HAVERHILL — Police said former Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Chairman Matthew Amorello would not let go of his steering wheel and had to be pulled out of his vehicle by officers who suspected him of drunken driving.
After being placed face down on the ground, Amorello tried to tuck his hands under his body to keep from being handcuffed, police said. According to a police report, when officers found him behind the wheel of a Ford Explorer in the old Dairy Queen parking lot (now part of Smith Motors) on River Street "he seemed out of it" and all he could say was, "Come on."
"He appeared to be extremely intoxicated and I noticed that it appeared as though he had urinated on himself," Haverhill police Officer Stephen Iannalfo wrote in his report detailing the events of early Saturday night.
The report also said Iannalfo thought he had seen Amorello walking across downtown Washington Street a few hours earlier. That part of downtown has a variety of popular restaurants and lounges.
According to documents on file in Haverhill District Court, Amorello refused to take a Breathalyzer test
After a brief struggle, which involved police having to use pepper spray on the uncooperative Amorello, he was subdued and handcuffed.
He refused to stand up so police dragged the 6-foot-tall, 250-pound Amorello to a waiting cruiser. A police report noted he suffered scraped knees from being dragged across the pavement.
It took three officers to get him into the back seat of the cruiser, police said.
At the Haverhill police station, officers again dragged Amorello, this time from the cruiser into the building and into the booking room, where he was passed out on the floor, according to a police report. Police said he resisted being photographed. In Amorello's booking photo, hands are shown holding his head upright.
Amorello then was dragged into a waiting cell, where he was left lying on the floor on his side.
Amorello, 52, of Wenham was allegedly drunk and behind the wheel of a Ford Explorer when he struck two cars belonging to residents at 342-344 River St. at around 2 a.m. on Saturday.
Amorello served as chairman of the Turnpike Authority and oversaw the Big Dig project in Boston from 2002 to 2006. He resigned July 27, 2006 at the urging of then-Gov. Mitt Romney after a ceiling tile inside the Ted Williams Tunnel let go, striking a vehicle and killing a 38-year-old Jamaica Plain woman.
Amorello was scheduled to be arraigned in Haverhill District Court yesterday on charges of operating under the influence of alcohol and two counts of leaving the scene of property damage. But after he failed to appear a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Assistant Clerk of Courts Ralph LaBella told Judge Stephen Abany that Amorello had checked himself into the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, and that is why he failed to appear. His lawyer, who court officials said is William Hogan III, a partner with Nelson, Riley and Scarborough LLP in Boston, did not appear either.
Yesterday afternoon, LaBella said Amorello's lawyer was expected to be in court this morning to request the warrant be rescinded and possibly request another date for the arraignment. He was released from police custody Saturday morning after posting $40 bail.
Yesterday, Hogan released a written statement to The Eagle-Tribune. It read: "Matthew Amorello is currently inpatient at a medical facility, a fact that the court was made aware of earlier this morning. Matt's family is with him, supports him unconditionally and asks that their right to privacy be respected. We intend to appear in the Haverhill District Court in the very near future to address these issues."
Witnesses to the events of early Saturday morning told police Amorello left the scene of the crash and tried to hide in his vehicle in a nearby car dealership.
According to police, Amorello was traveling west on River Street when he crossed over to the left side of the street then struck two parked cars.
Leonor Santos, 37, of 344 River St. and Ricardo Martinez, 33, of 342 River St. said they are angry at Amorello for heavily damaging their cars, but thankful he didn't hit the utility pole that sits in front of the apartment house.
"I'm just glad nobody got hurt," Santos said on Sunday, as she inspected damage done to the front of her Dodge Magnum. "We're angry about him being drunk and driving. But thank God he's OK. I'd rather he hit my car than the pole."
Amorello was charged with operating under the influence of liquor and two counts of leaving the scene of an accident with property damage. Documents at the Police Department listed him as unemployed.
Haverhill police did not release any details of the incident yesterday other than the arrest sheet, which showed Amorello being arrested shortly before 3 a.m. Saturday.
Miguel Colon, 27, who lives on the third floor of 342 River St., helped locate Amorello for police.
Martinez said he was surprised after being told by a reporter that Amorello was released from jail Saturday morning after posting $40 bail.
"He should bail me out with all the damage he caused to my car. It's totaled," Martinez said of his 2002 Saab 9-5. "My car got pushed back about 10 to 15 feet up on the sidewalk. The axle is broken, my lights. Everything is damaged. He hit my car head-on and left one of his tires on my car and drove off."
A telephone number for the Wenham address Amorello gave as his home to police was disconnected.
A message left at Christopher Amorello's number was not immediately returned.
In 2002, Amorello was appointed to lead the Turnpike Authority, which oversaw the $15 billion Big Dig highway project, then resigned under pressure from Romney.
Amorello, who made $223,000, said many of the problems with the project predated his time as agency head.
Amorello was fined $2,000 in February 2009 for violating conflict of interest laws. The State Ethics Commission said he approved a policy the day before he resigned that allowed nonunion employees to take 50 percent cash value of unused sick time when they retired, resigned or were fired.
Amorello could have received $75,000 for unused time, but he never accepted the money.
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