ACTON — A retired police official is facing charges, and an Acton Police Department supervisor has been placed on paid administrative leave after questions arose about how an early morning suspected OUI stop was handled, according to a press release issued by John Guilfoil Public Relations on behalf of the Acton Police Department.
On Saturday, May 3, 2025, at approximately 12:41 a.m., an Acton police officer and a trainee checked a liquor store parking lot on Main Street and found a 2024 Toyota Highlander idling. The vehicle’s owner, who was seated in the driver’s seat, got out as the officers approached. Officers reported smelling alcohol on his breath and saw an open can of Twisted Tea in a cup holder. The Highlander had a severely flat front passenger tire, but no other visible damage.
The officers called a supervisor to the scene. That supervisor transported the man—identified only as a 64-year-old Acton resident and retired police official from another local department—to his home instead of conducting field sobriety tests or placing him under arrest. The man’s 55-year-old female passenger was driven home by the other officer at the supervisor’s instruction.
After a review by Acton Police Chief James Cogan and Lieutenant Ed Lawton, the department decided to file charges against the retired police official. He will be summonsed to Concord District Court for operating under the influence and possession of an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle. As the charges have not yet been formally issued via criminal complaint, the suspect’s name has not been released.
Chief Cogan confirmed that the responding supervisor has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal affairs investigation. Chief Cogan said he has notified Town Manager John Mangiaratti and consulted with Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan’s Office for guidance.
“The Acton Police Department is a modern, state-accredited police department, and the laws we swear to apply to our residents apply equally to current and former members of law enforcement agencies,” Chief Cogan said. “Our public rightly demands that we enforce the law evenly, and we will conduct a full and thorough review of the handling of the situation that unfolded early Saturday morning.”
