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Fall River district fire chief charged with drunken driving after police chase

FALL RIVER, Mass. — A Fall River district fire chief was charged with drunken driving after leading State Troopers on a chase in Dartmouth.

Ambrose Smith, 54, of Dartmouth, was arrested on OUI and motor vehicle charges after refusing to stop for a trooper, Massachusetts State Police spokesman Dave Procopio said in a statement on Tuesday.

Smith "led the Trooper on a pursuit that continued for more than a mile," Procopio said.

According to police, Smith admitted to being at a pub, a gentlemen’s club, in the hours before the drunken, dangerous drive.

The incident occurred early Friday morning, when State Police received a report of a red pickup truck driving on rims around 12:44 a.m.

A Trooper from the State Police barracks in Dartmouth located the vehicle, a 2013 Honda Ridgeline, driving erratically on three flat tires on Route 195 southbound near Faunce Corner Road.

The Trooper tried to stop the truck. The driver, later identified as Smith, refused to stop and led the Trooper on a pursuit that went down Faunce Corner, across Route 6, through a cemetery, back out onto Old Westport Road, back across Route 6 and onto Faunce Corner again, Procopio said.

Smith's vehicle eventually came to a stop, with help from Dartmouth Police, near the North Dartmouth Mall.

When police were taking Smith out of the truck, the truck, which was still in gear, rolled over the side of a Trooper’s foot.

The Trooper declined medical attention at the scene.

Troopers determined the driver, Smith, was under the influence of alcohol, Procopio said.

The trooper responding to the scene wrote in his police report that the smell of alcohol "was oppressive enough that I found myself having to turn away from his face because the odor was so intense."

After asking Smith if he realized he was being arrested, the trooper wrote "He looked at me and said, 'What!?'"

Smith was brought to the barracks and booked on charges of driving under the influence of liquor, negligent driving, reckless driving, failure to stop for police, failure to stop/yield for traffic control signs, and marked lanes violation.

A man who appeared to be Smith didn’t come to the door when a Boston 25 News crew knocked.

Andrea Marcovici lives directly across the street from Smith in Dartmouth.

"We always talk when he's outside, he walks and picks up his kid," she said. "I feel really awful for the family."

She believes this father and fire official deserves forgiveness during this "sad" situation.

"Everyone makes mistakes. We don’t know what's going on behind closed doors," Marcovici said.

Police say Smith’s pickup had significant damage to its headlight, bumper and hood area, as if he hit something.

We are told he’s currently taking personal time off, after being arraigned Friday and released on personal recognizance.

As of Tuesday night, Smith has not been formally suspended or placed on administrative leave.

He is due back in court on Feb. 1.