New Hampshire State Police over the weekend arrested a city Police Department staffer on charges of driving under the influence in Portsmouth.
Portsmouth Police Department executive assistant Jacqueline Burnett, 35, was arrested by state police on the DUI charge early Saturday morning.
Per state police spokesperson Amber Lagace, at approximately 1:58 a.m. Saturday, Portsmouth police called state police to cover a single-vehicle crash that occurred on Peverly Hill Road due to a city employee being involved in the incident. Wires were downed as a result of the crash.
Burnett, a Hampton resident, was arrested and is slated to appear in Portsmouth District Court regarding the charge on March 29 at 8:30 a.m., according to Lagace.
Portsmouth Police Chief Mark Newport shared that he made the call to ask state police to cover the incident rather than city police.
“We’re aware of it and we’re handing it administratively,” he said of the personnel matter.
State police are continuing to handle the investigation. Portsmouth police, aside from closing down the road at the time of the crash, have had no involvement in the case, according to Newport.