A state rep charged with alleged drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident appeared before a judge this morning where he he admitted ‘sufficient facts’ on the charges.
Rep. John Lawn, a Watertown Democrat, made the plea in a whirlwind of appearances at Boston Municipal Court this morning. He first appeared before a judge and pleaded not guilty to the charges. The state rep then disappeared into a conference room with his lawyers and shortly thereafter appeared again in court when he admitted to sufficient facts in the case.
Lawn was was sentenced to a 45-day license suspension, a year of probation, and required to attend an alcohol education program. If he completes those requirements, the case will be continued without a finding.
Boston Police also issued Lawn an “immediate threat suspension” during his arrest.
“I am a state rep,” Lawn, 56, allegedly told a police officer at around 1:20 a.m. Wednesday as the officer approached Lawn’s trashed GMC Yukon SUV.
Lawn co-chairs the Health Care Financing Committee at the State House. He entered a plea of not guilty to charges of operating a vehicle under the influence of liquor and leaving the scene of property damage. His driver’s license was suspended for refusing to take a breathalyzer test.
Lawn issued a statement through his attorney, Timothy Flaherty, Wednesday, saying he is sorry.
“I deeply regret and take full responsibility for my actions. What happened was completely unacceptable. I make no excuses. I am committed to taking the necessary steps to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again,” Lawn wrote in his statement. “To my family, friends, and constituents, I have let you down, and for that I am deeply sorry.”
Police caught up with Lawn after a report by a citizen who noted his erratic driving. They found his SUV “leaning to one side” as it was parked on Bowdoin Street near the intersection with Beacon Street. The responding officer noted “extreme damage to the passenger side front wheel … turned to an extreme degree not consistent with normal vehicle operations,” according to the police report.
The officer also noted “a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage” coming from Lawn, and that his eyes were “glassy and bloodshot, and his speech was slurred.” Lawn said he was driving from an event at the State House, according to the police report.
The person who flagged the police down said he saw the Yukon strike a parked Toyota Tundra pickup truck on Hancock Street before then blowing past multiple stop signs without stopping, according to the police report.
The police officers ordered Lawn to exit the vehicle and noted that “he had difficulty maintaining his balance” and dropped his license and a credit card on the ground, according to the police report.
Lawn then proceeded to bomb a field sobriety test, according to the police report. The report notes that Lawn continually failed to follow instructions and even stabilized himself using both the police officer conducting the tests and a fence post. Lawn then refused to submit to a breathalyzer test.
“You know what I’d rather do,” Lawn allegedly told the officer, “I want to take an Uber and go home.”
House Speaker Ron Mariano released a statement saying that Lawn spoke with him and said he “takes full responsibility for this egregious lapse in judgment, and that he will work to ensure that something like this does not happen again.”
“I was very disappointed to learn of this news. Driving under the influence is an incredibly dangerous and often deadly mistake, and I am relieved that no one was injured in this particular instance,” Mariano wrote.
The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, a state think tank that promotes fiscal responsibility, said the arrest opens up broader questions.
“The fact that a sitting lawmaker was leaving a State House event at nearly 2:00 a.m. before being arrested for drunk driving and fleeing the scene of an accident raises serious questions about what exactly is going on behind those closed doors,” MFA Executive Director Paul Diego Craney said in a statement. “The public deserves to know what kind of event was taking place, who was involved, and what the legislature is doing to hold itself accountable.”
The last scheduled event at the State House Tuesday was sponsored by Lawn, according to the public schedule of events for this week. However, that event, a “Legislative Committee Public Hearing” in the Gardner Auditorium, was scheduled to last from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
— Developing
