Body cam footage shows Massachusetts Democratic Party chair's OUI arrest
By: -----
Southborough, MA - Body camera footage shows the arrest of Stephen Kerrigan, chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, earlier this year on drunk driving charges for which he was sentenced to probation.
According to a criminal complaint, an officer of the Southborough Police Department was monitoring traffic on Turnpike Road at 12 a.m. June 13, when they saw Kerrigan's BMW SUV driving in the middle of both lanes.
"That was pretty egregious, what I watched," one of the officers said in the body camera footage.
In the video, Kerrigan explains that he was returning home after attending an event in Boston. Kerrigan apologized to the officer and said he drank two beers before dinner, but denied they were affecting his driving.
"I've been on the road the entire week, I'm just exhausted," Kerrigan said when the officer asked for another explanation.
An officer wrote in a report that they could not smell alcohol "due to an overwhelming odor of cologne" and that Kerrigan reported having two beers with dinner. However, the officer noted Kerrigan slurring his speech and conducted field sobriety tests.
Those tests are included in the recording.
According to the criminal complaint, a test at 12:55 a.m. found Kerrigan's blood alcohol content was 0.089%, and a second test a few minutes later found a BAC of 0.086%.
Kerrigan faced charges of OUI liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and a marked lanes violation, according to the criminal complaint.
Court documents indicate that Kerrigan was in court on June 15, when he entered a plea of admission to sufficient facts on at least one count. The case was continued without a finding.
A probation document indicates that Kerrigan agreed to participate in the Massachusetts impaired driving program and pay $600 in fines. His license was suspended for 45 days.