Massachusetts sheriff's deputy accused of driving drunk in uniform, hitting other car
REVERE - A Suffolk County Sheriff's deputy who's been on the job for 32 years is accused of drunk driving on the way to serve in the honor guard for a friend who passed away.
Allegedly driving drunk in uniform
Police said Richard Camargo was in uniform when he hit another driver in the busy Bell Circle intersection on Route 2A in Revere.
"The commonwealth's concerns are largely due to the fact that the defendant was on duty as a Suffolk County sheriff when the accident occurred, and the OUI arrest occurred. He was also obviously and understandably, as part of his duties, in possession of a firearm," said prosecutor Daniel Moynihan.
Moynihan said Camargo was at a red light when he rolled forward and hit the car in front of him. According to the police report, the other driver said. "…we should call the police. The Deputy said no and got into the cruiser and fled the scene."
The driver later spotted the cruiser in a parking lot and called police, who tracked Camargo down inside a funeral home next to the lot. "He was as an honor guard in a wake," said his defense attorney Anthony Paul.
Police said they found empty six pack in cruiser
The trooper who responded said Camargo's eyes were red, and he smelled of alcohol. His breath test registered at .156%, which is twice the legal limit. Police said they found an empty six pack of Bud Light in his car. His attorney called the test into question.
"It's not even a breathalyzer, it's a portable breathalyzer. They have to be calibrated, they have to be done the right way," said Paul. "That's an allegation that they put in there."
In a statement, the Suffolk Sheriff's department called the charges "incredibly serious," and "out of character for him". The statement said he had "a previously stellar record of service."
Camargo told WBZ TV he had no comment outside court.
