State Police captain killed when car hits pole on Route 1

Is remembered as dedicated father, trooper

CHAMPIONED YOUTH SPORTS Captain Richard J. Cashin was a member of the Boxford panel drawing up plans for about $3 million in athletic fields.

SAUGUS - A veteran State Police captain, killed in an early-morning crash on Route 1, was mourned yesterday as a dedicated trooper and devoted family man.

Captain Richard J. Cashin, who joined law enforcement in 1980, the same year his uncle was shot to death while working as a Chelsea police officer, was the overnight shift commander for State Police Troop A, whose jurisdiction stretches from Revere to the New Hampshire border, officials said.

Cashin, who was on duty, was driving an unmarked 2005 Ford Crown Victoria northbound on Route 1 near Essex Street when the vehicle veered off the roadway and into a utility pole about 1:45 yesterday.

State Police and Essex District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett are investigating the crash. Officials said they were trying to piece together Cashin's whereabouts before the crash. No other details were available.

Cashin, 52, who was married to his childhood sweetheart and the father of four, was pronounced dead at the scene.

"I truly know him to be very honorable, honest, with huge character and very dedicated to his family," Major Daniel Grabowski, his immediate supervisor, said in an interview at Troop A headquarters in Danvers. "He was full of love for people, full of love for his job, and full of love for his family. This is a very sad day for the State Police, very sad."

Cashin, of Boxford, started his career in 1980 with the Metropolitan Police Department, which merged with the State Police in 1992. He was honored by the metropolitan force in 1986 for participating with two other officers in a life-saving effort.

During his 28-year career, Cashin worked on Revere Beach, along the Esplanade, at State Police headquarters in Framingham, and most recently as night commander of Troop A.

"Rick Cashin was an outstanding police officer," said Colonel Mark F. Delaney, State Police superintendent. "He loved his job. He was a good captain."

In Boxford, town leaders and those active in youth sports reacted with shock and sadness to Cashin's death. He was heavily involved in the Boxford Athletic Association, serving as treasurer.

He was a past president of the group and was in charge of the town beach at Stiles Pond, officials said.

"He had a huge heart," said Howie Emmons, the athletic association's vice president, who has known Cashin for about 15 years. "His family always came first."

According to State Police and friends, Cashin was the father of two daughters, 24 and 25 years old, and two boys, 9 and 13.

Emmons said Cashin was intensely proud of having had the boys with his wife, Caroline, many years into their marriage.

"It was something we used to joke about," Emmons recalled in a telephone interview yesterday. "The way things are today, usually your second family comes with a second wife. The fact that it was the same wife was something he was very proud of."

Emmons called Cashin a huge sports fan who played contact hockey into his 50s and had played competitive softball in adult leagues until slowed by injuries.

Cashin gave the same attention to his sons' athletics as he did to his daughters', and over the years had coached all four in several sports.

In 2007, residents spent about $3 million to buy land for athletic fields in town, and Cashin was a member of the town committee drawing up the final plans.

"Rick's contributions to our local sports programs and the children of our town were unmatched," Boxford's selectmen said in a statement.

"The far-reaching impact of Rick's legacy in the town of Boxford will be measured by the hundreds of student athletes encouraged, supported, and cheered on by his selfless dedication."

John Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com