Fall River Cop Arrested in Somerset on Drunk Driving Charges

SOMERSET — It's the second arrest this week and the third this year for Andrew Crook, a Fall River police lieutenant who is now facing drunk driving and open container charges following an incident Wednesday afternoon.

Fall River police spokesman Capt. Barden Castro confirmed Crook was put on paid administrative leave after his arrest Sunday on assault charges while he was off duty.

Crook, a 48-year-old Somerset resident and former Somerset School Committee Chair, had previously been arrested on assault charges in late May, according to the Fall River Herald News.

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Somerset police said just before 4 p.m. on Wednesday, the department received a 911 call from a man — later identified as Crook — reporting that he had been involved in a car crash.

Crook was unable to give his location, but dispatch triangulated the call to 1878 Wilbur Ave., according to police.

Officers arrived to find Crook in the driver's seat of the car, which was running. They said the front of his shirt was wet, and he was allegedly unsteady on his feet, had slurred speech and smelled of alcohol.

Police said Crook could not complete all of the field sobriety tests he was given, and a search of his vehicle turned up alcoholic drinks containers, one of which was partly empty.

Crook was arrested and is being charged with operating under the influence of alcohol and possessing an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle.

Police said he declined to take a chemical breath test when he was taken to the Somerset police station for booking.

Castro said that after the incident on Sunday, the Fall River Police Department's office of professional standards has opened an investigation into Crook's off-duty conduct, and the state's police licensing agency has been notified.

"The Fall River Police Dept. is distressed by this incident," Castro noted.

"Yesterday’s new allegations will be made part of the internal investigation into Lt. Crooks off-duty behavior," he added. "As previously stated this is a distressing situation for the department."

Wednesday's crash remains under investigation, according to Somerset police.

Police have not received any reports of injuries or property damage related to the crash, although they said there was visible damage to Crook's car.

Crook is being held on $50,000 cash bail and is set to be arraigned Thursday in Fall River District Court.

See How Much This Fall River Intersection Has Changed in a Decade

Well this is surely a blast from the past. While exploring Google Maps' street view feature recently, I came across an old still from 2012 mixed in with the more recent ones. It showed an almost decade-old look at Fall River's New Harbour Mall, which is now dead and has been replaced by the stores at the SouthCoast Marketplace. The more I looked around the intersection on William Canning Boulevard, the more I began to see remnants of the past, some that may now be long-forgotten for some. This Fall River intersection has changed so much in the past near-decade, but if you're needing a little look in the rearview to see how far it's come, check out some of the following stills.