Driver in crash that left Waltham officer, utility worker dead arraigned on manslaughter charges

WALTHAM, Mass. — A New Hampshire man, with several visible lacerations, appeared in front of a judge Thursday in a courtroom packed with dozens of mourning law enforcement officials and relatives to face charges in connection with a hit-and-run crash on Wednesday afternoon that left a veteran Waltham police officer and a National Grid worker dead.

Peter Simon, 54, of Woodsville, was arraigned in Waltham District Court on two counts of manslaughter and armed robbery in the deaths of 58-year-old Waltham officer Paul Tracey, a beloved husband and father of two who was working a detail, and a 36-year-old utility worker from Cambridge, Roderick Jackson.

A plea of not guilty was entered on Simon’s behalf.

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Arraignment held for Peter Simon, driver charged in deaths of Waltham officer, National Grid worker

Before a judge ordered him held behind bars without bail, prosecutors announced that Simon was driving without a license when he “veered his vehicle” toward the worksite, barreling into Tracey and Jackson.

Simon is also facing additional charges including failure to stop for police, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, larceny of a motor vehicle, armed robbery, multiple counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, leaving the scene of an accident after personal injury and death, two counts of leaving the scene after causing property damage, marked lanes violation, and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Waltham Police Chief Kevin O’Connell said Simon was driving a pickup truck east on Totten Pond Road around 4 p.m. when he pulled to the side of the road and suddenly turned back into the roadway in an attempt to execute a U-turn. He then allegedly struck a vehicle traveling east, continued driving forward for about a quarter mile, and hit Tracey and Jackson.

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Waltham police officer killed, gas worker seriously injured in hit-and-run crash, sources say (Peter Lobo)

Simon then allegedly struck multiple other vehicles and abandoned his banged-up truck after striking Tracey and Roderick Jackson.

Prosecutors said that Simon then pulled a knife on another officer before stealing his police cruiser, veering it in the direction of other officers, before taking off again.

Simon eventually crashed the cruiser on Winter Street, where he was apprehended by police following a brief foot chase.

Large police presence shuts down busy Waltham road amid crash investigation

Boston 25 has also learned that Simon was previously charged in connection with a wreckless conduct case in New Hampshire stemming from an incident in Aug. 2009, in which he was found not guilty because of insanity and sentenced in 2011 to five years in a psychiatric unit in the New Hampshire State Prison in Concord.

Simon, a former Brattleboro, Vermont, resident, had been charged with several felonies after he fled from police in his vehicle and hit a public transportation bus head-on in Keene, New Hampshire, the Brattleboro Reformer reported.

At the time, Cheshire County Attorney Peter Heed said Simon suffered from a disassociative disorder and a history of panic attacks.

Simon’s sentence was later terminated in Nov. 2015.

O’Connell remembered Tracey a great family man and a dedicated 28-year veteran of the police force.

“Paul Tracey served this great city with distinction. He was a compassionate police officer who always looked out for the underdog,” O’Connell said during a news conference alongside Ryan late Wednesday night. “He was an amazing husband, loving father, and an amazing friend to all, especially the men and women here at this police department.”

After the arraignment concluded, National Grid sent out a statement on the death of Jackson, who was identified in court by prosecutors.

“With great sadness, we can confirm that a National Grid team member working in our gas division died from injuries sustained after being struck by a vehicle driven by a member of the public Wednesday on Totten Pond Road in Waltham,” a spokesperson for the utility company said.

The spokesperson also confirmed that two other workers were hospitalized with injuries suffered in the crash.

Simon is due back in court for a dangerousness hearing on Dec. 14.

An investigation is ongoing.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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