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East Boston man accused of hitting trooper is charged with third OUI

E-mail|Link July 6, 2010 04:54 PM

By Alex Katz, Globe Correspondent, and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

MEDFORD – The repeat drunk driver who allegedly drove into a state trooper working a traffic detail early Monday told police he drank four beers in the 30 minutes before the Cambridge crash, according to Middlesex prosecutors.

Felix Morales, 39, pleaded not guilty today to charges of operating under the influence, third offense; operating under the influence of liquor causing serious bodily injury with negligence; and negligent operation of a motor vehicle, among other charges.

According to a State police report filed in court, Morales was given a chemical breath test about two hours after the crash – and at that time his blood alcohol level was .15, double the state limit of .08.

Bail was set at $10,000 cash, which Morales posted this afternoon. He did not speak with reporters as he left the courthouse.

Morales' attorney for the arraignment, David Twohig, said Morales works for the Whole Foods supermarket chain, and lives with his girlfriend and four children in East Boston.

"He's a family man trying to do the best he can,'' Twohig said.

Morales was allegedly behind the wheel of a Nissan Maxima when he slammed into State Police Captain Frank Hughes, a 24-year veteran, who was directing traffic in Cambridge following the Fourth of July concert and fireworks display on the Esplanade.

The crash occurred around 12:30 a.m., authorities have said. Hughes was treated at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was treated and released Monday.

Hughes was the second trooper hit by a vehicle during a 24-hour period on the Fourth of July weekend. On Sunday, Trooper Sean M. McGarry suffered a leg injury when a car sideswiped him while he was working a traffic detail in Peabody.

Middlesex Assistant District Attorney Evelyn Tang said in court that Morales's eyes were bloodshot and watery and that his speech was slurred after police stopped him following the crash. She said Morales told police he consumed four beers within 30 minutes of the crash.

According to prosecutors, Morales was convicted of drunken driving in 1995 and 1999. Details of those arrests were not immediately available.

Twohig told reporters after Morales's court appearance that the East Boston man was concerned about the trooper's well-being. He noted that 11 years have passed since Morales was convicted of drunken driving.

He is "concerned about the condition of the state trooper,'' Twohig said of Morales. "He wishes him well.''