Amorello in Worcester hospital, attorney says

By Sean P. Murphy, Globe Staff

The arrest warrant for Matthew Amorello, the former Massachusetts Turnpike Authority chairman who is facing drunken driving charges, was dropped today after his attorney told a judge Amorello remains hospitalized.

Amorello was arrested by Haverhill Police over the weekend, and failed to show up in Haverhill District Court on Monday to be arraigned on drunken driving and other charges, leading a judge to order that a default arrest warrant to be issued for him.

Today, however, defense attorney William Hogan III went back to the courthouse and told a judge his client did not show up because he was at UMass Medical Memorial Hospital in Worcester. Hogan said in court that Amorello remains at the Worcester hospital, but did not discuss what kind of treatment he was receiving.

Amorello is now due in court Aug. 24, according to a spokesman for Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.

Hospitals and medical centers are not obliged to disclose the names of patients. Under federal privacy laws, they must allow patients the chance to "opt out" of a public directory of patients maintained by the facility.

A spokesman for the Worcester medical center has responded to inquiries on Amorello by saying there is no patient of that name listed on its public directory.