WORCESTER— A Southbridge man who showed up in court intoxicated for his arraignment on a drunken driving charge has been ordered held on $25,000 cash bail.
Paul J. Layfulde, 51, of 348 Main St., Southbridge, was indicted Sept. 21 by a Worcester grand jury on charges of driving while under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of a property damage accident, crimes he allegedly committed May 4 in Oxford. Mr. Layfulde, who has four previous drunken driving convictions, pleaded not guilty at his November arraignment in Worcester Superior Court.
He was out of custody at the time of the Nov. 13 arraignment, having posted the $500 cash bail set when his case was pending in Dudley District Court. Assistant District Attorney Timothy M. Farrell asked Judge John S. McCann to order that Mr. Layfulde not drink as a condition of his release and that he be subject to random testing to ensure compliance, according to Timothy J. Connolly, a spokesman for District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. Based on the prosecutor’s request and his own observations of Mr. Layfulde on the morning of the arraignment, Judge McCann asked the court’s Probation Department to test him immediately on a Breathalyzer. The test revealed a blood-alcohol level of 0.40, five times the legal limit, authorities said.
Judge McCann revoked Mr. Layfulde’s $500 cash bail on the spot and ordered him held without bail.
At a bail hearing yesterday, Mr. Layfulde’s appointed lawyer, James J. Kaeding, asked Judge McCann to restore the $500 cash bail originally set in his client’s case and to impose any conditions of release deemed appropriate by the court. Mr. Kaeding cited health problems suffered by Mr. Layfulde, including a heart condition, and said his release from custody would make it easier for him to get the medical attention he needed.
Mr. Farrell asked for $10,000 cash bail. He further asked that Mr. Layfulde be ordered not to drive or drink and that he be tested randomly as conditions of his release.
Judge McCann perused Mr. Layfulde’s criminal record, which he said included four previous drunken driving convictions and several convictions for driving after the suspension of his license.
“This gentleman is a menace,” said the judge. Noting the 0.40 blood-alcohol reading registered by Mr. Layfulde that morning, the judge added, “Most people are dead weighing in that high.”
Before setting bail of $25,000 cash or $250,000 with surety, Judge McCann said he was of the belief that Mr. Layfulde would drink and drive if out on bail and described him as “an extremely high risk of not showing up” in court. He said Mr. Layfulde’s health issues could be adequately addressed at the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction in West Boylston if he were unable to post bail.
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