MARSHFIELD — Marshfield Police Officer Richard Perry, who stands accused of causing a serious motor vehicle crash Jan. 11, was arraigned in Plymouth District Court March 4 and released on his own recognizance. He pleaded not guilty.
An investigation by both Marshfield and state police found that Perry was driving under the influence of alcohol when he crossed onto the wrong side of the road and collided with another vehicle on Plain street, part of Route 139, according to prosecutor Russell Eonas.
Since Perry has no prior criminal record and attended the arraignment of his own volition, he was allowed to walk free without bail on the condition that he does not drive without a license or consume alcohol during the course of the prosecution. The defense raised no objections to the conditions.
Perry’s defender, Jack Atwood, said Perry is currently enrolled in a rehabilitation program that performs random alcohol tests and that his license was suspended after the accident. The court ordered that Perry also receive alcohol testing twice a day after he completes his rehabilitation program via a SCRAM continuous alcohol monitoring device.
The Jan. 11 collision injured Perry and the driver of the other vehicle, 24-year-old Grace Owen, who is still being treated at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston. Eonas said that Owen suffered a brain bleed, several broken bones and other internal injuries during the crash, and that she has undergone multiple surgeries.
The collision allegedly pushed Perry’s car into another vehicle, though the driver of that vehicle was not named at arraignment, and Marshfield police said that he was not injured.
Perry was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol while causing serious bodily injury, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, marked lanes violation, and speed greater than reasonable and proper.
A conviction for reckless operation of a motor vehicle carries a sentence of two weeks to two years of imprisonment and/or a fine of $20 to $200. A conviction of operating under the influence of alcohol while causing serious bodily injury carries a sentence of six months to 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of $5,000.
Perry was off-duty at the time of the crash, and the Marshfield police department announced in January that he was on paid administrative leave.
Eonas said that Perry was transported to South Shore Hospital after the crash, and that two separate tests of blood drawn at the hospital approximately 45 minutes after the crash showed Perry’s blood alcohol content to be above .20, more than twice the legal limit. He alleged that Perry consumed several alcoholic beverages at Rafferty’s Pub in Marshfield before operating his vehicle on the night of the crash.
He also said that multiple witnesses observed the crash and the surveillance camera of a nearby bank recorded it.
Perry’s injuries were not described at the arraignment, but he wore a neck brace and carried a cane in court.
His next pretrial hearing is scheduled for March 30.