Walpole Man Arrested In Norwood On 9th OUI Charge

NORWOOD, MA — A Walpole man arrested in Norwood Sunday night was in front of a judge Monday for drunken driving for the ninth time, according to police and court records.

Edward Wright, 54, was arraigned in Dedham District Court on charges of operating under the influence of liquor and operating a motor vehicle with a license suspended for an OUI. Pleas of not guilty were entered on his behalf and he was ordered held on $15,000 cash bail, according to court records.

Prosecutors have filed a motion seeking the forfeiture of the vehicle Wright was allegedly driving at the time of his arrest. Police records show that Wright's license has been revoked for life.

Sunday night at about 10:15 p.m., officers were dispatched to Melville Avenue for a report of a suspicious vehicle that was driving up and down the road. Witnesses told police they were about to leave when they saw a vehicle traveling at a slow speed before speeding up to an extremely fast rate. The driver, identified as Wright, then got out of the van and began knocking on multiple doors, the witnesses said.

After police were unable to find Wright, a worker at the Colonial House Restaurant flagged down the officers and said the suspect was in the back of their restaurant. Police found Wright squatting down on the ground and smoking a cigarette, according to a police report. When asked why he was knocking on doors in the neighborhood, Wright allegedly told police that he wouldn't mind if someone came to his house at that hour.

When more officers arrived at the scene, Wright admitted to driving from Walpole to Norwood and parking on the wrong side of Melville Avenue, near a home he was doing work at. He said he is aware that is license is revoked for life, but he has to drive for work.

Wright was taken into custody after failing a series of field sobriety tests. Prior to the tests, officers noticed in their report that Wright had a strong odor of alcohol, was unsteady on his feet, and his eyes were glassy and red.

According to court records, Wright's last conviction for an OUI came in April 2012. His first was in 1984, the year he was found guilty of his first three drunken driving offenses.

Wright is due back in court for a pre-trial hearing Sept. 6.

Image: File Photo