HINGHAM — A series of calls from concerned drivers, including one from a school bus driver, led to the arrest of a man on Tuesday for his third offense of operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs.
At approximately 3:40 p.m. on March 12, reports flooded in about a truck driving erratically, weaving between lanes, cutting off a school bus, and driving through red lights on Lincoln St.
The truck also mounted the sidewalk twice before striking a jersey barrier near the Back River Bridge, eventually stopping on Bridge St. in Weymouth.
Officers from the Hingham Police Department, with assistance from Weymouth officers, responded to the scene.
The driver, identified as Michael Joseph Sweeney, 47, from Norwell, displayed signs of drug impairment and failed to complete a series of field sobriety tests.
A search of the vehicle uncovered four small straws and a plastic bag with white powder residue.
Sweeney, who has three outstanding arrest warrants and was driving with an expired license, was taken into custody and faces multiple charges.
These include a felony charge for operating under the influence of drugs, driving to endanger, unlicensed operation, and a marked lanes violation.
Following his booking, Sweeney was held without bail by a bail commissioner and spent the night at the Plymouth County House of Correction awaiting his arraignment at Hingham District Court on March 13.
The Hingham Police also requested that Sweeney’s license be suspended immediately due to the threat he poses on the road.
