Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi served a three-day suspension without pay after being arrested on a driving while intoxicated charge.
According to a sheriff's department spokesperson, Cocchi was handed the suspension by the human resources department and accepted it "without issue."
Cocchi was arrested on Sept. 21 at the MGM Springfield casino. According to the police report, the state-owned vehicle Cocchi was driving was missing a tire and had sustained damage to the rim.
The sheriff's department has yet to release the exact nature of the damage or the repair cost. But the spokesperson said the lost salary from the suspension "more than covers" the cost of the damage.
According to state payroll records, Cocchi earns $191,000 annually.
Where and when the tire on Cocchi’s vehicle was lost also remains unclear. The sheriff told arresting officers that he had hit a curb while entering the parking garage at the casino and popped the tire. Surveillance footage, according to the police report, shows this was not the case.
State Police troopers, who made the arrest since it took place at the casino, later looked for evidence of a crash and the missing tire in the nearby area — but did not find anything.
At the time of his arrest, Cocchi stated he had been playing golf at the Springfield Country Club in West Springfield and consumed "a couple of beers." His vehicle entered the casino garage at 6:44 p.m. Police in West Springfield said they received no calls for an accident, erratic driver or other related complaints between the hours of 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. that day. This is confirmed by a list of calls for service posted by the department.
In court last month, Cocchi agreed to a continuance without a finding for a year, which means the charge will be dismissed if he stays out of trouble with the law during that time. He also had his driver's license suspended and agreed to attend an OUI education class.
A spokesperson for the state attorney general’s office, which handled the case, said Wednesday it instead had sought a guilty finding for Cocchi, and that it could not comment further.
Outside the courthouse following his arraignment, Cocchi said he took full responsibility for his actions.
"In today's political life, so many people want to point fingers and push blame onto others," Cocchi said. "I wasn't brought up that way."
