Peabody Sergeant Faces Charges From Fiery Highway Wreck This Spring

Peabody Police Sgt. Steven Marques is now facing criminal motor vehicle charges for .

Marques was pulled free from his overturned sport utility vehicle that day by New Hampshire State Trooper Scott Frye, who was escorting Gov. John Lynch back to the Granite State on I-93. New Hampshire firefighter Keith Knight also assisted in the save.

Marques' SUV had veered off the road, struck a guardrail and rolled up an embankment before bursting into flames, leaving the 61-year-old trapped inside.

The New Hampshire Union Leader reports that Marques, who lives in Methuen, is being charged with driving to endanger and speeding by state police. Shortly after the accident, Marques was initially cited for a marked lanes violation. The investigation was conducted by the Andover barracks.

Marques will be arraigned in Lawrence District Court on July 27.

A state police spokesman told the Union Leader that troopers interviewed Frye -- who witnessed the SUV leave the roadway -- about Marques’ driving. Frye told them Marques was speeding and making unsafe lane changes, reports the Union Leader.

Knight told the paper he was following the speed limit and noticed a vehicle drive by him, but estimated it was only traveling a few miles an hour over the speed limit.

No further information was given by state police about a bout of road rage leading to the accident, although preliminary investigation had indicated there may have been an incident with Marques' Dodge Durango and a red Ford pickup truck.

State police said it then appeared the Durango tried to pass to the left of a BMW traveling in the center lane, but clipped the BMW and lost control. At that point, the SUV left the roadway, struck and went over the guardrail, struck a sign, rolled up an embankment into the wood line and caught fire.

The red pickup truck did not stop, according to police.