Crime and Courts

Mass. state trooper arrested in alleged drunken driving crash resigns, police say

Officers at the scene of the crash in Tewksbury found James Doran and another man outside their vehicle appearing unsteady on their feet, slurring their speech and smelling of alcohol, according to a police report

NBC Universal, Inc.

A Massachusetts State Police trooper who was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after a car crash Sunday night in Tewksbury has resigned, the department said.

James Doran resigned effective Wednesday and was dishonorably discharged, according to a state police spokesman, who noted that Doran is ineligible to be reinstated to the force since he was pulled from service after he was charged with a crime.

WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE

icon

>Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are.

State police were also referring information on what happened to the police officer-accrediting Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST, Commission, the spokesman said.

Doran was taken into custody after the 11:12 p.m. report of the crash at Main and Clark streets, which sent two people to the hospital to be evaluated, according to a Tewksbury police report filed in Lowell District Court. The two people who were hurt said they were rear-ended at a stop light; the impact of the crash was hard enough to deploy air bags and cause heavy damage to the front of the trooper's personal car.

A Massachusetts State Police trooper, who recently graduated from the academy, was arrested after allegedly crashing into a car while under the influence in Tewksbury Sunday.

Officers at the scene found Doran and another man outside their vehicle appearing unsteady on their feet, slurring their speech and smelling of alcohol, according to the report, while inside the vehicle was an open can of light beer and a half-empty vodka bottle.

The man with Doran initially said he was driving, but investigators found his phone on the floor of the passenger's seat, and damage on that side of the vehicle was consistent with his injuries; pressed about who was driving, he said Doran, according to the report.

Doran told an officer he'd been driving the passenger home and was trying to turn right on Clark Road at the time of the crash, police said. Doran also said he'd drank a couple of alcoholic beverages hours before, but didn't consent to field sobriety tests or Breathalyzer test.

Both Doran and his passenger declined to go to the hospital, police said.

After being arraigned Monday morning on charges of operating under the influence and having an open container of alcohol in a vehicle, Doran was released on personal recognizance, but his driver's license was seized and his vehicle towed. He's due back in court Dec. 6 for a pretrial hearing.

NBC10 Boston didn't receive a response for requests for comment from Doran or his attorney for comment.

Doran was part of the most recent class of Massachusetts Police Academy graduates, sworn in to the department weeks ago.

Enrique Delgado-Garcia, whose death at the Massachusetts State Police Academy is under investigation, was honored as members of his class graduated Wednesday.
Contact Us