Man gets year in jail after 4th OUI

Dave Rogers, The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass.
·2 min read

Jun. 25—ROWLEY — After pleading guilty to a fourth offense of driving while under the influence of alcohol Thursday in Newburyport District Court, a Georgetown man was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in jail.

But 49-year-old William Collamore of Molly Road saw all but one year of his sentence suspended for three years while he is on probation.

Once out of jail, Collamore must remain drug and alcohol free and wear a SCRAM alcohol monitoring device. He also lost his driver's license for 10 years and was ordered to pay more than $2,000 in fees and fines. He was given credit for 11 days already served.

Prior to his arrest in Rowley on Aug. 18, Collamore begged Rowley police Officer Gavin Forni to let him go.

"You're really going to ruin my (expletive) life over this," Collamore said, according to Forni's report. "While escorting Collamore to the rear of Officer (John) Raffi's cruiser, he continued to make statements that I was ruining his (expletive life) and that he was working on getting a license for 15 years."

In addition to a fourth OUI offense, Collamore was charged with operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license and a marked lanes violation.

About 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 18, Forni was monitoring traffic on Haverhill Street when he saw a gray 2012 Mazda 3 cross over the road's double yellow center line and pass another car. By the time the Forni caught up with the Mazda, they had crossed the Georgetown border.

After speaking to Collamore, Forni could tell right away that he had been drinking alcohol. In addition to having glassy eyes and slurred speech, Collamore's hand was shaking. Forni soon learned that Collamore's right to drive had been suspended, a fact Collamore admitted to the officer.

"I asked him why he was driving and he said he was just getting breakfast. I advised Collamore that it was currently lunchtime and he looked at me with a blank stare," Forni wrote in his report.

Collamore agreed to take, but failed, a series of field sobriety tests. He later registered a blood-alcohol level of .179, more than twice the legal limit for drunken driving, according to Forni's report.

Staff writer Dave Rogers can be reached at drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter@drogers41008.