SALEM — A 67-year-old Lynn man was ordered to be committed as a result of failing to post bail after pleading not guilty to his fifth drunk driving charge, two counts of leaving the scene of property damage, and a marked lanes violation at his arraignment in Salem District Court Tuesday.
Clifford Sawyer, of 20 South St. in Lynn, was arrested Sunday night after Salem police responded to a report of a motor vehicle accident on Highland Avenue at 9:21 p.m.
When they arrived at the scene, officers found a red truck crashed into a utility pole. Inside the truck, police found multiple beer cans, some empty, some full, and a cell phone.
An officer, searching for the truck’s driver, saw Sawyer allegedly walking along Highland Avenue, toward the Traders Way shopping plaza. Sawyer allegedly denied any knowledge of a crash, and was not detained.
Upon further investigation, police determined that the phone found in the truck belonged to Sawyer, who had also left an item with his name on it.
Two officers later found Sawyer behind Londi’s Roast Beef. Sawyer allegedly told the officers that he had had too much to drink at Tavern in the Square (a restaurant that is no longer open) and asked to be taken to the station to sleep it off.
At his arraignment, the prosecutor said that Sawyer allegedly asked officers if they had yet found the truck’s keys, claiming that the officers couldn’t prove he was behind the wheel without them.
Since Sawyer had previously been convicted of drunk driving four times and had 17 charges of driving with a suspended license, the prosecutor suggested that his bail be set at $25,000 with GPS home confinement.
Sawyer’s lawyer, Edward Ferrante said that the prosecution’s requests were excessive. He said that the prosecutor lacked evidence proving that Sawyer was behind the wheel.
Judge Carol-Ann Fraser set $15,000 bail and revoked Sawyer’s bail in an earlier case. If he can resolve the prior case, he’ll be required to wear a GPS and submit to random alcohol tests through a remote alcohol monitor.
