Posted on: October 7, 2024, 05:38h.
Last updated on: October 7, 2024, 05:38h.
A Hampden County, Mass. sheriff arrested at the MGM Springfield last month drove to the casino drunk in a police SUV with a missing tire, The Boston Globe reports.
Sheriff Nick Cocchi, 51, left his Ford Explorer with blue police license plates running in the valet area as he hit the casino on September 21. When he returned 40 minutes later, he found his counterparts in the state police waiting for him.
‘Couple of Beers’
Cocchi at first claimed that someone else who was still in the casino had been driving the vehicle but changed his story after he was reminded the area was surrounded by surveillance cameras.
He said he’d been playing golf at Springfield Country Club where he’d had “a couple of beers.” But his speech was slurred and his “eyes were bloodshot and glassy,” according to the arrest report made public last week.
Cocchi refused to perform field sobriety tests or submit to a breathalyzer, which led to an automatic license suspension, according to court filings.
Police later viewed security video from the casino that showed Cocchi arriving at 6:44 p.m. as patrons stopped and stared at his vehicle. He stumbled several times as he walked inside.
The SUV was missing its right front tire, and the reel rim had extensive damage and was covered in “plant matter,” according to the arrest report. Cocchi had left the engine on, and the vehicle unlocked. Inside was a set of golf clubs, money, a wallet containing his police ID, and other property from the sheriff’s office.
Suspended Sentence
On September 23, at Springfield District Court, Cocchi admitted driving under the influence of alcohol and was placed on probation for a year. He was fined $600, and his license was suspended for 45 days. He was ordered to complete an alcohol driver education course.
He was also suspended from work without pay for three days, which covered the cost of damage to the SUV, according to a spokesperson from the Sheriff’s Office.
I take full responsibility for what happened this past Saturday,” he said in a statement after his plea. “[Many people] point fingers in today’s political climate, but I wasn’t raised that way. In both my personal and professional life, I stand by my actions.”
But in court, while Assistant Attorney General Mary Sandstrom acknowledged the defendant had done good for the community during his career, she reminded the judge he had been brash and defiant prior to his arrest and had behaved like an entitled public official.
“He abused his position,” she said.
