Man Who Allegedly Rammed Pregnant Woman Returns to Court

A Methuen man, indicted in June on assault and battery charges after he allegedly rammed his car into one driven by a pregnant woman, will be arraigned in Essex County Superior Court Thursday, July 21.

Josef Leavitt, 24, of 40 Strathmore Road, Methuen, remains under house arrest and must wear a GPS monitoring bracelet, pending his court appearance, according to Carrie Kimball-Monahan, spokesperson for Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett. He was charged with two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon—his car—causing serious bodily injury and one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after a May drug deal involving a marijuana sale, turned sour.

Leavitt was arrested and charged by Haverhill police, May 10, for allegedly striking a Jeep Cherokee driven by Deanna Clarke, 24, with his vehicle before the Jeep crashed into trees along Middle Road. Clarke, who was pregnant at the time, was airlifted to Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, where she subsequently delivered her baby prematurely. Their current conditions are not known by Blodgett’s office. A passenger in the Jeep, Dale Penney, 24, received minor injuries.

No one is currently charged in relation to the botched drug deal which purportedly sparked the chase, according to Kimball-Monahan.