Lowell official charged with drunken driving

The executive director of the Lowell Housing Authority was charged earlier this month with second-offense drunken driving after Methuen police found him in a government-issued vehicle that had two shredded flat tires, according to a Sept. 17 police report.

Gary Wallace, 45, stopped at the Five Corner Getty gas station at a busy intersection and asked a station attendant to fix his flat tires, the police report said. When the attendant smelled a strong odor of alcohol coming from Wallace, he called police, according to the report.

Officers arrived on the scene and found that "Wallace was stumbling and was very unsteady on his feet," the report said. There were long gouge marks in the parking lot, which convinced officers that Wallace had been driving his vehicle on its rims, said the report.

Wallace admitted to Methuen Police Lieutenant Greg Gallant to having had "a few drinks" but refused to take a field sobriety test, according to the report.

During questioning, Wallace had "glassy and bloodshot eyes, slurred speech," and had a difficult time standing up, Gallant wrote.

When he reached the police station for booking, Wallace nearly fell down and had to be assisted by officers, the report said. Wallace then refused to take a Breathalyzer test, even when told he would automatically lose his driver's license for a least 180 days, the report said.

A Massachusetts Board of Probation check showed that Wallace has previously been arraigned on an OUI charge in 1994 in Lowell District Court.

Wallace did not return phone calls from the Globe.

However, Wallace told the Lowell Sun that he had been driving his Lowell Housing Authority-issued vehicle at the time of the arrest.

Wallace is the son of Lowell Sun chairman Kendall Wallace.

A longtime housing authority employee, Wallace became executive director six years ago. In February, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development gave the agency high marks under Wallace's leadership during an annual review of the agency's finances, resident satisfaction, properties, and management.

Philip Nyman, a lawyer for the Lowell Housing Authority, said the agency would not comment on Wallace's arrest. Asked whether Wallace could lose his job if convicted on his second OUI offense, Nyman said: "No one has been convicted of the charges, so I'm not in a position to speculate on anything."

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Oct. 21 in Lawrence District Court.

Wallace could face a minimum 60-day jail sentence with a maximum of 2 1/2 years and a fine of between $600 and $10,000.

Russell Contreras can be reached at rcontreras@globe.com.