Overview
- A resident called police after a vehicle drove through bushes and struck a parked car on Grand Oak Road in Forestdale, and officers found off-duty Sandwich police officer Matthew Cotter behind the wheel of a damaged black BMW X5.
- Responding units suspected impairment and requested Massachusetts State Police, who administered field sobriety tests and processed Cotter at the Bourne barracks.
- State Police charged Cotter with operating under the influence of liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, marked lanes violations, and operating an unregistered vehicle, and he is expected to be arraigned in Barnstable District Court.
- The Sandwich Police Department placed Cotter on administrative leave and opened a separate internal investigation to examine departmental standards and the officer’s conduct.
- An independent videographer reported that a relative of Cotter was verbally abusive and allegedly assaulted the videographer at the scene, and Sandwich police have launched a related investigation that could yield separate charges or disciplinary action.