Shawn Oliver pleads not guilty to OUI after suspending lieutenant governor campaign

Shawn Oliver has pleaded not guilty to charges of operating under the influence and other related offenses after suspending his campaign for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts

New Bedford City Councilor Shawn Oliver pleaded not guilty to a charge of operating under the influence of alcohol in New Bedford District Court Monday morning, in a case that has led to him suspending his campaign for lieutenant governor.

Oliver entered the courthouse shortly before 9 a.m. as arraignments began. His lawyer, John Hendrie, greeted him warmly and led him into the lawyers’ lounge, where they stayed for a few minutes before walking into the courtroom together. Oliver sat quietly next to his wife, Emerald O’Driscoll-Oliver, near the back of the courtroom as he waited his turn to be called, watched intently by more than half a dozen journalists and photographers.

When Oliver was called forward, he pleaded not guilty to all charges: operating under the influence, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, speeding and a marked lanes violation.

At the prosecutor’s request, the court released Oliver on the condition that he not drive while his case is pending. He was released on personal recognizance, meaning without bail. His next court date is Nov. 16.

The crash, which occurred Saturday around 11:40 p.m. on Dartmouth Street in New Bedford, involved an overturned car that damaged five vehicles, two of which sustained “extensive damage,” police spokesperson Holly Huntoon said.

Oliver, 42, was taken to St. Luke’s for treatment of injuries and then placed under arrest.

He suspended his campaign for lieutenant governor Sunday, a few hours after his release from Ash Street Jail in New Bedford. But voting has already begun, with Oliver on the ballot as the running mate of Republican candidate for governor Mike Minogue.

Minogue said Sunday that if he is elected, he would ask Oliver to resign.

Oliver has been placed on restricted work duty at his job at the Massachusetts Treatment Center “while all facts and circumstances are reviewed,” Scott Croteau, a spokesperson for the state’s Department of Correction, told The Light in an email. The medium-security facility in Bridgewater houses criminally sentenced male sex offenders and people civilly committed as sexually dangerous persons.

The office of the superintendent at the Massachusetts Treatment Center declined to provide any information regarding Oliver’s employment status.

Court records released after Oliver’s arraignment describe what police say they encountered at the scene of the crash.

When officers arrived on Dartmouth Street near the South End Stop & Shop on Saturday night, they found Oliver’s Lincoln Navigator upside down with no one inside.

They also noted a Toyota Camry “with extensive damage, pushed over the curb, across the sidewalk, and onto the grass.” A red Camry “also had extensive damage and was pushed back causing it to collide into another parked vehicle.” Five cars in all were affected.