8 years after accident, new charges come

Senne, who was 18 at the time, spent the night before the crash at a Wayland party and was driving his father’s Volvo to a regatta on Cape Cod early the next morning. Engelhardt was working the overnight shift and had parked in the breakdown lane of Route 25 in Wareham. Her cruiser’s blue lights were flashing, as she investigated an earlier hit-and-run collision.

When Senne’s car struck Engelhardt’s Crown Victoria, the cruiser was propelled forward at 50 miles per hour, prosecutors said. “When you look at the time frame from ’03, when this event occurred, to now, how many other troopers have been killed on the highways in Massachusetts?’’ Cruz said.

“How many other individuals and police officers have lost their lives because of drunk drivers? I think we need to take a firm stand and try to protect the people who are trying to protect us on a daily basis.’’

Since Jan. 1, 2010, 23 troopers have been struck by drunk drivers, said David Procopio, a State Police spokesman. During that period, 45 troopers have been injured when hit by a vehicle.

Engelhardt, a 58-year-old mother, lived in a skilled nursing facility until her death this June. Her death certificate lists as the cause “accident - complications from blunt force trauma to the head,’’ according to Bridget Norton Middleton, spokeswoman for the Plymouth district attorney’s office.

Englehardt was the first female state trooper to lose her life in the line of duty.

“This is unusual, but we’ll deal with it,’’ Dan O’Malley, Senne’s attorney, said after the arraignment.

As O’Malley stepped up to a microphone stand in front of the courthouse to talk with reporters, Senne, dressed in a dark-brown suit, headed to the parking lot with relatives, declining to comment.