Baltimore County woman arrested after hitting state trooper vehicle while suspected of impaired driving
A Baltimore County woman was arrested after she hit a Maryland State trooper on I-695 while being suspected of driving while impaired, police said.
On Friday, March 14, around 11:30 p.m., troopers responded to the inner loop of I-695 between Charles Road and York Road for a reported trooper-involved crash.
An investigation revealed that the trooper had just completed a traffic stop and was inside a marked police vehicle when a Honda cut across two lanes and struck the police vehicle which had its emergency lights on.
The trooper was taken to a shock trauma center and has since been released, police said.
The accused driver has been identified as 63-year-old Harriet Penniman Van Kleeck of Towson. She was charged with impaired driving and traffic-related charges.
Police said Van Kleeck is being held at the Baltimore County Detention Center.
The investigation is ongoing.
Police presence increased for holiday weekend
The crash occurred as Maryland State Police had increased patrols for the St. Patrick's Day weekend.
Troopers said they were cracking down on impaired and distracted driving during the holiday weekend.
"Cell phone usage, just not paying attention while you're driving because we're going to have our state troopers out here working this weekend to enforce the motor vehicle laws," Master Trooper Hasim Johnson said. "Distracted driving can be just as bad as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs."
Troopers were watching major corridors and highways and focused on crash reduction and DUI enforcement. They were also monitoring for aggressive and distracted drivers.
