- A judge denied bail for truck driver Peter Simon, 54, of Woodsville, New Hampshire.
- Authorities said Simon collided with a Massachusetts police officer and a public works employee, resulting in their deaths.
- After the fatal crash last December, Simon allegedly pulled a knife on another officer, stole his cruiser and crashed it.
The truck driver who hit and killed a Massachusetts police officer and a public works employee, pulled a knife on another officer, stole his cruiser, and crashed it was the subject of an “unbroken series” dating back to 1996. “a series of crimes,” prosecutors said at a detention hearing Thursday.
A judge has sentenced Peter Simon, 54, of Woodsville, N.H., to a Dec. 6 crash in Waltham that killed Waltham Police Officer Paul Tracy, 58, and a 36-year-old police officer. He was ordered to remain held without bail while awaiting trial on related charges. The 1-year-old National Grid employee has been identified as Roderick Jackson of Cambridge.
Simon's next hearing is scheduled for February 29th. Simon's attorney, Linda Dantas, said some of the charges on Simon's record were dismissed, noting there were “significant mental health issues here,” but not specifically. I didn't.
MA driver steals cruiser and crashes into three people, including police officer, in suburban Boston
Dantas said Simon has a “full mental health network” and an apartment in New Hampshire, and asked for home confinement, including electronic monitoring equipment. She asked for permission to leave the house just for her medical treatment.
Peter Simon will be arraigned on December 7, 2023 in Waltham District Court in Waltham, Massachusetts. A judge has denied bail for Simon, the truck driver who authorities say crashed and killed a Massachusetts police officer and a public works employee. (Lane Turner/Boston Globe, via AP, Pool, File)
Prosecutors said Simon has a prior conviction for fleeing from authorities in New Hampshire in a vehicle.
In 2009, he led police on a chase through multiple parking lots in Keene and crashed into a passenger bus at about 100 mph, causing a “debris explosion” that caused the truck to burst into flames. He fled the truck and was arrested at the restaurant.
In 2016, police responded to a call about an assault at a residence in Franklin and pursued a van driven by Simon that crashed into a fence, authorities said.
Massachusetts state trooper injured in gunfight with barricaded suspect
Simon is currently facing multiple charges including manslaughter, armed robbery, assault and leaving the scene of an accident. He appeared in court Thursday to be arraigned on several additional charges, including negligent operation of a motor vehicle and failure to stop for a police officer. Pleas of not guilty were entered on his behalf on all charges.
In New Hampshire, Simon is serving time in both a state Department of Corrections psychiatric facility and a state prison for charges including reckless conduct and assault.
