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Officer Injured, Driver Arrested On 4th OUI After Cruiser Rear-Ended

BROCKTON (CBS) -- A West Bridgewater police officer was rushed to the hospital Monday night after his cruiser was rear-ended -- and it's not the first time the driver has been in trouble.

William Shea, 56 of Brockton, was arrested and charged with his fourth OUI, as well as negligent operation.

west bridgewater 4th oui brockton william shea
(Photo credit: Marc Vasconcellos/Brockton Enterprise)

West Bridgewater Police said Shea hit the officer's cruiser around 9:15 p.m. Monday while the cruiser was stopped on Route 106 in West Bridgewater.

The officer in the cruiser, Sgt. Jonathan Craven, was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton with non-life-threatening injuries. He was released Tuesday.

"Sgt. Craven just got promoted to sergeant," said West Bridgewater Police Chief Vic Flaherty. "He was a detective prior, this was his first uniform shift back for years of being in plainclothes, so five hours back as shift supervisor he gets rear-ended."

Shea appeared before a judge twice on Tuesday. The first time was for his arraignment while the second appearance was for a follow-up detention hearing.

William Shea
Police say William Shea was drunk when he slammed into a police cruiser. (WBZ-TV)

The judge ordered Shea be held until his next hearing. A date has not yet been set.

When Shea was arraigned, the injured officer looked on from inside the courtroom.

Shea's car was seized under the state's Melanie's Law, which enables police to not only seize, but also keep and sell the vehicles of offenders, after their third offense.

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