Before State Police Sgt. Scott Quigley crashed head-on into a wheelchair van in 2023 — while on duty and allegedly intoxicated — he’d been involved in seven other cruiser crashes.
According to a Mass State Police cruiser crash driver history obtained by the Herald, he was only “at fault” for one of the crashes, but the agency has denied a public records request asking for reports that detail each incident.
“The Department has located records that are responsive to each of your requests,” MSP wrote in a response. “However, the Department has been informed by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office that the requested records are relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation. As the release of the requested records may prejudice the ongoing criminal investigation, the Department denies your request.”
The Herald is appealing the decision.
The Middlesex DA, where Quigley was embedded as a homicide investigator, referred the 2023 Woburn crash to Suffolk County after they learned that the sergeant allegedly had a blood alcohol level of .11. The legal limit is .08.
The allegation had initially come to light in a wrongful death suit filed by the family of Angelo Schettino, a 37-year-old Special Olympian who was injured in the crash and died in the hospital a month later.
The cruiser crash driver history does not list whether or not Quigley was at fault for the December 2023 crash.
A cruiser crash review form that appears to have been filled out by a State Police major and lieutenant notes that he was “partially at fault.” It also shows a check for “alternative action” in the recommendations section of the form, the other options being “none,” “verbal counseling,” and “remedial driver training.”
At the time, Quigley was given a marked lanes violation, according to a police report. He was suspended from duty earlier this year when the drunk driving accusations came up in court.
The seven other crashes he was involved in occurred between 2012 and 2020. Three of the previous incidents happened in Woburn in 2012 (the one marked, “at fault”), 2013, and 2018. The report also shows crashes in Peabody, Everett, Revere, and New Bedford.
Quigley’s lawyer Christina Ronan argued that the fact that her client was involved in those crashes “and was found at fault for only one crash just illustrates the dangers faced by state troopers every time they put on a uniform and go on duty,” she wrote in a statement to the Herald. “Sgt. Quigley worked for several years on the road as a member of the Community Action Team, a proactive unit that patrols high crime areas.”
“We continue to ask that the public allow the investigation to proceed fairly and without speculation,” she added.
In addition to the Suffolk County investigation, the State Police hired an outside firm to perform an independent review of their handling of the crash. The Herald reported previously that a lieutenant had urged the sergeant investigating Quigley’s crash not to visit him in the hospital the night it happened.
Sgt. Jennifer Penton agreed and interviewed Quigley eight days later. Penton is currently suspended for a separate incident. She faces a manslaughter charge for her alleged involvement in the death of a trooper trainee in 2024.
The Middlesex DA has also initiated an independent review into their handling of the crash. District Attorney Marian Ryan has maintained that the office didn’t know about the drunk driving allegations until the end of January. But her office disclosed last week that an employee (not a police officer or lawyer) knew about the accusation over a year ago.
This revelation paused a case the office was trying in Lowell against Billoeum, Billy, and Channa Phan. The brothers are accused of killing Tyrone Phet in 2020. Their trial was delayed last month and then again earlier this week while their defense attorneys get the opportunity to look into the allegation against Quigley, who investigated their case.
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