Lt. Governor Candidate Shawn Oliver Arrested for YES

NEW BEDFORD — Republican candidate for lieutenant governor and New Bedford City Councilman Shawn Oliver has been arrested on charges of operating under the influence of alcohol, according to the New Bedford Police Department.

Ward 3 Councilman Shawn Oliver in front of New Bedford City Hall. Credit: Jack Spillane/The New Bedford Light

At approximately 11:40 p.m., officers responded to a vehicle crash involving an overturned car that struck several parked cars on Dartmouth Street. Five cars were involved in the crash, spokeswoman Holly Huntoon said, and two suffered “significant damage.”

Oliver, 42, was taken to St. Luke’s for treatment of his injuries and then placed under arrest. He was also charged with negligent operation of a motor vehicle, speeding and trespassing.

Sheriff Paul Heroux told The Light that Oliver was being held at the Ash Street Jail after being booked around 6:45 a.m. A Light reporter was standing outside the jail when Oliver walked out just after 9 a.m. Sunday.

Oliver told the reporter that he had been in an accident on Dartmouth Street. He declined to comment further and did not respond to questions about the reasons for his detention.

Oliver was not transported and left the prison wearing a simple white T-shirt with his belongings in a plastic bag. It was 44 degrees outside. He had no visible injuries.

Glass, plastic and tire marks were all present in front of the apartment complex across from the Stop & Shop on Dartmouth Street. Part of the complex’s lawn was littered with fragments of clear plastic and what looked like pieces of car grille.

Mayor Jon Mitchell posted his reaction on his Facebook page.

“This morning I learned that Councilman Shawn Oliver was involved in a car accident in the South End neighborhood and was taken into custody,” he said. “I am grateful to the New Bedford Police Department for their quick response and relieved that no one was seriously injured. The allegations against Councilman Oliver are deeply concerning and the public deserves to hear his explanation of what happened.”

Shawn Oliver, in a white T-shirt, leaves Ash Street Prison on Sunday morning. Credit: Grace Ferguson / The New Bedford Lighthouse

Oliver campaigned across the state, including with his running mate, gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue.

Minogue posted on social media that he had spoken to Oliver and asked him to immediately suspend his campaign. He said: “…once elected, I will officially request his resignation. »

“I am extremely disappointed. Shawn is lucky to be alive and lucky that no innocent people were hurt,” Minogue said in the post. “Shawn is a father and grandfather, and he has to put his family first. He has to do the work to make sure this doesn’t happen again. If he needs help, I’ll help him.”

Amy Carnevale, chairwoman of the Massachusetts Republican Party, said in a brief statement Sunday that the group “just learned of the car accident involving Shawn Oliver” and is “awaiting additional information like everyone else.”

The Light has reached out to Gov. Maura Healey’s office for comment.

On Saturday, Oliver was in Newton to speak with a conservative influencer and podcast host, according to his Facebook.

Oliver is not the first New Bedford city councilor to face criminal charges for drunk driving. Hugh Dunn was charged with OUI in 2021 while he was a sitting city councilman after hitting cars in a downtown New Bedford parking lot.

Oliver ran with Brian Shortsleeve on the Republican ticket until Shortsleeve’s defeat in the primary. As Oliver was the only GOP candidate for lieutenant governor, he was chosen as Minogue’s running mate.

In April, Minogue supported Anne Brensley for lieutenant governor, but she failed to meet the signature threshold to appear on the ballot after a fraudulent signature-gathering debacle.

Anne Manning Martin, another Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, was also disqualified from the ballot for fraudulent signatures following a complaint filed by Oliver. Minogue called Oliver’s action “disgraceful”, prompting Shortsleeve to demand an apology for his running mate.

On primary night, Oliver talked about aligning with Minogue as part of the GOP’s broader quest in the general election cycle.

“I would also like to take a moment to congratulate Mike Minogue on winning the Republican nomination for governor,” Oliver told supporters gathered at the Sheraton Boston Hotel with the Shortsleeve campaign on September 1. “But now, with the primary behind us, we really need to come together to continue the mission for Massachusetts and defeat Maura Healey and Kim Driscoll in November because the stakes are enormous.”

Oliver, a longtime correctional officer, was born and raised in New Bedford. He was elected to the Ward 3 city council seat in February 2023. If elected lieutenant governor, Oliver said, he planned to meet with leaders of all 351 municipalities during his first year. He also planned to defend the commercial fishing industry.

This is a developing story.

Nathan Collins contributed reporting.