The former Brockton police chief is admitting that if his negligent driving case went to trial, there would be enough evidence to find him guilty.
Emanual Gomes entered that plea in Worchester District Court Wednesday.
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The judge continued the case without a finding for six months, meaning if Gomes doesn’t violate his probation, the conviction will be dismissed from his record.
The criminal charge against him was based on a three-vehicle wreck he caused in his department vehicle in May 2021.
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According to the Massachusetts State Police crash report, Gomes was traveling on the on-ramp from Interstate 495 to get onto Route 24 northbound. His SUV veered off the road and hit a vehicle in the breakdown lane. Gomes then continued into lanes of traffic, side-swiped another vehicle and caused it to flip on its side, the report states.
The police chief did not receive any citations for the crash, and it flew under the radar for months until an NBC10 Boston investigation revealed details about what happened.
Investigations
A private citizen with no connection to the crash later pursued a charge against Gomes.
A hearing took place in July 2022 and the clerk magistrate ruled there was probable cause for the negligent driving charge to go forward. Gomes was arraigned last September in a case moved to Worcester to avoid a conflict of interest. Gomes then attempted to have the case dismissed, but that request was denied in June.
Three adults and a toddler went to the hospital after the wreck. The police chief refused medical treatment and got a ride home with a tow truck driver.
The crash does not appear on his RMV driving record.
City leaders told NBC10 Boston that Gomes was on his way to the scene of a drowning on that Saturday night. However, they never disclosed the incident to residents.
Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan defended the city's handling of the crash, saying it "followed all appropriate procedures" when NBC10 Boston reported the story last May.
NBC10 Boston still has a pending records request with the City of Brockton related to the case, including documents like call logs, text messages and emails. Those are being withheld while the criminal case is ongoing.
Gomes retired in January 2022 after a 36-year year career with the police department and is now collecting a pension of $156,130. He is currently due back in court in August.
Ryan Kath can be reached at ryan.kath@nbcuni.com. You can follow him on Twitter or connect on Facebook.
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