Cops: Man Who Left Crash Scene Had Booze in Car

Police say a Randolph man crashed into a parked vehicle and fled the scene before being found with an open container of alcohol in his car.

Michael Farley, 31, was charged with driving while intoxicated, having an open alcoholic beverage container in his vehicle and careless driving on June 26.

According to the report filed by Officer Brian LaBarre, a hit-and-run crash was reported on Conklin Avenue shortly before 10 p.m. As he was driving on Washington Street toward the accident scene, LaBarre saw a blue Mercedes-Benz with right front damage that matched the description given to police, according to the report. LaBarre then made a U-turn and pulled the vehicle over, according to his report.

As Farley searched his glove compartment for identification, LaBarre saw an unsealed bottle of Jameson-brand whiskey in a paper bag atop a knapsack on the passenger side floor, according to the report. 

LaBarre told Farley his vehicle, and the last three characters of its registration, matched the description given to police of the one that had crashed into another vehicle on Conklin Avenue, according to the report. When asked if he had been involved in a crash, Farley said, "I don't know."

As Farley was instructed to begin field sobriety tests, he told the officer, "I should be good, I'm a physical trainer." However, he was unable to maintain his balance, despite multiple tests and attempts at those tests, prompting LaBarre to place him under arrest without incident, according to the report.

While being processed at the , Farley mumbled, unprompted, "man, I fell asleep, that's why I hit that car," according to the report.

A subsequent Blood Alcohol Content test indicated Farley's BAC to be .05, which was below the legal limit of .08, according to the report. He indicated to police, however, he was taking several medications each day, for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and for multiple degenerative discs in his neck and back, according to the report.

He also told police he had been awake since 5 a.m., had not been sleeping well for several days and had not eaten in several hours, according to the report. When asked by police if he thought that may have impaired his ability to operate a motor vehicle, Farley said, "maybe," according to the report.

Farley was later released into the custody of a friend.

For questions about this post, email john.dunphy@patch.com.