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, who is running alongside Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue, was arrested around 11:40 p.m. near his New Bedford home. His car allegedly crashed, overturned and struck several parked vehicles, MassLive reported.
Photos from the scene showed Oliver’s vehicle upside down, with multiple nearby cars suffering extensive damage.
According to New Bedford Live, Oliver is believed to have crossed into the wrong lane and hit a parked car head-on, causing his own vehicle to flip.
Oliver, a current New Bedford city councilor, was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries after the crash. Police said he was later arrested on drunken-driving charges shortly before 7 a.m. Sunday.
He was released from jail at about 9:30 a.m. and is scheduled to be arraigned in New Bedford court Monday morning.
When a reporter visited the Oliver family home, his wife said he was asleep and “very hurt” by what had happened. 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 asked his running mate to leave the campaign.
“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 added.
“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 came less than three weeks before the Nov. 3 general election. Recent 270ToWin polling showed Minogue trailing Democratic incumbent Maura Healey by an average of 19 percentage points.