Charges dropped for Brazilian national in Shirley after fourth unlicensed driving arrest

SHIRLEY — On Thursday, March 7, 2024, around 9:00 p.m., Officer David Hammack of the Shirley Police Department, while monitoring traffic from his cruiser parked at Dee Bus Service on 33 Great Road, noticed a red Honda Civic with a non-functional left headlight driving northwest on Great Road.

(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Hammack and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)

“Another vehicle was behind the Civic, so I pulled behind the second vehicle,” Officer Hammack said. “As the Civic approached Lawton Road, I observed it turn right onto Lawton Road, while the vehicle in front of me continued straight. I made the right turn and immediately activated my emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop.”

When Officer Hammack approached the vehicle, he observed one male – later identified as Gideoni De Oliveira Moutinho – in the driver’s seat and no passengers.

Gideoni De Oliveira Moutinho, 31, is a resident of 42 Lawton Road in Shirley. According to police, Moutinho’s single, he doesn’t have an “available” social security number, and he was born in Brazil.

“The operator’s window would not roll down, so I had him open the door to talk,” Officer Hammack said. “I introduced myself and explained the reason for the stop. I then asked Moutinho for his driver’s license and registration. He told me he did not speak English, but would get someone on the phone. He then called his friend to translate. Through the translator, Moutinho said he did not have a Massachusetts driver’s license, but was attempting to get one. When I asked Moutinho who owned the vehicle, he told me his friend. Moutinho then provided me with his Passport from Brazil, which I used to confirm his identity.”

Officer Hammack returned to his cruiser to request backup. Shortly after, Sergeant Brandon Bruin and Officers David Morrow and Auria Rojas arrived at the scene. Officer Rojas, fluent in Spanish, translated the discussions. Officer Hammack also requested a background check on Moutinho from dispatch, who revealed that Moutinho was unlicensed in Massachusetts and had three prior unlicensed operation charges dated Nov. 18, 2022, Jan. 21, 2023, and a pending case from Jan. 4, 2024.

“Due to the repetitive violations, I decided to arrest Moutinho for the criminal offense,” Officer Hammack stated. “I asked Moutinho to step out of the vehicle and I escorted him to the front of my cruiser. Officer Rojas explained to him that he was being arrested for operating without a driver’s license.”

Moutinho was handcuffed, searched, and transported to the Shirley Police Station for booking.

Moutinho’s bail was set at $200.

Moutinho was charged with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and motor vehicle lights violation (for the nonfunctioning headlight).

Moutinho was arraigned in Ayer District Court on March 8, 2024.

During his arraignment, Judge Tejal Mehta dismissed the charge of unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle against Moutinho at the request of the Commonwealth. He was also found not responsible for the lights violation.

At the time of his arraignment, it was written on his criminal docket that Moutinho “may get bail money back.”

Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from March, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to get the court documents for the incident. FOIAs are time consuming.

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