Son of Boston police commissioner arrested in New Hampshire for driving under the influence

By Peter Schworm and Travis Andersen, Globe Staff

Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis said Monday that his son, who had been driven home earlier this month by a Boston police officer amid suspicion he was impaired, was arrested over the weekend in New Hampshire on charges of operating under the influence.

In a statement, Edward Davis said his 22-year-old son, Philip, had decided to seek treatment for substance abuse after his arrest Friday night in Plymouth, N.H.

“Like many families that struggle with substance abuse, we are reaching out to experts to get Philip the help he needs,” the commissioner said in a statement. “Jane and I love our son very much and are relieved that he has decided to seek treatment. This sudden and public challenge is the most difficult issue we have dealt with as a family, but we pray that Philip will persevere and overcome this setback. We are thankful that no one has been hurt in this situation.”

Edward Davis said in the statement that his son told him Monday about the arrest. Reached at his Hyde Park home Monday night, he declined further comment.

While the commissioner said his son had been arrested Friday, New Hampshire authorities said it happened early Sunday morning.

New Hampshire State Police said in a statement that troopers stopped the vehicle Davis was driving at about 3 a.m. Sunday on High Street. Davis had five passengers with him, the statement said.

He was charged with driving while intoxicated, and all of the passengers were charged with being minors in possession of alcohol, State Police said.

The passengers were identified as Cathryn McCarthy, 20; Annie McCarthy, 18; and Meghan McCarthy; 18, all of Hudson, N.H., as well as Jordan McCarthy, 17; and Sheehan McCarthy, 20, both of Lowell.

Davis and his passengers could not immediately be reached for comment. They are all scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 28 in Plymouth District Court, State Police said.

The announcement sharpened scrutiny of the department’s handling of the Boston incident on Feb. 4, when a patrolman stopped Philip Davis as he was about to drive home from the TD Garden. A passerby had told the officer that Davis appeared to be drunk as he got into his car, according to police.

The officer stopped Davis and determined he had been drinking, but was uncertain whether he was impaired.

The officer then gave Davis and his girlfriend a ride home.

The officer’s decision not to arrest Davis or administer sobriety tests has raised questions about whether he had received preferential treatment. Davis told the officer who his father was and said “something to the effect that he wouldn’t want to upset the officer or his father,” according to a police report.

A law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation told the Globe after the incident that the officer who stopped Davis did not believe he was drunk.

After learning what had happened, Edward Davis called for an internal investigation. The department also notified the Suffolk district attorney’s office.