SAUGUS – After visiting a Peabody methadone clinic Sunday morning, a Nahant man allegedly drove the wrong way on Route 1 and slammed into an oncoming vehicle.Antonio Horta, 32, of 28 Sherman Ave., was charged with negligent operation of a motor vehicle, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs causing serious injury, marked lanes violation and carrying a dangerous weapon, knife, subsequent offense. He was arraigned Monday at Lynn District Court by Judge Albert Conlon and was ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing Oct. 21.According to police reports, a witness reported seeing an erratic driver on Route 1 south in Lynnfield around 7 a.m., saying the vehicle was swerving in and out of travel lanes and nearly struck a guard rail several times.About two minutes later, another caller reported a head-on collision involving the same vehicle and another located on a ramp from Route 1 south to Main Street in Saugus. An off-duty nurse told police Horta’s vehicle allegedly caused the accident and that the victim was in obvious pain. When police arrived, they found both vehicles facing each other on the ramp, both with heavy front end damage. Horta’s vehicle was said to have crossed over the marked lanes and swerved into oncoming traffic, striking the other vehicle.An ambulance transported the victim to Melrose-Wakefield hospital with numerous broken bones and head/neck pain. Horta was found sitting in his vehicle, his head bobbing and weaving from side to side with “pin-like eyes.” When asked for his license, police say Horta fumbled through some paperwork, but was unable to locate either and nearly fell out of his vehicle.Horta allegedly told police in a very slow and lethargic tone that he was coming from a methadone clinic on Route 1 in Peabody and was “driving somewhere.” He said he took his methadone at 7 a.m., but “felt fine” at the time of the accident.Police say Horta failed several sobriety tests and when he was taken into custody, passed out several times on a bench. During an inventory of his vehicle, police found a large knife on the front seat.
