Drunk Mass. senator driven home by cops
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By STEVE LeBLANC The Associated Press - Published: November 17, 2009
BOSTON — Cambridge police gave a state senator a ride home because they were worried he was too drunk to drive — about 13 hours before he was involved in a hit-and-run accident last month.
Police responded to a call of an intoxicated man at a Concord Avenue gas station at about 4:40 a.m. on Oct. 4, according to a police report. The man is identified in the report as state Sen. Anthony Galluccio.
Police said Galluccio was being detained by the gas station attendant, who felt he was too drunk.
When they arrived, police said they spotted two men standing by a car, one of whom they recognized as Galluccio.
The second man told police he was trying to drive Galluccio home but couldn't find his house. The man gave police a set of keys he said belonged to Galluccio's car, which was parked at a nearby cafe.
Police said they determined that Galluccio's car was not at the gas station and he hadn't been driving the second car, so they decided to drive him home, according to the report, which wasn't filed until Oct. 29.
The restaurant where Galluccio's car was parked, identified in the report as the Basha Cafe, closes at 1 a.m., according to the cafe's Web site.
Galluccio, D-Cambridge, issued a brief written statement Monday.
"This is an ongoing legal process," he said. "Out of respect to all parties involved, I cannot comment until the process is completed."
The Cambridge Police Department defended the decision to drive Galluccio home, saying that although there is no written policy on transporting citizens, "It is not unusual for an officer to give someone a ride."
Police also defended the delay in filing the report. Typically when there is no crime, officers are not required to write a report, the department said.
"In this particular case, a report was not written immediately following the incident. When a supervisor was made aware of what occurred he directed the officer to write a report," Superintendent Steven Williams said in a written statement.
About 13 hours later on the same day, a Sunday, a sport utility vehicle driven by Galluccio rear-ended a minivan in Cambridge.
The driver of the minivan, one of four occupants, was taken to the hospital complaining of neck and back pain, according to the accident report.
Witnesses gave police the license plate number and an officer tracked the SUV to Galluccio's home.
At the time, Galluccio said he "panicked" because of his driving history, which includes two drunken driving convictions and another case in which similar charges were weighed after he was involved in a multiple-car accident.
Galluccio said in a statement after the accident was made public that he made "a serious error in judgment" by leaving the scene, and deeply regretted it.
Police cited him with leaving the scene of an accident causing injury, and leaving the scene of an accident causing property damage.
Galluccio has refused to say whether he had been drinking before the crash.
Galluccio was convicted of driving under the influence in 1984, when he was 17, and again in 1997. Former Gov. William F. Weld, a Republican, pardoned him for the first offense.
Galluccio again faced accusations of drunken driving in 2006, amid an aborted campaign for former Sen. Jarrett Barrios' seat. People who had been in three vehicles allegedly struck by him during a December 2005 chain-reaction crash in Boston's financial district said he was drunk at the time.
A Boston Municipal Court clerk magistrate later convened a hearing where he determined there was evidence Galluccio had been drinking but insufficient evidence to charge him with drunken driving.
Galluccio, 42, is a former Cambridge city councilor and mayor.
Senate President Therese Murray issued a statement Monday saying she was "very disappointed" by the latest revelation concerning Galluccio.
"The Senate will be prepared to act when there is a final disposition of his court case and all allegations," she said.
During the past year, Sen. Dianne Wilkerson, D-Boston, has resigned after being charged with accepting bribes, while Sen. James Marzilli, D-Arlington, has resigned after being charged with making sexual remarks to women on a Lowell street.
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