The Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in Massachusetts has suspended his campaign after allegedly driving drunk and smashing his car into five vehicles Saturday night.
Shawn Oliver, 42, the running mate of GOP gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue, was arrested around 11:40 p.m. near his home in New Bedford after he allegedly crashed his car and it flipped over, striking the parked cars, Mass Live reported.
Dramatic pictures from the scene show Oliver’s car on its back, with multiple extensively damaged vehicles nearby.
He is believed to have veered into the wrong side of the road and struck a parked car head-on, flipping his own car in the process, New Bedford Live reported.
Oliver, currently a New Bedford city councilor, was taken from the scene of the crash to a nearby hospital with injuries and later arrested on drunken-driving charges just before 7 a.m. Sunday, police said.
He was released from jail at around 9:30 a.m. and is set to be arraigned in a New Bedford court Monday morning.
When a journalist approached the family home, Oliver’s wife said he was sleeping and was “very hurt” about the situation but declined to comment further, the Boston Herald reported.
Oliver said in a statement released just after 2:15 p.m. Sunday, “After careful reflection, I have made the decision to suspend my campaign for Lieutenant Governor.
“This election is too important to be overshadowed by personal matters. I want to sincerely thank everyone who has supported me throughout this journey and ask that my family’s privacy be respected during this difficult time.”
His statement came less than three hours after Minogue announced that he had urged his running mate to step down.
“I am extremely disappointed. Shawn is lucky to be alive and lucky that no one innocent was hurt. There is no excuse for driving under the influence,” Minogue wrote on X.
“After speaking with Shawn, I am asking him to suspend his campaign immediately, and when elected, I will formally ask for his resignation,” he said.
“Shawn is a father and grandfather, and he needs to put his family first. He needs to do the work to ensure this never happens again. If he needs help with that, I will help him.”
Oliver’s arrest comes fewer than three weeks before the Nov. 3 general election. Minogue is currently trailing incumbent Democrat Maura Healey by an average of 19 percentage points in recent 270ToWin polling.
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