Westerly Police Nab Repeat MV Offender In Traffic Stop

WESTERLY, RI — A woman with a three-decade criminal and traffic court record was arrested again Thursday by Westerly police and charged with speeding and driving on a suspended license, third offense.

Jessica L. Herbert, 49, of Bradford, was stopped for driving 54 mph in a 35 mph zone on Bradford Road. Officers say they detected a strong odor of marijuana in the car and saw a mason jar in a the center console. Herbert's passenger had an active medical marijuana card so was allowed to keep the cannabis. The vehicle was towed because the passenger also had a suspended license, Police Chief Shawn Lacey told Patch.

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The new charges only add to Herbert's dance card. She is due in court Monday for a pre-trial conference related to a March 10 incident out of Warwick where she allegedly failed to report a collision with an unattended vehicle. She also has a separate April 17 arraignment for an alleged March 10 DUI in Warwick.

Herbert's record goes back more than 30 years. In 1990 she was arrested for credit card fraud, sentenced to probation, and assessed $460, court records show. Since then, she appeared in Rhode Island courtrooms and traffic tribunals dozens of times on charges ranging from driving unlawfully to domestic assault, judicial records show. Dispositions have included suspended sentences, loss of license, fines, DWI school, probation, and counseling.