Mass. Trooper Involved In Fatal Crash Suspended

A Massachusetts state trooper who was allegedly drunk when he was involved in a head-on car crash that resulted in the deaths of a Carver woman and her daughter while they were driving home from a Red Sox game was suspended without pay Wednesday, a department spokesman said.

John Basler, 25, was suspended following a hearing at state police headquarters in Framingham. The Kingston resident did not attend the hearing but was represented by a lawyer.

The department's Internal Affairs Section will investigate to determine whether Basler's conduct violated department rules, state police said.

Basler, who was sworn in in March 2012, was off duty and driving a private vehicle when he was involved in the crash just after midnight Sept. 22 in Plymouth, police said. He also had a gun in his car, police said.

The driver of the other vehicle, Susan Macchi, 64, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her daughter, Juliet Macchi, 23, a 2012 Harvard University graduate, was pronounced dead at the hospital. They were returning home from a Red Sox game, family members have said.

Basler, who was also hospitalized, faces charges including operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and carrying a firearm while under the influence of liquor, Plymouth Chief Michael Botieri said. The investigation is ongoing and more charges are possible, he said.

State police relieved Basler of duty and revoked his license to carry a firearm after Plymouth police announced that they intended to bring charges.

It was unclear if an arraignment has been scheduled. A call to a phone listing for Basler was not answered and a message left at his lawyer's office was not immediately returned.