Nantucket Harbormaster Found Not Guilty On Drunk Driving Charges

Nantucket Harbormaster Sheila Lucey was found not guilty on charges of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and was found not responsible for speeding by Nantucket District Court Judge James Sullivan following a bench trial Wednesday morning.

The charges stemmed from a June 3 incident when Lucey was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in the area of 100 Main Street and subsequently arraigned two days later.

Lucey, 60, was represented by Jim Merberg. The trial consisted of testimony from the Massachusetts State Police Trooper who made the motor vehicle stop and arrest, portions of the body cam footage from the scene depicting Lucey performing field sobriety tests, and testimony from two individuals - including the general manager of the Angler's Club - who were with Lucey that night and said she only consumed a couple of beers.

Lucey also testified under oath - saying that she wasn't feeling well all day because of her allergies and missed the second half of her work day on June 3. She said she was only out that night because she needed to attend an important meeting at the Angler's Club, where she serves as the President of their board. She said she consumed two Budweisers after the meeting to be social with her friends despite not feeling well, but mostly drank club sodas because she was trying to hydrate. She said when she was driving up Main Street, she was traveling 15-20 mph.

During Merberg's cross-examination, he had the state trooper confirm the radar system was not working properly at the time Lucey passed by his cruiser and that the determination she was speeding was a judgement call. The trooper added Lucey was cooperative throughout the entirety of the stop and admitted it was not an ideal area to conduct field sobriety tests due to the uneven ground on the Main Street sidewalk.

Lucey has served as Nantucket’s Harbormaster since 2012 and previously served as the master chief of Coast Guard Station Brant Point.

According to the state police report from the incident, Lucey was pulled over on Main Street at approximately 9:30 p.m. on June 3 after being observed to be traveling at a high rate of speed estimated to be greater than 30 miles per hour in a 20 mile per hour zone.

Lucey was observed by the trooper to have glassy, bloodshot eyes as well as slurred speech. He also said during his testimony and in the report he could smell the odor of alcohol emanating from her vehicle. She told state police she had “a couple of beers” earlier in the night. Lucey was cooperative with police and performed field sobriety tests, however she failed the tests. She also declined to take a breath test.