GOP candidate arrested on driving under the influence charge after rollover crash: report

The Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts was arrested late Saturday after a crash that flipped his car and damaged several parked vehicles, police said.

New Bedford City Councilor Shawn Oliver, 42, was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol, The New Bedford Light reported. He also faces charges of negligent operation of a motor vehicle, speeding and a marked lanes violation.

Officers were called to Dartmouth Street around 11:40 p.m. for a crash involving an overturned car that had hit several parked cars, police spokesperson Holly Huntoon told the outlet. Five vehicles were involved, and two had “extensive damage.”

Oliver was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital for treatment and then arrested. He was booked into the Ash Street Jail around 6:45 a.m. and released on personal recognizance just after 9 a.m. Sunday, Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux told The Light.

A Light reporter was outside the jail when Oliver walked out. He said he’d been in a crash on Dartmouth Street but declined to answer questions about why he’d been taken into custody.

Oliver is running on the GOP ticket with gubernatorial nominee Mike Minogue against Democratic Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll. The election is Nov. 3.

Minogue said he was still learning what happened.

“If it is true, Shawn will need to take responsibility for his actions,” Minogue said in a statement. “Driving under the influence is not acceptable.”

Massachusetts Republican Party Chair Amy Carnevale said the party “just learned of the car accident involving Shawn Oliver” and is “awaiting additional information as everyone else.”

The two men haven’t always been allies. Oliver first ran alongside Brian Shortsleeve, who lost the GOP primary to Minogue. Because Oliver was the only Republican left in the lieutenant governor’s race, he became Minogue’s running mate. Minogue had previously called Oliver’s challenge that knocked another lieutenant governor hopeful off the ballot “shameful.”

Oliver, a longtime corrections officer, has represented New Bedford’s Ward 3 on the City Council since 2023.