Police: Drunk driver hits mom, twins during Salem Halloween revelry

SALEM, Mass. — Authorities say a drunken driver struck a woman and her 10-year-old twin daughters as they were crossing a street during crowded Halloween festivities in Salem, Massachusetts, the site of the 17th-century witch trials.

Police say the victims were heading to a parking garage Sunday night when they were struck by a car that kept on driving.

Authorities say the victims’ injuries were serious but not life-threatening. 

The driver, 52-year-old Dexter Mitchell, of Beverly, later returned. He pleaded not guilty Monday to charges including drunken driving and was held on $2,500 bail.

Police said an emergency room nurse was driving behind Mitchell at the time of the crash and reported seeing one of the girls tumble over the hood of Mitchell’s car, reports CBS Boston.

The station reports that a prosecutors said on Monday that Mitchell threw a partially empty 12-pack of Budweiser from his car into a dumpster after the crash.

Mitchell’s attorney calls the accident unfortunate but says there is no evidence of carelessness.

Salem draws tens of thousands of visitors on Halloween weekend.