CLINTON — On Thursday, April 16, 2026, at approximately 12:09 a.m., Clinton Police Officer Brendan Rutherford was on patrol on south Boylston Street (Route 70) when he observed a yellow Toyota Camry with Massachusetts plates heading north in the southbound lane.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Brendan Rutherford and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“The vehicle came within approximately two feet of my cruiser, forcing me to steer into the northbound lane in order to avoid a collision,” Officer Rutherford said. “The vehicle appeared to be traveling at approximately 20 mph.”
At this time, Officer Rutherford activated the blue emergency lights on top of his cruiser and conducted a motor vehicle stop at the intersection of Boylston and Oak streets.
Officer Rutherford said that when he approached the vehicle, he observed the driver, later identified as 36-year-old Valentine Ramirez-Cardona.
“Mr. Ramirez-Cardona did not make eye contact with me and stared straight ahead with a blank expression,” Officer Rutherford said. “I instructed Mr. Ramirez-Cardona to roll down his window.”
At around this time, Officer John McNamara arrived on scene to assist.
“I asked Mr. Ramirez-Cardona why he was driving on the wrong side of the roadway, and he responded, ‘I’m Okay,’” Officer Rutherford said. “As I spoke with Mr. Ramirez-Cardona, I detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath. I also observed that his eyes were glassy and bloodshot. At this time, I began instructing Mr. Ramirez-Cardona to exit the vehicle. As I did so, the vehicle began to roll forward due to Mr. Ramirez-Cardona failing to place the vehicle in park.”
Officer Rutherford said he instructed Ramirez-Cardona to put the vehicle in park and step out of the vehicle.
“Once out of the vehicle, I positioned Mr. Ramirez-Cardona in front of his vehicle,” Officer Rutherford said. “I again asked Mr. Ramirez-Cardona if he realized he was traveling in the wrong lane. He replied, ‘I know, I’m sorry,’ but did not provide an explanation. I also asked Mr. Ramirez-Cardona how many alcoholic beverages he had consumed that evening, to which he replied ‘two.’ Mr. Ramirez-Cardona’s speech was slurred, and he spoke with a thick tongue. It should be noted that there was a slight language barrier between myself and Mr. Ramirez-Cardona; however, he was able to understand and speak English.”
At this time, Officers Adam Prentiss and Michael Frick arrived on scene.
Officer Rutherford asked Ramirez-Cardona if he would complete a series of standardized field sobriety tests and he said he would.
The first test Officer Rutherford asked Ramirez-Cardona 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.
“I instructed Mr. Ramirez-Cardona to stand with his feet together and his hands down at his sides while I explained the test, to which he complied,” Officer Rutherford said. “When I advised Mr. Ramirez-Cardona to begin the test, he instead began taking 19 heel-to-toe steps down the white fog line on Boylston Street. Mr. Ramirez-Cardona was unsteady on his feet and stumbled off the white line several times. It should be noted that the Nine Step Walk and Turn test was never discussed or instructed at any time during the traffic stop.”
Officer Rutherford said that, due to the speed of passing motorists on Boylston Street and Ramirez-Cardona’s condition, he determined it was unsafe to continue administering additional field sobriety tests.
“Based on my observation of Mr. Ramirez-Cardona operating his motor vehicle in the wrong travel lane, his statements, the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath, his slurred speech, and his performance on the field sobriety tests, I formed the opinion that Mr. Ramirez-Cardona was operating a motor vehicle under the influence of an intoxicating liquor,” Officer Rutherford said.
Ramirez-Cardona was handcuffed and escorted to the rear of Officer McNamara’s cruiser.
“Officer McNamara read Mr. Ramirez-Cardona his Miranda warnings, during which time Mr. Ramirez-Cardona repeatedly interrupted and yelled,” Officer Rutherford said. Adding, “An inventory of Mr. Ramirez-Cardona’s vehicle was performed by Officer Prentiss prior to being towed from the scene by Guaranty Auto.”
Ramirez-Cardona was transported to the Clinton Police Department for booking.
During the booking process, Officer Rutherford said Ramirez-Cardona was again read his Miranda warnings in Spanish, which he acknowledged and signed.
Ramirez-Cardona refused to take a breathalyzer test.
Valentine Ramirez-Cardona, 36, was charged with the following:
- Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle
- Operating Under the Influence of Liquor, 2nd Offense
- Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle
- Marked Lanes Violation
Ramirez-Cardona’s bail was set at $200 cash and he was released at approximately 2:25 a.m.
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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