TEMPLETON — On Friday, March 13, 2026, at approximately 11:19 p.m., Templeton Dispatch received multiple 911 calls reporting a possible two-car crash at the rotary in East Templeton.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Erin Smith and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“Mutual aid was requested prior to arrival,” Templeton Police Officer Erin Smith said.
The officers who responded to the scene included Phillipston Police Officer Daniel Caputi, Gardner Police Officer Josh Willis, and several Massachusetts State Police troopers.
“At approximately 11:23 p.m., I arrived on scene and observed a single motor vehicle resting in the middle of the rotary on the median with air bag deployment,” Officer Smith said. She identified the vehicle as a black Chevrolet Cobalt with Massachusetts plates.
“I first made contact with a witness that advised that the accident was only a single-vehicle collision,” Officer Smith said. Officer Smith asked the witness who was operating the vehicle, and he said he did not know.
Officer Smith said she observed a passenger in the right front passenger seat of the vehicle.
“I opened the passenger door and observed the passenger had blood on her lips and teeth,” Officer Smith said. “I advised the ambulance was en route to the scene.”
Officer Smith said the passenger, Caitlyn, said her boyfriend was the operator of the vehicle.
“Caitlyn stated that they had been traveling home and they were drinking at the Otter River Hotel in Baldwinville, MA,” Officer Smith said. “Caitlyn stated that her and her boyfriend had a few drinks at the bar. I asked Caitlyn to stay seated in the vehicle until the ambulance arrived.”
At around this time, Officer Smith spoke with a witness named Evan.
“Evan stated he was coming down the hill on North Main Street and saw the single vehicle slam on the brakes and then hit the curb,” Officer Smith said. “He advised that this was a single-vehicle accident and no other vehicles were involved in the collision. Evan stated he had no idea where the operator went and could not provide a general direction of travel.”
Officer Smith said another witness, Joshua, who lived near the crash scene, approached her. Joshua told Officer Smith the driver got out of the vehicle, removed alcohol containers, and fled the scene before police arrived.
Officer Smith said Caitlyn got out of the vehicle at approximately 11:29 p.m. to speak with her and said her boyfriend, who had been driving, was wearing a brown jacket.
Caitlyn then asked Officer Smith if her boyfriend was still on scene.
“I informed her that he had left the scene and we had been unable to locate him,” Officer Smith said. Adding, “Caitlyn identified the operator at this time as Craig Robbins.”
According to police, Craig M. Robbins Jr., 24, is a resident of Gardner, MA.
“Caitlyn stated that ‘she did not know why he would run away,’ as he had ‘literally the legal amount of alcohol,’” Officer Smith said. “Caitlyn stated that ‘he might not one hundred percent pass a sobriety test.’ Caitlyn was treated by the Templeton Fire Department at approximately 11:31 p.m.”
At about 11:39 p.m., Officer Josh Willis of the Gardner Police Department and his K9 arrived on scene to attempt to locate Robbins. Then, at about 11:45 p.m., Officer Smith said police found a man standing in the middle of the roadway at 93 Gardner Road.
“The male party was identified as Craig Robbins Jr. and taken into custody at approximately 11:46 p.m.,” Officer Smith said. “Craig was transported by Officer Daniel Caputi back to the scene to be evaluated by the Templeton Fire Department for any injuries sustained in the crash. Officer Caputi advised when speaking with Craig he stated that he was the operator of the vehicle and he had been drinking this evening.”
Officer Smith said the Templeton Fire Department arrived on scene at approximately 11:59 p.m.
“While speaking with Craig at the cruiser I could smell an odor of alcoholic beverage coming from his breath as he talked. Craig’s eyes appeared bloodshot and glassy,” Officer Smith said. Adding, “While Craig was sitting in the cruiser, he complained that the handcuffs were hurting his arms. I adjusted the handcuffs and verified they were double locked.”
After he was evaluated by the Templeton Fire Department, Officer Smith said Robbins was transported to the Templeton Police Department by Officer Caputi.
“Upon arrival at the station at approximately 12:14 a.m., Craig was escorted to the booking room,” Officer Smith said. “Craig was unsteady on his feet.”
During the booking process, Officer Smith said that Robbins was Mirandized and responded stating that he did not wish to answer any questions without a lawyer present and a suicide check was performed.
“While in booking, Craig was asked if he would participate in field sobriety tests. Craig answered no,” Officer Smith said.
Officer Caleb Matson read Robbins his statutory rights and the consent form for the evidentiary breath sample.
“Craig refused to provide an evidentiary sample of breath after being read his statutory rights,” Officer Smith said. “Officer Matson processed the refusal on the breath test machine and it generated a completion record and notice of suspension. A copy of the suspension was provided to Craig.”
Officer Smith said following the test refusal, Robbins was finger printed and allowed to make phone calls.
Robbins’ bail was set at personal recognizance.
Officer Smith contacted the bail clerk, who set Craig’s bail at personal recognizance and stated that he would need a sober ride home.
“After informing Craig of his bail requirements, he contacted his father…to pick him up,” Officer Smith said. Robbins was picked up by his father at the station at around 2:00 a.m.
Craig M. Robbins Jr., 24, of Gardner, was charged with the following violations/offenses:
- OUI Liquor or .08%
- Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle
- Leave Scene of Property Damage
- Marked Lanes Violation
Robbins was arraigned in Gardner District Court on March 16, 2026. Following his arraignment, he was released on personal recognizance. On March 6, 2026, Robbins attended a pretrial hearing, during which he admitted to sufficient facts on the OUI-liquor charge and the charge’s disposition was listed on the docket as continued without a finding until May 3, 2027. Robbins was ordered to pay a $250 head injury assessment, a $50 OUI victim assessment, and his license was also suspended for 45-days.
During the same hearing, the leave scene of property damage and negligent operation of motor vehicle charges were dismissed at the request of the Commonwealth and the defendant, and Robbins was found not responsible for the marked lanes violation.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in March, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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