John Lawn, Watertown state lawmaker, pleads not guilty to drunken driving charge
Lawn told responding officers that 'I am a state rep,' and that he was coming from an event at the State House when he was arrested, according to
According to a heavily redacted report Boston Police released Wednesday, officers found Lawn sitting in his heavily damaged GMC Yukon near the corner of Beacon and Bowdoin streets after a bystander flagged down officers.
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The bystander told police that he saw Lawn's SUV strike another vehicle on nearby Hancock Street, and drive away. He said he followed Lawn's vehicle, which ran a pair of stop signs before stopping at a red light near Beacon Street, according to the report.
The bystander told police he got out of his car and tried to speak with Lawn, but that Lawn drove off when the light turned green. Lawn later stopped on Bowdoin Street, where police said his SUV had 'extreme damage to the passenger side front wheel.' Police said they also found pieces of his SUV's passenger side bumper on Hancock Street.
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Police said Lawn's eyes were glassy and bloodshot, and his speech was slurred, according to the report.
'You know what I'd rather do, I want to take an Uber and go home,' he told police when asked to take a breathalyzer, according to WCVB.
In a statement Wednesday, Lawn called the incident 'completely unacceptable,' said he 'deeply regret[s] and take[s] full responsibility' for his actions.
'I make no excuses,' he said. 'I am committed to taking the necessary steps to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again. To my family, friends, and constituents, I have let you down, and for that I am deeply sorry.'
Lawn has represented parts of Newton, Waltham, and Watertown since 2011, and has served as chair of the Legislature's powerful health care financing committee since 2021.
Matt Stout can be reached at
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