Sep. 23—IPSWICH — The town administrator for Boxford, previously a planner in Gloucester and Essex, is due in courtroom early subsequent month on drunken driving and different costs stemming from a Sept. 2 accident in Ipswich.
Matthew Coogan, 39, of Ipswich, was charged in a criticism Wednesday with drunken driving, negligent driving and driving on an expired license. He was despatched a summons to seem in courtroom.
He’s scheduled to be organized Oct. 7 in Ipswich District Court in Newburyport, the place he had, till final 12 months, served as chief of workers to then-Mayor Donna Holaday.
According to an Ipswich police report connected to the criticism, Coogan was driving residence to 12 Nabbys Point Road round 1:44 am when he crashed right into a utility pole close to the intersection of Manning and Warren streets.
The affect of the crash snapped the pole, and brought on intensive injury to Coogan’s 2019 Volkswagen Golf, together with shearing off a tire and strut, shattering the windshield and inflicting each airbags to deploy, police mentioned of their report.
A barefoot Coogan “seemed to be in shock,” the police wrote. They described him as smelling of alcohol and unsteady on his toes, struggling at one level to placed on his flip-flop sandals.
He instructed the officers he had been at a youth soccer occasion on the Ipswich Brewery. He allegedly admitted to having “a few beers.”
Coogan talked about his place because the Boxford town administrator twice throughout his interplay with the officer writing the report, and instructed officers he was “only trying to get home.”
Both EMTs and police expressed concern that Coogan may need suffered a concussion within the crash and repeatedly urged he go in an ambulance to be evaluated at Beverly Hospital.
Coogan, who instructed officers he had no reminiscence of the crash, hesitated a number of occasions over the choice, at one level saying, “I could use some help here.” He ultimately agreed to go to the hospital.
Because of his situation, police didn’t carry out area sobriety assessments, they wrote within the report. Because he was not positioned beneath arrest, he didn’t take a breath alcohol take a look at.
The Salem News made makes an attempt to verify and procure details about the crash and potential costs earlier this month, and filed a public information request on Sept. 12 with the police division.
The division despatched a response denying the request on Wednesday, citing what it believes to be an exception beneath the state’s Criminal Offender Record Information or “CORI” legislation.
The police report and criticism have been obtained by way of Ipswich District Court on Thursday following the difficulty of the felony criticism.
Prior to working in Newburyport, Coogan held positions within the Salem, Gloucester and Essex planning departments.
Staff author Dave Rogers contributed to this report.
Courts reporter Julie Manganis may be reached at 978-338-2521, jmanganis@ gloucestertimes.com or on Twitter at @SNJulieManganis