Medford Man Charged With OUI In Somerville

Medford MA

19 July, 2021

3:24 PM

Description

MEDFORD, MA — A Medford man was charged with operating under the influence and other offenses after driving the wrong way and blocking traffic in Somerville Sunday night, police said. Officers responded to reports of a white Mercedes traveling the wrong way on Prichard Avenue around 7 p.m. One caller told police she tried to get the driver's attention to avoid a collision, and the man got out of his car, walked up to her and called her names, according to the police report. The caller also told officers the man was "doing calisthenics outside his car," the police report stated. Officers spoke to the driver of the Mercedes, later identified as 30-year-old Nicholas Freda, who had "glassy eyes and slurred speech" and smelled like alcohol, police said. Freda initially refused to get out of the car but complied when an officer turned the engine off, grabbed Freda's hand and threatened to use force, police said. Police said Freda was unsteady on his feet and refused to give officers his license. "The operator stated: 'Why are you doing this to me? I back you guys 100 percent,'" the police report stated. Freda refused to provide his license a second time and was placed under arrest, p0lice said. He also refused to take field sobriety or chemical tests, according to the police report. Freda was charged with operating under the influence of liquor, refusing to identify self and failure to stop or yield.