First Weekend of Patrol Surge on Routes 24/195 Nets 9 Drunk Drivers

The Massachusetts State Police announced in a press release on Monday that they arrested nine drunk drivers on Routes 24 and 195 this past Friday and Saturday, .

State Police patrols Friday and Saturday also made one other felony arrest and six misdemeanor arrests and issued criminal summons to nine drivers. Additionally, troopers wrote 222 motor vehicle citations on those roads on those days, according to the release.

State Police announced on July 26 that they would be in the overnight hours during the weekend for the remainder of the summer in response to the slew of recent fatal and near-fatal accidents.

None of those arrested for drunk driving were from Stoughton and none of the drunk driving arrests took place on the Stoughton stretch of Route 24.

However, another fatal accident took place this weekend not far from the Stoughton portion of the highway.

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"The fatality on Route 24 occurred in Randolph, in Troop H, not in the Troop D patrol surge area. In that crash, evidence suggests the victim exited his car and stepped in front of oncoming traffic," according to the MSP release.

This past weekend was the first in which Massachusetts State Police Troop D deployed 11 additional patrols on Routes 24 and 195 on both Friday and Saturday nights. The extra patrols run from 8 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Saturday and from 8 p.m. Saturday to 4 a.m. Sunday, and will continue through the end of September, according to the MSP.

They complement regular patrols out of the Middleborough and Dartmouth Barracks. The increased patrols run from Brockton south to the Rhode Island border. It does not include the stretch of Route 24 from Brockton to the I-93 interchange, which is covered by Troop H, according to the State Police.

“We are extremely pleased with the results of the first weekend of our Route 24 and Route 195 patrol surge. These are exactly the type of results for which we hoped when we conceived this initiative," Massachusetts State Police Colonel Timothy P. Alben said in a release.

"We cannot say with certainty that by taking off these nine drunk drivers we prevented a senseless loss of life this weekend, but there is a good chance that we did just that. This is just the beginning. With a continued effort over the next two months, we will, without question, make a difference on those roads.”

Massachusetts State Police Major Anthony Thomas, commander, Troop D, added: "Our enforcement initiative on Routes 24 and 195 is mission-oriented to promote roadway safety. Those who drive recklessly or while impaired have forfeited their right to travel the Commonwealth’s roadways undeterred. Our troopers are out there aggressively conducting pro-active patrols targeted at impaired and other high risk negligent operators of motor vehicles."

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Read the full press release from the Massachusetts State Police below:

The Massachusetts State Police arrested nine drunk drivers on Routes 24 and 195 this past Friday and Saturday, the first weekend of a new patrol initiative aimed at cracking down on impaired, distracted, and aggressive drivers. State Police patrols Friday and Saturday also made one other felony arrest and six misdemeanor arrests and issued criminal summons to nine drivers.

Additionally, troopers wrote 222 motor vehicle citations on those roads on those days.

Two drunk drivers were arrested on Friday night, while seven more were arrested Saturday night, despite heavy rains. One of the drunk drivers arrested was interdicted as he drove the wrong way on Route 24 (driving northbound on the southbound side) near Exit 10.

At 1:35 a.m. Saturday, troopers responded to a two-car crash on Route 24 northbound, north of Exit 8, in Freetown that sent two people to Rhode Island Hospital with injuries. One of the injured, Jose Perez, 49, of  Brockton, who was driving a 1999 Ford Mustang, was charged with operating under the influence, negligent operation, and marked lanes violation. The other victim, a 24-year-old Middleborough woman, was driving a 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier. Both drivers had serious injuries believed to be non-life threatening.

On Sunday, at 3:15 a.m., troopers and Berkley Police intercepted another wrong-way driver on Route 24 in Berkley. The driver was traveling north in the southbound lanes of Route 24. Police identified the driver as Nicholas Pilla, 25, of New Bedford and observed his eyes to glassy and bloodshot. Police smelled an odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath. A trooper had Pilla perform numerous field-sobriety tests and determined he was operating under the influence of liquor. Pilla was charged with OUI liquor and negligent operation.

This past weekend was the first in which Massachusetts State Police Troop D is deploying 11 additional patrols on Routes 24 and 195 on both Friday and Saturday nights. The extra patrols run from 8 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Saturday and from 8 p.m. Saturday to 4 a.m. Sunday, and will continue through the end of September. They complement regular patrols out of the Middleborough and Dartmouth Barracks. The patrol surge was announced last Thursday in the wake of frequent crashes causing fatalities and serious injuries in those areas of Southeastern Massachusetts.