A Swansea, Mass., volunteer firefighter was arraigned Monday on charges he was drunk this weekend when he crashed his car into a police cruiser, allegedly killing a 26-year-veteran of the force.
NewsCenter 5's Jack Harper reported that Wayne Smith, 49, was arraigned in Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, Mass., where he is recovering from non-life threatening injuries.
Smith pleaded not guilty to drunken driving resulting in motor vehicle homicide after allegedly hitting Sgt. Robert Cabral, 52, a 26-year veteran of the police force.
The victim's brother stopped by the hospital to talk about the ordeal of dealing with the loss of the very popular small-town cop. Cabral's cruiser was struck head-on early Saturday morning on Route 6.
"Remember Officer Bob. If you want to drink and drive, remember Officer Bob. He's not here. That's why his picture is on the wall," his brother Tom said as he choked back sobs.
Tom Cabral said his brother gave his own time to run the town's DARE program. He also coached the high school soccer team.
Smith was represented by his attorney at his hospital arraignment and pleaded not guilty. His bail was set at $10,000, police said.
He should be out of the hospital in a few days. Cabral's brother had a message for him.
"You did a bad thing. You did a stupid thing. You robbed a lot of people of a lot. And you should pay for it every second of your life and by remembering my brother and by never getting in a car again and by never seeing the light of day again. I would rather have this guy locked up somewhere where he couldn't hurt anybody else," Tom Cabral said.
The state prosecutor said Smith was driving back from a firefighters' fund raiser when the accident occurred.
Cabral's funeral will be Thursday at St. Dominic's Church.
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