Man Charged in OUI Hit-and-Run in Mansfield Gets Prison Time

MANSFIELD, MA — A Norton man was recently sentenced to 2 ½ years in state prison after he was found guilty of his fifth drunk-driving offense. Scott Cotterill, 53, admitted to drinking Smirnoff vodka and having a blood-alcohol level of 0.26 percent — more than three times the legal limit — when he crashed into a driver in Mansfield last year. He pleaded guilty to several charges in Fall River Superior Court last week, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn announced Tuesday.

“This defendant was very drunk and wasn’t even supposed to be driving after he had been convicted four times of operating under the influence,” Quinn said in a statement. “He rear-ended another car and caused (long)-term injuries to another individual. The defendant is a danger to the community and needed to be locked up.”

The crash victim "suffers from post concussive syndrome as a result of the head injuries caused by the defendant," Quinn added. Cotterill's driver's license was revoked at the time of the crash.

Cotterill pleaded guilty to drunk driving (fifth offense), leaving the scene of a crash and driving after revocation. Police said Cotterill admitted to drinking a pint of vodka before the crash. He was sentenced by Judge Raffi Yessayan, who also ordered Cotterill to serve three years probation following his release.

By Jason Claffey

Photo via Mansfield Police Department