A late-night check at Duxbury Beach on June 23 ended with a 37-year-old Marshfield father in handcuffs and his 4-year-old child taken from the back of a white Jeep Wrangler, after police say they found the man allegedly drunk behind the wheel.
According to officers, the man now faces a stack of charges: OUI-liquor (third offense), child endangerment while operating under the influence, assault and battery on a police officer, and resisting arrest. Police say one officer suffered minor injuries when the suspect allegedly kicked into an open cruiser door during the struggle to arrest him.
In a press release from the Town of Duxbury Police Department, Chief Michael Carbone said officers first responded to Chandler Street around 9:30 p.m. for a report involving the man, then encountered him again about 11 p.m. in the east lot at Duxbury Beach. Officers said they saw vomit in the driver area, noted multiple signs of impairment and found the 4-year-old asleep in the back seat. The child was reported unharmed.
Police said officers used OC spray after the man allegedly refused to comply with commands and resisted attempts to place him in custody. In the release, the department quoted the suspect as telling officers, “I’m drunk, I’m sorry.”
Charges and potential penalties
When a child is in the vehicle, state law significantly raises the stakes. Under M.G.L. c.90 §24V, operating under the influence with a passenger age 14 or younger is an enhanced offense that can bring fines from $1,000 to $5,000 and up to 2½ years in jail for a first conviction, with tougher penalties for repeat offenders.
According to Mass.gov and the state’s Driver’s Manual, a third OUI is usually treated as a felony. A conviction can carry mandatory jail time, substantial fines and a long license suspension, reflecting how seriously the state treats repeat impaired driving.
What happened at the scene
In its release, Duxbury Police identified the suspect as 37-year-old Michael Corbo of Marshfield. Officers said they saw vomit in the driver’s area of the Jeep, believed he was impaired and moved to arrest him after finding the child asleep in the back seat.
Police say Corbo resisted, prompting officers to deploy pepper spray to gain control. During the struggle, an officer sustained minor injuries when Corbo allegedly kicked into an open cruiser door. The child was taken from the vehicle and was not hurt, police said.
Why this matters locally
South Shore prosecutors and judges have not hesitated to seek or impose prison sentences in serious OUI cases where people are injured or killed. In one recent example, a Marshfield woman was sentenced in late 2024 after a fatal OUI crash in Hull, as reported by Boston.com. Cases like that underscore how the region’s courts tend to treat repeat or high-risk impaired driving very seriously.
Duxbury Police say the investigation into the June 23 incident remains active, and the department’s release lists Corbo’s arrest and the charges he faces. Anyone with information is asked to contact the department as the case moves forward.
