CLINTON — On Wednesday, February 21, 2024, at 11:43 p.m., Officer Shane Gilman of the Clinton Police Department was on patrol sitting in his cruiser facing north on Greeley Street, at the four-way intersection of Greeley Street and Sterling Street.
(The account and quotations in this article were taken from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Gilman and do not reflect any political perspective of News Link Live.)
“I was conducting traffic enforcement at this intersection due to past motor vehicle accidents that had occurred due to motor vehicles failing to come to a stop at the stop signs,” Officer Gilman explained. “A few moments into sitting at this location, I took notice of a motor vehicle bearing MA reg [# redacted] traveling eastbound on Sterling Street. The motor vehicle approached the four-way intersection and then failed to stop at the stop sign, proceeding to take a left-hand turn onto Greeley Street. At this time, I activated my overhead emergency blue lights to conduct a motor vehicle stop.”
According to Officer Gilman, after he initiated the stop, the driver of the vehicle suddenly applied the brakes, almost coming to a dead stop in the middle of the road. The driver then quickly jerked the vehicle to the right, crossing the fog line, before striking the curb and mounting the sidewalk where the car was parked.
“Once the vehicle came to a complete stop, the front right side of the vehicle was completely on the sidewalk,” Officer Gilman said.
Officer Gilman then notified dispatch of his location and approached the passenger side of the vehicle where he was met with the driver, later identified as Alison Restuccia, a 28-year-old resident of Highland Street in Clinton.
Officer Gilman said the scent of alcohol was coming from the vehicle while he asked the woman for her driver’s license. He added that Restuccia’s eyes were bloodshot and her speech, slurred.
“I asked Mrs. Restuccia where she was coming from, to which she stated, ‘Maynard,’ where she was out having a couple of drinks with her co-workers. I asked Mrs. Restuccia what she had to drink. She stated she had a ‘martini, along with a couple of drinks of prosecco,’” Officer Gilman explained. “I then took notice of a marijuana pen located on the driver’s side door of the vehicle. I asked Mrs. Restuccia if she smoked any marijuana tonight, and she stated, ‘I did hit it a couple of times on my way back home.’ During this conversation, it was very difficult to understand her as she slurred her speech and spoke with a thick tongue.”
At this time, Sergeant Joseph Lefebvre arrived on scene to assist.
“At this point, I asked Mrs. Restuccia to step out of the vehicle to conduct Field Sobriety Testing to ensure she was safe to drive, to which she agreed. As Mrs. Restuccia stepped out of her vehicle, I once again could detect a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from her person. She was also slow and deliberate with her movements, swaying as we walked to the rear of her vehicle.”
Officer Gilman had Restuccia step off the roadway into a large, well-lit driveway of a condo complex, so he could conduct the field sobriety tests.
“I then instructed Mrs. Restuccia to stand with her feet together and hands by her side during the instructional phase,” Officer Gilman said. “The first field sobriety test I conducted was the ‘Alphabet Test.’ I asked her how far she went in school. She stated she went to college and graduated with a liberal arts degree. It should be noted that before the test even started, she started crying and kept stating she had dyslexia.”
After asking Restuccia if she felt comfortable reciting the English alphabet from “A” to “Z,” without signing or rhyming it, Officer Gilman asked her to start the test.
“She proceeded to state the alphabet from start to finish. During the test, she was slurring her speech along with having a thick tongue, making it once again difficult to understand her,” Officer Gilman said. “It should also be noted that during the test, I was standing in close proximity to Mrs. Restuccia, and I could smell an overwhelming odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from her person. She was also very unsteady on her feet, swaying side to side during the whole test.”
The second field sobriety test Officer Gilman asked Restuccia to perform was the “Nine Step Walk and Turn.” This test requires the subject to count out loud as they take nine heel-to-toe steps along a straight line (like a visible line on a road), then turn on one foot and return in the opposite direction.
“It should be noted that Mrs. Restuccia was wearing flat Ugg boots,” Officer Gilman said. “I also asked Mrs. Restuccia if she had any injuries that would prevent her from doing this test. Mrs. Restuccia stated she has had four knee surgeries done on both knees. I proceeded to ask her what she does for work. She stated that she is a bartender and is on her feet all day. She then stated that she would do the test.”
According to Officer Gilman, Restuccia started the test before he told her to, then swayed unsteadily during her first nine steps, having to keep her arms in a position like an airplane to maintain her balance.
“When Mrs. Restuccia started to do her nine steps back, she counted out loud three steps then proceeded to walk backwards three steps and then restarted the nine steps back,” Officer Gilman said. “Mrs. Restuccia continued to do this four more times before she was able to walk five steps back, stating she was done.”
During the test, Officer Gilman said Restuccia stopped multiple times to cry, at one point saying that she “f$ck*d up” and that “it’s always the stop signs that get you.”
The next test Officer Gilman asked Restuccia to perform was the ‘One-Leg stand.’ This test involves lifting one leg about six inches off the ground, then holding the foot in a position parallel to the ground, while keeping ones arms their sides.
After explaining the starting position, Officer Gilman asked Restuccia to count out loud as she performed the test.
“I advised her she could start the test. Mrs. Restuccia proceeded to pick up her right foot, fist counting out loud for a maximum of five seconds, only rising slightly off the ground,” Officer Gilman said. “She then put her right foot down and proceeded to try the test using her left foot, counting out loud to six, then once again putting her foot down. After putting her left foot down, she once again started crying, stating she could not perform the test and that she was done. It should be noted during this test, she was very unsteady on her feet. She once again placed her arms in the position of an airplane to help maintain her balance. Based on my observations throughout the tests, I formed the opinion that Mrs. Restuccia did operate a motor vehicle under the influence of intoxicating liquor, and her ability to operate a motor vehicle safely was impaired.”
Officer Gilman placed Restuccia under arrest and transported her to the Clinton Police Department for booking.
At the station, Restuccia agreed to a breathalyzer test, getting 0.142% blood alcohol content (BAC) on test one and 0.15% BAC on test two.
“Mrs. Restuccia was informed and issued her notice of license suspension form, and a copy was placed with his property. I then seized her license for destruction,” Officer Gilman explained.
Restuccia was charged with:
- Stop sign violation
- Operating a motor vehicle under the influence of intoxicating liquor
- Operating motor vehicle negligent to endanger
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from February, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to get the court documents for the incident. FOIAs are time consuming.
