<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=22v911_0wOfMkOs00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=22v911_0wOfMkOs00" width="800" height="493" ><figcaption>Ipswich District Court at the Newburyport court complex (Via Google Street View)</figcaption></figure>Please Support Local Advertisers1,297On the night of June 25, just after sunset, Topsfield police said they received a call about an erratic driver heading south on Route 1.Sergeant Eric Giordano was on Route 1 at the time, approximately 8:47 p.m., assisting with another motor vehicle stop near 230 Boston Street, according to police reports. Soon after receiving the call, Giordano saw the reported vehicle — a gray Honda Civic — drive past, records said. He decided to follow the car and watched as it allegedly cross over both the center line and the white fog line, he said in his report.Giordano stopped the car in the area of 207 Boston Street, documents said.When he reached the window, he said he recognized the driver from a previous stop that same day. The driver, Helen Belteton Martinez, had reportedly been pulled over just before 3 a.m. Topsfield officer Sean Wlasuk had stopped her, allegedly for repeatedly crossing the center yellow line and speeding, according to his report. Martinez had been driving at 60 mph in a 45 mph zone, Wlasuk alleged in his report, and the rear driver-side brake light of her Honda Civic was broken, he added. When Wlasuk pulled Martinez over by the Topsfield Fairgrounds early that morning, he discovered that she did not have a driver’s license, records said. She had a Massachusetts Class D learner’s permit, according to court documents.Wlasuk said he ran Martinez’s information through the Criminal Justice Information Services and found that she had no driving history aside from the active permit. He then looked up the information for the Honda Civic’s registered owner, he said in his report. The car was registered to someone with the same name as Martinez, but the listed birthday was off by one year and the listed address — in Lynn — had a different apartment number, records said.The registered owner’s driving history had two prior entries for unlicensed operation and displayed a nonrenewable status, Wlasuk wrote in his report.Wlasuk said he told Martinez she could no longer drive the car and needed to call for a ride.From this incident, Martinez was charged with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, speeding, a marked lanes violation, and a lights violation, according to court documents.Martinez was found responsible for speeding and a lights violation, documents said. She was found not responsible for the marked lanes violation, according to the documents. The first charge — unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle — was dismissed upon payment of court costs by November 27, records said. Martinez owes $100 for driving without a license and $105 for speeding, documents said.When Giordano stopped Martinez for a second time on June 25, he said he asked her why she was driving again. She allegedly was not able to provide an answer, he said in his report. Giordano noted that Martinez speaks primarily Spanish, but he said the two were able to communicate through his knowledge of the language and Google Translate.He then informed Martinez that her vehicle would be towed and that she would be summoned to court again for unlicensed operation, records said. She reportedly became agitated and yelled at Giordano and his partner, according to court documents.Martinez was given a ride back to Topsfield Police Station, where Giordano said he spoke to the person driving her home. Giordano asked Martinez’s driver to explain the situation to her so that there was no confusion, he said in his report. Martinez reportedly understood that she should not be operating a motor vehicle and understood the criminal citation, records said.From this latter incident, Martinez was charged with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and a marked lanes violation, according to court records. She was found responsible for the marked lanes violation, documents said.The other charge — unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle — will be dismissed if Martinez pays court costs by November 27, records said. She owes $200, according to court documents.<h2>Newsletter</h2>Would you like your week wrapped up? Sign up for our Friday newsletters for a look back and a look ahead. We won't sell (or give away) your email address.The Ipswich Local News is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We can only operate with your assistance.Instead of making a one-time donation, please consider a recurring contribution. You can select whatever amount you wish.Please consider a monthly donation of $10.But support us at whatever level makes you comfortable. Every little helps.</div></body>

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Topsfield Police reportedly caught woman driving without a license twice in one day

On the night of June 25, just after sunset, Topsfield police said they received a call about an erratic driver heading south on Route 1. Sergeant Eric Giordano was on Route 1 at the time, approximately 8:47 p.m., assisting with another motor vehicle stop near 230 Boston Street, according to police reports.