New Bedford School Committee Member Arrested for Drunk Driving

NEW BEDFORD — New Bedford police have confirmed that recently elected School Committee member Ross Grace Jr. was arrested on drunk driving charges after a crash Friday afternoon.

Police spokesperson Lt. Scott Carola said Grace is set to be arraigned at the Third District Court on Tuesday morning on charges of OUI liquor and a marked lanes violation.

Grace was arrested following the crash, which took place on County Street, according to Carola.

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Carola did not say where on County Street the crash occurred, or whether any other vehicles or people were involved.

Grace was elected to an open school committee seat last November following a previous loss as a first-time candidate in 2019.

According to his campaign Facebook page, Grace is a lifelong New Bedford resident who grew up in the Brickenwood housing projects and gained professional experience working in education.

He was elected to the school committee in 2021 after committee members Josh Amaral and John Oliveira chose not to run for re-election.

Grace did not immediately respond to a request for a comment on the incident.

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