Rep. John Lawn, the Watertown Democrat who chairs the influential Committee on Health Care Financing, was arrested for operating under the influence near the State House early Wednesday morning and will be arraigned Thursday morning, Boston police and court officials said.
Lawn was arrested at about 1:45 a.m. Wednesday by the Boston Police Department, with assistance from the Mass. State Police, on two misdemeanor charges: OUI and leaving a scene where there was property damage, BPD said. The arrest occurred after Lawn allegedly hit a parked car on Hancock Street, which runs alongside the State House, while driving a GMC Yukon and proceeded to run several stop signs. Another driver who saw the crash followed Lawn as he circled the State House and flagged down an officer when Lawn parked on Bowdoin Street, which runs along the opposite side of the State House.
The responding officer “observed extreme damage to the passenger side front wheel ... turned to an extreme degree not consistent with normal vehicle operations,” according to the arrest report. When the officer requested Lawn’s license and registration, he “detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from” Lawn and “further observed that the suspect’s eyes were glassy and bloodshot, and his speech was slurred.”
When Lawn was ordered out of his vehicle, police say he “had difficulty maintaining his balance” and dropped his license and a credit card on the ground while trying to present his ID to an officer. Pieces of Lawn’s bumper were found in the area of 67 Hancock St., where police also found a damaged white Toyota Tundra parked.
More than an entire page of the police report was redacted before BPD provided it to the News Service, and the narrative skips ahead to Lawn being placed under arrest and booked at the Nashua Street Jail.
WCVB, which was first to report on Lawn’s arrest, said Lawn told responding officers that he was a state representative, had been coming from an event at the State House when he was arrested, and said he wanted to take an Uber home rather than take a breathalyzer test. The outlet also reported that, when an officer asked Lawn if he was aware of the damage to his car, the representative responded, “What damage?”
Lawn is scheduled to be arraigned in Courtroom 17 of Boston Municipal Court after 9 a.m. Wednesday, according to the court clerk’s office.
“I deeply regret and take full responsibility for my actions. What happened was completely unacceptable. I make no excuses. I am committed to taking the necessary steps to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again,” Lawn said in a statement issued through a lawyer Wednesday afternoon. “To my family, friends, and constituents, I have let you down, and for that I am deeply sorry.”
Lawn has represented parts of Watertown, Waltham and Newton in the House since 2011.
Lawn was not visible in the House Chamber when the branch assembled for a formal session Wednesday and he did not indicate his presence during a quorum roll call vote or other votes that followed.
“I haven’t heard anything about that. Obviously, you know, there’s no tolerance for driving under the influence,” Gov. Maura Healey said at an event Wednesday when asked about the arrest.
House Speaker Ronald Mariano, who in 2021 tapped Lawn to lead the significant work of the Health Care Financing Committee, said he was “very disappointed to learn of” Lawn’s arrest.
“Driving under the influence is an incredibly dangerous and often deadly mistake, and I am relieved that no one was injured in this particular instance,” the speaker said. “Representative Lawn has told me that he takes full responsibility for this egregious lapse in judgment, and that he will work to ensure that something like this does not happen again.”
The Mass. Republican Party and the conservative Mass. Fiscal Alliance pounced Wednesday on the news of a top Democrat’s arrest.
“Wednesday’s arrest is another example of Beacon Hill Democrats using their titles to try and avoid punishment. By declaring himself a lawmaker at the time of his arrest, it’s clear Rep. Lawn sought to escape the consequences of his actions,” MassGOP spokesman Mark Steffen said. “He should resign and offer the residents of Watertown the chance to elect a new representative who doesn’t ask officers to look the other way when he allegedly breaks the law.”
Paul Craney, executive director of Mass. Fiscal, said Lawn’s arrest after what he reportedly said was a work event highlights the need for the audit of the Legislature that Auditor Diana DiZoglio is pursuing.
“The fact that a sitting lawmaker was leaving a State House event at nearly 2:00 a.m. before being arrested for drunk driving and fleeing the scene of an accident raises serious questions about what exactly is going on behind those closed doors,” Mass. Fiscal Executive Director Paul Craney said. “The public deserves to know what kind of event was taking place, who was involved, and what the legislature is doing to hold itself accountable.”
The State House is no stranger to drunken driving charges and cases. In 2022, Rep. David LeBoeuf of Worcester was arrested in Quincy for driving under the influence of alcohol less than two hours after House lawmakers wrapped up a day of state budget debate.
Before LeBoeuf, the last state lawmaker to be arrested for driving under the influence was Sen. Michael Brady, a Brockton Democrat who was arrested in Weymouth in March 2018 while on his way home from a “work event” in Boston.
While Lawn was absent from Wednesday’s session, Rep. Christopher Flanagan of Dennis was present. Flanagan was arrested and charged in April with six counts of federal fraud, and has pleaded not guilty.
