News

Suspect flees cops who weren't looking for him

By Julie Manganis
Staff writer
Published: January 13, 2009

PEABODY — A Gloucester man who knew he was wanted on several warrants led police, who didn't, on a high-speed chase from Lynnfield to Manchester on Saturday morning.

Kevin Simone, 41, of 9 Norman Ave., in the city's Magnolia section, was driving in Lynnfield around 10 a.m. when he spotted the flashing blue lights of a police car in the rearview mirror of the borrowed pickup truck he was driving, according to a police report.

Simone, who has a lengthy criminal record that includes a conviction for vehicular homicide in the 1991 drunken-driving death of a friend in Haverhill, wasn't supposed to be behind the wheel. He assumed that the cop was about to pull him over.

It turns out that the patrolman was actually on his way to a medical call. But Simone drew the officer's attention by suddenly speeding up and shooting past two other cars that had pulled over to let the officer pass.

Simone sped up to 70 mph, twice the speed limit, on Summer Street, and headed straight for Route 1 north, passing several cars on a ramp. In Peabody, he got onto Route 128 north, hitting speeds of 80 to 100 mph, passing cars in the breakdown lane and ignoring the line of cruisers that were now behind him.

Police ran the license plate on the truck, which Simone had apparently borrowed from the daughter of a Pelham, N.H., man. Still, they had no idea that it was Simone behind the wheel and that he was wanted on warrants from Lynnfield, Beverly and Saugus on charges of violating a domestic restraining order and that he had no license.

At Exit 15 in Manchester, Simone left the highway and began winding his way through several back roads and onto Route 127, which is also called Summer Street. Finally, when he was boxed in by three police cruisers, Simone stopped, then jumped out of the passenger side of the truck and ran through several yards between 383 and 387 Summer St. At one point, he tried to climb a fence, but broke it.

Police caught him soon after that.

As he was led to a cruiser, Simone complained that he hoped his ex-wife was happy he had been caught.

Police soon discovered the warrants for Simone, as well as his record, which includes a 1992 conviction in the drunken-driving death of Wayne Camarato, 23, of Haverhill, a father of three. The two had been with two other friends, drinking beer, before the crash. They were heading to Camarato's home when Simone decided to pass the two other friends in their car, swerved and lost control on a rain-slicked road. The truck hit a curb and a telephone pole and flipped over.

Simone was sentenced to 12 years in prison, but at the time, before the state's truth-in-sentencing law went into effect, he was eligible for parole in 18 months.

Judge Robert Brennan pointed to that record and the conviction in setting a total of $20,000 cash bail for Simone, who pleaded not guilty to charges of driving to endanger; driving after license revocation as a habitual traffic offender; failing to stop for police; speeding; and resisting arrest, as well as violating a restraining order.

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Feb. 5.

Material from the archives of The Eagle-Tribune was used in this report.