Shawn Oliver, a New Bedford city councillor and the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, pleaded not guilty on Monday, 19 October 2026, to all charges in New Bedford District Court. There is no conviction. The case remains open. The next listing, a pretrial hearing, is set for 16 November.

The charges, as stated by New Bedford police, are operating under the influence of liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, speeding and a marked-lanes violation. Judge Joseph Harrington released him on his own recognizance, with no cash bail, and ordered him not to drive while the case is pending. A not-guilty plea does not close those counts; it contests them.

Police said that at about 11:40 p.m. on Saturday a vehicle overturned on Dartmouth Street after striking five parked cars; two were extensively damaged. Oliver was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital and later arrested. Boston.com, citing police reports, wrote that the driver was identified at a black Lincoln Navigator, on its roof, near 448 Dartmouth Street. Police reports are not a verdict.

On Sunday, a few hours after his release from the Ash Street jail, Oliver said he was suspending his campaign. “After careful reflection, I have made the decision to suspend my campaign for Lieutenant Governor. This election is too important to be overshadowed by personal matters.” The suspension does not take his name off the ballot: early voting has begun, and ballots on 3 November will still show him next to the Republican nominee for governor, Mike Minogue.

Minogue had asked him on Sunday to stand down. On Monday he said he would run without an active running mate and that, “to be clear, Oliver will not be Minogue’s lieutenant governor,” even if the pair were elected. That is a political position, not a court order and not a removal from the ballot. Democratic Governor Maura Healey, who is seeking a second term with Kim Driscoll, said on Monday she was glad no one was hurt and spoke of “chaos” in Minogue’s campaign — a comment, not a finding of the court.

Massachusetts Republican Party chair Amy Carnevale said on Sunday that lives were put at risk and that the party would help Oliver get support so that he does not put himself or others in harm’s way again. New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell called the allegations “deeply concerning” and said the public deserved an explanation. None of those statements is a trial.

In court, lawyer John Hendrie did not address the merits. Oliver told a New Bedford Light reporter he had no comment for now. Until 16 November, and until any later trial, the closed facts are only these: the crash as police described it, the arrest, the campaign suspension, the not-guilty plea, and the name still on the ballot. Guilt has not been established.

Image: Massachusetts State House, Boston, 12 November 2016, King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The Boston building, not the New Bedford courtroom.

Sources consulted: Massachusetts Republican lieutenant governor candidate suspends campaign after OUI arrest — NBC News; Shawn Oliver pleads not guilty to OUI charge after crash — The New Bedford Light; Lt. Gov. candidate Shawn Oliver arraigned for alleged drunk driving — Boston.com.