Marblehead Police Officer Michael Robert Farewell has been placed on leave after admitting to Tasing a 21-year-old man after a motor vehicle crash and arrest on Clifton Avenue June 2, according to a police report obtained by the Current at Lynn District Court.
Farewell, who has served on the Marblehead force for one year, is accused of violating department policies involving Tasers, falsifying records, untruthfulness and a lack of cooperating with investigations.
Chief Dennis King placed Farewell on five days of unpaid leave on Aug. 2, but that is the stiffest punishment he can dole out. It is now up to the Select Board to decide Farewell’s fate after Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer leads a disciplinary hearing. Farewell will be on paid leave during that process.
The 21-year-old driver spoke to the Current on Monday.
“I think it’s silly that he Tased me in the back. It shows incompetence,” the driver said about Farewell. “I probably deserved much more than that, so I don’t feel bad for myself.”
Internal affairs investigation
King requested action on Farewell’s case after an internal affairs investigation, conducted by Sgt. Sean Brady, allegedly determined Farewell broke several department rules when he made the June 2 arrest.
On that day at 2:49 a.m., Farewell and other officers responded to a motor vehicle crash into a house on Clifton Avenue. According to police reports, the 21-year-old driver tried to flee the scene on foot.
Farewell pursued the suspect, who was shirtless and being chased by the owner of the home, who was wielding a golf club.
Farewell said that during the pursuit he observed scratch marks on the suspect’s body and a torn shirt, leading him to believe that a physical altercation had taken place between the suspect and the homeowner.
“To prevent (the driver) from running into (homeowner) and making contact with him which I believed would have caused (the driver) to become seriously injured and another physical altercation to take place between both (the driver) and (homeowner), I pulled my TASER from my duty belt and activated it,” wrote Farewell. “While still pursuing (the driver), I ordered him to stop giving the following order ‘STOP OR YOU WILL BE TASED, I WILL TASE YOU IF YOU DO NOT STOP.'”
Farewell went on to write that after the order was given, the suspect allegedly still refused to listen and continued to run. “At this time, I yelled ‘TASER TASER TASER’ and deployed one of cartridges from my Taser,” wrote Farewell. “The two darts from the cartridge then made contact with (suspect’s) mid back causing him to stop due to his body locking up.”
EMS responded to the scene to evaluate the suspect for minor injuries from the Taser deployment and fall. Farewell reported smelling a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on the suspect’s breath.
The suspect allegedly admitted to drinking a whiskey and Red Bull earlier that day. He was transported to the Marblehead Police Department, where he agreed to a breathalyzer test. Due to the breathalyzer being out of service, he was taken to the Swampscott Police Department, where he registered a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.20%, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08%.
During the investigation, an officer reported having discovered an unopened Michelob Ultra can on the driver’s side floor of the suspect’s vehicle and an empty Coors Light can in the bushes near the crash site.
The driver admitted to the Current that he had been drinking and he regrets it.
“I hope it’s the worst mistake I ever make in my life,” he said.
The driver was charged with operating under the influence of liquor, leaving the scene of property damage, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and resisting arrest.
Disciplinary hearing
The hearing led by Kezer will determine if Farewell should face further discipline, including possible termination. Kezer provided Select Board members with Brady’s full investigative report, which he said would remain a privileged document for now.
The driver said he holds no ill will against Farewell.
“I don’t wish for the officer to get in trouble or anything. He should probably learn from what he did, though.”
Farewell was appointed as a full-time police officer by the Select Board on July 27, 2022, pending successful completion of tests and exams. He graduated from the Police Academy on March 10, 2023, and joined the Marblehead Police Department.
Last week’s suspension comes about five months after another Marblehead police officer, Christopher Gallo, was fired after a two-year paid suspension. Gallo was accused of spending more than 100 hours at home during work shifts.
