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Veteran Lynn officer arrested on OUI charge following crash

LYNN, Mass. -- A veteran Lynn police officer was charged with operating under the influence following a minor crash in Peabody early Sunday morning.

Lt. James Shinnick, who has worked for the Lynn Police Department for about 24 years, was arrested on Route 1 Southbound shortly before 12:30 a.m.

Shinnick, 54, was driving a Toyota Camry in the left lane of Rte. 1, when he lost control while making a lane change and veered across the middle and right lanes, clipping the front end of a Honda Accord driven by a Salem man, Massachusetts State Police said. The Camry came to a halt at a nearby construction site.

There were no injuries, a spokesperson with the Essex District Attorney’s Office said.

Arriving troopers suspected Shinnick was under the influence, but the longtime Lynn officer refused a breathalyzer test, state police said. Shinnick was arrested and booked at State Police barracks in Danvers on one count of operating under the influence, his first offense.

Shinnick was later released by a bail clerk on personal recognizance pending his arraignment in Peabody District Court on Thursday.

Lynn police confirmed Shinnick’s arrest and released a statement Wednesday, saying the department is “reviewing all investigative reports” before “making a determination of his duty status.”

Meanwhile, Shinnick, who “performs administrative duties,” Lynn police said, “will continue to do so pending the outcome of the investigation.”

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