< Back to front page Text size – +

After court hearing, Galluccio vows to focus on personal issues

E-mail|Link|Comments () November 20, 2009 06:20 PM

By John R. Ellement, Stephanie Ebbert, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

MEDFORD -- State Senator Anthony D. Galluccio vowed today to focus "on a number of life issues and personal issues" as he left a court hearing, but he continued his silence about why he allegedly sped away from the scene of a crash last month after rear-ending a minivan carrying a family of four.

The Cambridge Democrat, who has been charged twice with driving drunk, has refused to say whether he was drinking alcohol shortly before the crash the afternoon of Oct. 4 in Cambridge that left a 13-year-old boy with minor injuries.

"You know, the legislative session has concluded," Galluccio said, speaking to a dozen reporters and photographers as he left Cambridge District Court after a brief hearing in his case. "It gives me an opportunity to focus on personal issues. I am committed to doing that."

Galluccio refused to discuss any detail of the case, however, "because of the legal issues." The senator also would not discuss a police report made public earlier this week that showed that Cambridge police gave him a ride home 13 hours before the crash because the officers were told he was "too intoxicated" to drive.

After his appearance, Cambridge police released a third report on the incident. "Both officers reported that they believed Mr. Galluccio was pretty drunk, but at no time did they observe Mr. Galluccio being restrained by anyone or attempting to drive a motor vehicle,'' Sgt. Silverio Ferreira, Jr. said in the report.

The report said police interviewed the manager of the Cafe Basha on New Street and were told by him that Galluccio "entered the cafe at 2 a.m.'' The nightspot is licensed to stay open only until 1 a.m., according to city records. The report does not say where Galluccio was before 2 a.m.

The manager told police that Galluccio "did not look well, so he made him something to eat but did not serve him any alcoholic beverages.''

Believing Galluccio was too drunk to drive, the manager then decided to drive Galluccio home, was given the keys to Galluccio's car, and then spent a frustrating half-hour trying to locate Galluccio's home on Sunset Road. "While trying to locate his house, Mr. Galluccio kept falling asleep and they were unable to find his residence," the report said.

Frustrated, the manager -- whose name was redacted from the police report -- pulled over at a Fresh Pond gas station and called police. Two officers then drove Galluccio to his home on Trowbridge street, about three miles away from where they first encountered him.

Galluccio, 42, appeared in court this morning in a dark-blue suit and plaid tie with two women at his side. His attorney, George Hassett, said that the hearing allowed prosecutors and the defense to exchange discovery. A new court date has been set for Dec. 18.

Four protesters stood in the driving rain outside court, saying they were trying to pressure the Legislature and the courts to hold the senator accountable. They held signs covered in clear plastic bags that read, "No more special favors" and "No more free passes for Galluccio."

"We're worried that the type of justice that should be given to people who do drink and drive � should not be shrugged off just because he's a politician or because he promises to deal with his personal issues or talk to the senators behind closed doors," said one of the protesters, Alan Ashbaugh, 27, a Web designer from Needham. "He also has to come before the law, just like any one of us."

While in the courthouse, Galluccio also visited the probation department. It was not clear why. The senator has pleaded not guilty to charges of leaving the scene after causing property damage and to leaving the scene after causing personal injury. Galluccio's driving record includes two previous DUI convictions, one in 1984, when he was 17, and a second in 1997.

In December 2005, he triggered a four-car accident at a downtown Boston intersection at 2 a.m. No sobriety test was administered. A clerk-magistrate ruled that he had been drinking but that there was not enough evidence for a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Bridget Norton Middleton said her office is continuing its probe of the Galluccio case and declined comment.