Cocchi pleads guilty to OUI charge

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi was charged with driving under the influence over the weekend and faced a judge and spoke about the charges Monday morning.

“Let me start by saying that I was raised by two of the best parents anyone could ever ask for. Growing up my parents always asked me to be the best version of myself that I could each be and every day my parents told me and taught me to be kind, compassionate and responsible , so it won’t be any different here today. Cocchi said.

Western Mass News cameras were in the Springfield Courthouse Monday as Cocchi stood behind his attorney and was arraigned and charged with operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. Cocchi was cited just outside the MGM Springfield Saturday night and released on his own recognizance. He has publicly taken full responsibility for his actions.

“In today’s political life, so many people want to point fingers and blame others. I wasn’t raised that way. I was raised and I don’t act like that in my personal or professional life, so today I take full responsibility for what happened last Saturday,” Cocchi explained.

Cocchi’s attorney entered a not guilty plea on his client’s behalf and spoke to Western Mass News shortly after the arraignment. His comments were brief as he was eager to get back to work.

“I look forward to moving forward with the sheriff’s office and continuing to do the great work my men and women do every day for our community,” Cocchi noted.

Hampden County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Robert Rizzuto said Monday afternoon that after the original judge recused himself this morning, Cocchi “entered a plea of ​​sufficient facts, which led the court to to continue the case without being established”. He added that Cocchi’s driver’s license would also be “temporarily suspended”.

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