BC High hockey coach placed on leave after drunken driving arrest in Milton

MILTON − The head of Boston College High School’s ice hockey program has been placed on administrative leave after police say he drunkenly crashed his car into another and drove onto the front yard of a Milton home over the weekend.

John Flaherty, 52, of Milton, was arraigned in Quincy District Court this week on charges of drunken driving, leaving the scene of property damage and a marked-lanes violation. He was released without bail and is due back in court Feb. 9 for a pretrial conference.

Flaherty has been placed on administrative leave by Boston College High School, where he is the head hockey coach.

Colleen Carter, the school's vice president for external relations, said in an email Wednesday that the administration is "aware of the charges against Mr. Flaherty."

"As it relates to the varsity hockey team, we can confirm that Coach Vermette and Coach Collier, along with Coach O’Brien, will take on responsibility for the team in Coach Flaherty’s absence," her email read. "We are proud of our student athletes and know they will work hard to represent BC High and the successful hockey program. Separate from that, we will not be commenting on a private matter at this time."

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Flaherty was turning onto Reedsdale Road from Randolph Avenue in Milton at about 7 p.m. Sunday when he hit a car that was stopped as the driver waited to turn left, Milton police said in a report on file in Quincy District Court.

The driver of the other car told police that Flaherty did not stop after the crash and that he drove away on the wrong side of the road. The driver turned their car around and started to follow him.

The driver called 911 and continued to follow Flaherty until he drove onto the sidewalk and front lawn at 145 Lyman Road, police said.

The car was still on the lawn when an officer arrived, police said. Flaherty was "unsteady on his feet, his eyes were glassy and bloodshot ... (he) had a difficult time forming sentences and his speech was slurred to the point he was mumbling," the police report reads.

He was then arrested and taken to the Milton police station, where he refused to take a chemical breath test, police said. Police later obtained video footage of the accident.

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Reach Mary Whitfill at mwhitfill@patriotledger.com

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: BC High hockey coach placed on leave after drunken driving arrest