The Republican nominee for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts has suspended his campaign after allegedly driving under the influence and crashing into five vehicles Saturday night.
Shawn Oliver, 42, is the running mate of GOP gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue. He was arrested at about 11:40 p.m. near his New Bedford home after allegedly crashing his car, which overturned and struck several parked vehicles, according to MassLive.
Images from the scene showed Oliver’s vehicle overturned on its roof, surrounded by multiple heavily damaged cars.
According to New Bedford Live, Oliver apparently crossed into the wrong lane and hit a parked car head-on, causing his vehicle to flip.
Oliver, who serves as a New Bedford city councilor, was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries after the crash. Police said he was later arrested on suspicion of drunken driving shortly before 7 a.m. Sunday.
He was released from jail at approximately 9:30 a.m. and is scheduled to be arraigned in New Bedford court Monday morning.
When a reporter visited the family’s home, Oliver’s wife said he was asleep and “very hurt” by the incident. She declined to provide additional comment, the Boston Herald reported.
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In a statement issued shortly after 2:15 p.m. Sunday, Oliver said, “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.”
Oliver released the statement less than three hours after Minogue said he had pressed his running mate to leave the race.
“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 occurred fewer than three weeks before the Nov. 3 general election. Recent 270ToWin polling showed Minogue trailing incumbent Democratic Gov. Maura Healey by an average of 19 percentage points.
