Chatham Man Charged With DUI, Leaving Scene

ORLEANS – A West Chatham man is being charged in connection with an incident in which he allegedly injured an on-duty police officer working a traffic detail and left the scene. 

Stephen A. Hart, 75, was arraigned in May in Orleans District Court on charges of operating under the influence of liquor, leaving the scene of personal injury and possession of an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle. A pretrial conference on Oct. 3 was continued to next month.

According to a police report of the May 7 incident filed by Orleans Police Officer Benjamin Dedinas, a reserve officer working a traffic detail on West Road reported being struck by “an older model white Dodge pickup truck” at approximately 4:15 p.m. The officer reported that the truck turned onto Old Colony Way from West Road.

Police located a 2007 white Dodge Ram pickup matching the vehicle’s description backed into a parking space at 24 Old Colony Way, the report said. 

The driver, later identified as Hart, had “an odor of an alcoholic beverage” as Dedinas approached his driver side window, and had “glassy eyes” and was “slurring his words,” according to the report. Dedinas also noticed a “large bottle of wine” that appeared to be unopened in the vehicle’s center console. 

Hart allegedly told police that he was heading home after having had lunch at the Homeport Restaurant on Main Street. He told police that he lived at 34 Old Colony Way, which the officer said he believed to be an invalid address.

Hart said that he noticed an officer and road cones placed in the roadway on West Road, but said he was unaware that he had struck the officer working the detail, according to the report. He initially told police that he had not had anything to drink, but upon further questioning said he had “a little bit” to drink at the restaurant.

Police conducted field sobriety testing, and a breath test showed Hart’s blood alcohol content to be just over .15 percent, almost twice the legal limit, according to the report. 

While retrieving Hart’s wallet and cell phone from his vehicle, police found a “lowball style glass” of wine in the center console.

“Given my observations, it is my opinion that Stephen Hart was intoxicated,” Dedinas said in the report..

Hart was placed under arrest and his bail was set at $40. He was released shortly afterward, according to the report.

In a separate report, the reserve officer said he was working a detail in the vicinity of 24 West Rd. when Hart’s vehicle struck one of the cones in the roadway, and the vehicle’s passenger side mirror struck him in the right hand. The officer was taken to Cape Cod Hospital for observation for a “jammed thumb” and bruising that required him to leave with a hand splint, he said in the report.

Orleans Police Chief Scott MacDonald said that significant safety planning goes into coordinating traffic details in town, especially those related to larger projects such as sewering. But the potential for danger still exists for both police and motorists alike.

“Driver inattention is probably the biggest risk to the officer, to the construction workers and to the operator themselves,” he said. “So it’s just critically important that they’re paying attention to the signage, to the officer that’s directing traffic and to really focus on what’s happening around them. Because it can be very confusing.”

Hart is due to reappear in Orleans District Court on Nov. 7.