May 2, 2009 6:29 pm US/Eastern
Limo Driver Arrested After Prom For Drunk Driving
LOWELL (WBZ) ―
A limousine driver hired to drive high school students for their prom was arrested and charged with drunk driving in Lowell.
Seven
Lowell Catholic High School students had hired 45-year-old Brian Harrison of Lynette's Limousine Service in Wilmington for their prom Friday night.
The teens say when they first got into the limo, they knew they smelled alcohol. That's when prom-goer Chris Tully asked to see the cup Harrison was drinking. "I said 'there is alcohol in this. What are you thinking? You could've taken all of our lives.' And he just apologized, saying he made a mistake."
Bianca Crowley said she could tell by the way he was driving something was seriously wrong. "The swerving, the bumps we hit, the way he said 'I have it.'"
"He couldn't even read the GPS," said Kelsie Nadeau of Billerica. "He couldn't even function. It was so scary."
One of them called her parents who then alerted police.
The students allegedly had Harrison drop them off at the Showcase Cinemas. When they refused to get back in, Harrison left, but then came back a few minutes later. He allegedly told the students, "I messed up, I'm sorry" and tried to convince them to get in the vehicle.
"He was slurring his words and he just didn't seem right," said John Harris of Billerica.
When officers arrived, Harrison was arrested and charged with drunk driving. Parents were called in to pick up the teenagers.
In a statement, Captain Randall Humphrey said this "was a perfect example of high school students faced with a potentially dangerous situation and they collectively made the right decision in refusing to enter the limousine and contacted their parents. The community should be proud of the actions of these students."
Harrison, who lives in Tewksbury, was released on bail and was fired from the limousine company. "He's no longer going to be a part of this company," said Marco Delgado of Lynette's Limousine Service. "I apologize to the kids who experienced what they experienced last night and I commend them on their heroic actions last night. If it wasn't for them realizing something was not right with the driver, it could've been a lot worse."
He will be arraigned Monday in Lowell District Court.
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