Independent review into Mass. trooper's deadly drunken driving crash released

An independent investigation commissioned by Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan's office alleges a Massachusetts State Police sergeant may have known about a fellow trooper's wrongdoing in a deadly crash and tried to hide it.Ryan's office commissioned the investigation in 2026 amid allegations that surfaced against Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Scott Quigley for his alleged role in a deadly crash on Dec. 12, 2023, in Woburn. The findings were released by Ryan's office on Wednesday.The investigation was conducted by retired Superior Court Judge Thomas Drechsler and looked into what officials within the district attorney's office knew about the case and when they knew it.Drechsler interviewed 34 witnesses, including 30 current and four former employees within Ryan's office.On March 10, Drechsler spoke with Scott Sarsfield, the director of operations and security for the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office.According to the report, Sarsfield was told when he arrived at work on Dec. 13, 2023, that Quigley was seriously injured in a crash the day prior.Sarsfield recalled he "overheard" that a second vehicle, an ambulance, was involved, Drechsler's report said.Sarsfield delivered a replacement cell phone to Quigley's home in the days following the crash, but Drechsler's report stated the two had no personal relationship outside of work.According to the report, in the spring or summer of 2024, Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Anthony DeLucia of the Middlesex State Police Detective Unit spoke with Sarsfield about the crash involving Quigley.DeLucia reportedly told Sarsfield that Quigley was a ".11" at the time of the crash and said, "I think he met Tino at Teresa's" prior to the collision.Sarsfield took that to mean that the ".11" referenced Quigley's blood alcohol level at the time of the crash and "Tino" to be another member of the Middlesex State Police Detective Unit.According to Drechsler's report, Sarsfield was told by DeLucia, "Don't repeat that," or words to that effect.Sarsfield was under the impression that if a superior officer was aware of the information, the proper notifications had been made and that anyone who needed to know was informed, according to Drechsler.It wasn't until Jan. 27 that Sarsfield became aware of the court disclosure order in the Phan case that resulted in media disclosures and internal memos requiring employees to search for documentation related to the 2023 Woburn crash.Sarsfield had nothing documented, but disclosed the 2024 conversation with DeLucia to First Assistant District Attorney Steve Loughlin on March 2.According to the report, Sarsfield said on Feb. 12 that DeLucia told him "what we had talked about, take that to the grave."All of his findings were turned over to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, which is the lead investigator in the case against Quigley because of his former status as a Middlesex County detective.Quigley was indicted last week on a charge of felony motor vehicle homicide by a grand jury. The district attorney's office alleges that Quigley was driving negligently and while drunk on Dec. 12, 2023, when his unmarked state police vehicle crossed the centerline on Lexington Street and into an oncoming van.The van driver was taking Angelo Schettino, 37, who had developmental challenges and used a wheelchair, back to the Lynn group home where he lived, according to officials. Schettino was hospitalized and died a month later. The van driver was also injured in the collision.The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Schettino's death was caused by injuries from the collision.Quigley was placed on leave for eight months following the crash, according to the district attorney's office.