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Posted by: kwflatbed

Refuses to release Rockland man facing 9th charge

By JOHN P. KELLY
The Patriot Ledger


Plant

HINGHAM - An eight-time drunken driver from Rockland has been ruled a public menace and will remain jailed as he awaits trial on a ninth offense.

Hingham District Court Judge Patrick Hurley denied a defense attorney’s request yesterday to release Thomas C. Plant, 53, of 128 Belmont St., on $3,000 bail with the condition that he undergo alcohol abuse counseling and be driven to work by his son.

Hurley instead ordered Plant held without bail and set a pre-trial hearing for Nov. 22. Plant is charged with drunken driving, negligent driving and failure to drive on the right side of the road. Rockland police arrested him Oct. 10.

Assistant District Attorney Suzanne Dunleavy recited a list of Plant’s convictions for drunken driving and robbery that stretch back to 1978.

Plant was jailed for 18 months after back-to-back arrests for drunken driving in Rockland in 2000. His probation expired in August 2005, she said.

‘‘It’s just a little over a year and here were are again with the defendant facing another OUI charge,’’ Dunleavy said.

Rockland Police officers Larry Buiel and Paul Donnelly testified during the dangerousness hearing that Plant flunked sobriety tests and the percentage of alcohol in his blood was twice the legal limit. Plant had a valid driver’s license.

After receiving a 911 call, the officers followed Plant as he drove down the center of Belmont street, confronting him when he pulled into his driveway.

Head bowed and hands cuffed, Plant hid his face in court while a recording of the 911 call was played. At one point he made an obscene gesture at a photographer.

On the tape, a woman tells a police dispatcher that Plant’s white pickup truck is veering onto the shoulder of Route 3 and the driver is honking at passing motorists. She followed Plant for several minutes, updating the dispatcher as Plant drove toward the center of town.

At the corner of Union and Belmont streets, officer Donnelly pulled up alongside Plant on his police motorcycle at a stop, he testified. After a moment, Plant noticed the officer and rolled down his window.

‘‘I said, ‘How are you doing?’’’ Donnelly said. ‘‘He said ‘Good, I’m going home,’ and off he went.’’

Last week, Plant asked for the dangerousness hearing to be postponed so he could hire an attorney. Yesterday, however, a court-appointed defense attorney, Greg O’Meara, handled the case.

After meeting with his client, O’Meara told Judge Hurley that Plant had lived at his home in Rockland for 15 years, is married, has three children and works as a laborer for Universal Construction in West Bridgewater.

O’Meara said Plant was an Army veteran of the Vietnam War and his family depends on his earnings to pay a $900-a-month mortgage.

‘‘It’s a fairly benign OUI arrest,’’ O’Meara argued. ‘‘There was no chase. He was not trying to avoid the police.’’

Based on his track record in court, Plant posed no flight risk, O’Meara said.

‘‘He comes back to court all the time, even when he’s facing 2½ years in jail,’’ O’Meara said. ‘‘History shows that he respects the court.’’

John P. Kelly may be reached at jkelly@ledger.com .

Copyright 2006 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Tuesday, October 24, 2006

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Posted by: SOT

Maybe he respects the court, but not the law....you gotta do both dipshit.

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Posted by: justanotherparatrooper

youd of thought the court wouldve gotten a little tougher with Oh MAYBE the 3rd conviction!

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