Peace Dale Mill crash "may have been deliberate"

Image courtesy of Quahog.org

The Providence Journal (registration required) is reporting that a South Kingstown woman driving a white Ford with Maine plates sped through a stop sign on route 108 in Peace Dale on Saturday morning, smashing through a brick wall at the Peace Dale mill complex before finally coming to a halt when the car ruptured a storage tank full of solvents.

The spill forced 50 people to evacuate their homes while cleanup crews worked to evacuate the spill. Captain Jeffrey Allen of the South Kingstown police said he wasn't exactly sure why the driver, 34 year old Melany Auger of South Kingstown, crashed into the wall:

"I think the intent may have been to harm herself. She appeared despondent and was taken to South County Hospital."

Curiously, by the time the Journal went to press, she was not at the hospital, and her current whereabouts are unknown.