Auburn man charged with OUI after striking utility pole in Dudley, drone search for possible passengers

DUDLEY — On Saturday, April 11, 2026, at approximately 10:11 p.m., Dudley Police Officers Byron Lara and Luis Pacheco were dispatched to the area of 148 Southbridge Road after a witness reported that she was traveling behind a red pickup truck that was driving “all over the road” before striking a utility pole and attempting to leave the scene.

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

“While officers were en route, [the witness] updated dispatch that the vehicle had come to rest on the front lawn of 144 Southbridge Road,” Officer Lara said. “Officer Pacheco arrived on scene first and advised dispatch that the vehicle had left the roadway and come to rest in a ditch to the right of the residence.”

When Officer Lara arrived on scene, he said he observed a red pickup truck with Massachusetts plates off the roadway in a ditch.

“The vehicle displayed significant damage, and pieces of fencing were lodged in the front bumper and tires,” Officer Lara said. “The operator, later identified as Alexander Sclamo, was seated in the driver’s seat with the door partially open.”

According to police, Alexander A. Sclamo, 21, is a resident of Auburn, MA.

“The vehicle was still in drive, with the keys in the ignition in the ‘on’ position, and Sclamo’s foot was on the brake,” Officer Lara said. “Officer Pacheco approached the vehicle and assisted in removing Sclamo.”

Officer Lara said Sclamo was temporarily detained pending further investigation.

“While escorting him to the driveway of 144 Southbridge Road, I observed damage to the fence on the front and right side of the property, as well as tire marks across the lawn,” Officer Lara said. “The debris on the ground was consistent with the fencing material lodged in the vehicle. Once in the driveway, Sclamo was uncuffed and asked if he had any injuries or required medical attention; he declined.”

Officer Lara said he then informed Sclamo that he would be conducting a field sobriety investigation.

“During this interaction, I observed that Sclamo had watery, bloodshot eyes, a sluggish and drowsy facial expression, and thick-tongued, slurred speech,” Officer Lara said. “I detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath. He was extremely unsteady on his feet and unable to maintain balance without using his arms. Based on my training and experience, these are consistent indicators of alcohol impairment.”

Officer Lara said he explained and demonstrated all standardized field sobriety tests and instructed Sclamo not to begin until directed.

“He stated he had no medical conditions or injuries that would prevent him from completing the tests and was comfortable perfoming them in his footwear (dark brown slip-on boots),” Officer Lara said.

The first field sobriety test Officer Lara administered was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test.

According to findlaw.com, the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test is a field sobriety test where an officer has an individual follow an object (such as a pen tip or pen light) with his/her eyes. The HGN test checks for the involuntary jerking of one’s eyes as they gaze side to side. This involuntary jerkiness is said to increase while under the influence of alcohol.

“Sclamo was instructed to stand with his feet together and his arms at his sides. I asked Sclamo if he had any vision impairments or wore contact lenses, to which he responded that he did not,” Officer Lara said. “I positioned my finger approximately fifteen inches from Sclamo’s nose at eye level and instructed him to follow the tip of my finger using only his eyes while keeping his head still.”

“During the administration of the test, I detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from Sclamo’s breath,” Officer Lara noted. “Sclamo swayed side to side, repeatedly removed his feet from the instructed position, and moved his head to follow the stimulus despite being instructed to keep his head still.”

The second test Officer Lara had Sclamo perform was the walk and turn test.

The walk-and-turn test requires the individual to walk heel-to-toe in a straight line with their hands at their sides for about nine steps (counted out loud), then turn around and return to the starting point the same way.

“Sclamo was instructed to stand with his right foot placed in front of his left, heel-to-toe, and to keep his arms at his sides. He was further instructed to maintain this position while I explained and demonstrated the test,” Officer Lara said. “Sclamo was unable to maintain the instructional position, losing his balance and stepping out of position multiple times. He raised his arms for balance on several occasions and was ultimately unable to remain in the heel-to-toe stance. I continued to provide instructions and demonstrated the test without issue while Sclamo attempted to maintain the position.”

Officer Lara said Sclamo was instructed to take nine heel-to-toe steps in a straight line, keep his arms at his sides, count each step aloud, perform a series of small steps to turn 180 degrees, and return in the same manner.

“During the instructional phase, Sclamo attempted to begin the test multiple times without being directed to do so,” Officer Lara said. “I advised him to wait until instructed and to perform the test exactly as demonstrated without stopping. Sclamo acknowledged that he understood and then began the test.”

“Following the completion of the test, Sclamo asked why he was being detained, stating that his truck was in the driveway and pointing to a blue pickup truck belonging to the resident of 144 Southbridge Road,” Officer Lara said. “I advised Sclamo that the vehicle he indicated was not his and informed him that additional tests remained to be completed. Sclamo responded, ‘Okay, officer, whatever you need to do.’”

The third test Officer Lara asked Sclamo to perform was the one leg stand. This test involves lifting one leg about six inches from the ground, while holding the foot in a position parallel to the ground, with arms kept at the sides.

“Sclamo was instructed to stand with his feet together and his arms at his sides,” Officer Lara said. “I instructed him to raise the leg of his choice approximately six inches off the ground, keep both legs straight, keep his arms at his sides, and count aloud in ‘one-thousand’ increments until instructed to stop. I advised Sclamo that the test would last approximately 30 seconds.”

Officer Lara said he demonstrated the test without issue and then instructed Sclamo to begin.

“Sclamo raised his right foot and immediately lost his balance, removing his arms from his sides,” Officer Lara said. “He then raised his right foot again and began counting.”

Officer Lara said that while Sclamo counted to onethousandfour, he took a series of small hops on his left leg while attempting to keep his balance, he also lowered his right foot and touched the ground twice.

The fourth test Officer Lara asked Sclamo to perform was the preliminary breath test (PBT), which Sclamo refused to take.

“Based on the totality of circumstances-including his operation of the vehicle, physical condition, strong odor of alcohol, and performance on field sobriety tests-I formed the opinion that Sclamo was operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated,” Officer Lara said. “He was placed under arrest for OUI Liquor, handcuffed, searched, and secured in the rear of cruiser #508. He remained polite and cooperative throughout.”

Officer Lara said that while Sclamo was in the prisoner compartment, he stated that there had been a female, or possibly two males, in the vehicle with him while he was operating it.

“Sclamo appeared hesitant and stated that he did not want to get into any additional trouble,” Officer Lara said. “I advised Sclamo that our concern was for the safety and well-being of any potential occupants and that we needed to determine whether anyone may have been injured or ejected from the vehicle. Sclamo stated that he was unsure. At that time, I advised Officer Pacheco of the information provided by Sclamo, and we requested that dispatch contact department drone personnel to conduct an aerial search of the surrounding area.”

Shortly thereafter, Sergeant Dean Poplowski and Officer John Glowacki arrived on scene with a department-issued drone. Sergeant Keith Remillard also responded to the scene to photograph and document the crash.

“Sergeant Poplowski, Sergeant Remillard, Officer Pacheco, and Officer Glowacki remained on scene while I transported Sclamo to the Dudley Police Department,” Officer Lara said.

During booking, Officer Lara said Sclamo consented to a breathalyzer test and provided two breath samples following the required 15-minute observation period.

“The results indicated a blood alcohol concentration (BАC) of 0.16%,” Officer Lara said, adding that Sclamo was subsequently issued a notice of suspension.

“At approximately 11:44 a.m., all officers that remained on scene cleared, and it was confirmed that no other occupants were in the vehicle at the time of the accident,” Officer Lara said. “During the tow inventory, multiple bottles of Coors Light beer were located in a backpack, which was located in the back seat of the vehicle, along with additional empty beer cans in the bed of the vehicle. The vehicle was removed from the scene by Precision Auto Rebuilders.”

Sclamo’s bail was set at personal recognizance.

“At approximately 1:00 a.m., Sclamo was released to the custody of his mother,” Officer Lara said.

Sclamo was arraigned in Dudley District Court on April 13, 2026. His next court date is a pretrial hearing scheduled for June 1, 2026.

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Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in April, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.

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