daughter's graduation from nursing school at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, officials said at the time.
The crash took place near Exit 35 on Route 3 shortly after 6 a.m. First responders found Beal in the road and his car on its roof in the median, according to a statement by Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz. Beal was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police found Davidson’s car stopped in the breakdown lane of Route 3 south with heavy front-end damage. She was taken to South Shore Hospital with minor injuries.
Through their investigation, State Police determined that Davidson was driving over 100 mph and under the influence of alcohol, Suboxone, benzodiazepines and marijuana at the time of the crash, Cruz's office said Thursday.
Beal, 61, is remembered as a family man, a mentor and a friend, Police Chief Anthony Marag said last year. Beal was married to Carol for 36 years and had eight children, as well as five grandchildren.
"You can't find anyone to say a bad word (about him)," Marag said in May. "He was a foundation for this department."
Marag said Beal led by example, and was a role model and calming influence in the department. The chief, who has been with the department for 26 years, recalled working the same shift as Beal when he entered the department. Marag considered Beal a mentor and, while Marag eventually became shift supervisor and then chief, he said he saw Beal as a friend above all.
"It's really that mentality of how to treat people," Marag said. "I think the officers that are the best are the ones that carry themselves a certain way, on and off duty. The bottom line is that if you're a good person and a good friend and family man, you'll be a great officer. That's what Mike's legacy is. That's what we want every officer to be."
More than $87,000 has been donated to an online fundraiser to support the Beal family.
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Reach Mary Whitfill at mwhitfill@patriotledger.com.
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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Rockland woman arraigned in death of Norwell's Michael Beal
