A retired Boston police detective has admitted in Superior Court that he was operating under the influence during an early-morning crash in East Boston last fall, and he is walking away without a formal conviction if he stays out of trouble for a year. On Tuesday, June 9, 2026, a judge accepted a continued-without-a-finding disposition that puts the case on probation for twelve months and, if completed, will lead to dismissal of the OUI charge, closing a case that had drawn scrutiny over how responding officers handled one of their own.
Greg Walsh, 51, admitted to sufficient facts and agreed to the continuance as part of a plea deal in Suffolk Superior Court, according to WCVB. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the counts of carrying a firearm while intoxicated and negligent operation, and the OUI and leaving-the-scene charges were continued without a finding. The agreement lets Walsh complete a court-ordered OUI program and a year of probation remotely while continuing to live outside the country, per the report.
How prosecutors say the crash unfolded
Prosecutors say the crash happened around 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 22, 2024, when Walsh, driving a city-owned oversized pickup dressed up to look like an undercover vehicle, backed into an occupied Tesla on Sumner Street and then drove off, according to the Commonwealth’s statement of the case. The people in the Tesla recorded parts of the encounter and told investigators that Walsh covered the truck’s license plates with paper towels and a piece of clothing before circling back. An officer who later found Walsh in a nearby alley described him as unsteady on his feet and slurring his words, removed Walsh’s duty weapon, then had a sergeant review body-worn camera footage before a citation was issued.
Indictment and plea terms
A Suffolk County grand jury indicted Walsh in December on charges of OUI, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, negligent operation, and carrying a licensed firearm while intoxicated, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. As part of Tuesday’s plea deal, two charges were dismissed and the remaining counts were continued without a finding. Benjamin Megrian, an attorney for Walsh, said his client “looks forward to putting this behind him finally,” according to WCVB.
Questions about the department’s response
Court records and prior coverage show the episode did not end with the collision. After the Tesla passenger called 911 a second time, an on-duty officer chased Walsh into a nearby alley and found him lying a short distance away. The responding sergeant noted a slight odor of alcohol and slurred speech but chose not to administer field sobriety tests, instead directing another officer to drive Walsh home, The Boston Globe reported. In November 2024, the East Boston clerk magistrate initially declined to issue criminal charges and told prosecutors the matter should be investigated by Internal Affairs, according to court documents.
What “continued without a finding” means
Under Massachusetts practice, a continuance without a finding, often shortened to CWOF, follows an admission that there are sufficient facts to support a charge and places a defendant on probation for a set period. If the person meets all conditions, the case is dismissed and no guilty finding is entered, according to guidance from the state court system. The arrangement is commonly used in OUI cases, but an admission to sufficient facts can still be treated as a prior offense in any future OUI prosecution and can carry collateral consequences for firearms licensing and immigration status, according to Mass.gov.
What’s next for Walsh and the department
Walsh retired from the Boston Police Department on Nov. 6, 2025, while the criminal case was still pending, and the department’s Anti-Corruption Division worked with the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office to bring additional evidence to a grand jury, The Boston Globe reported. If Walsh fails to comply with the terms of his continuance, the court can convert the case into a guilty finding and impose a sentence. Prosecutors say they plan to monitor his compliance with the conditions of probation.
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