New Bedford City Councilor Shawn Oliver pleaded not guilty to a charge of operating under the influence of alcohol in New Bedford District Court Monday morning, in a case that has led to him suspending his campaign for lieutenant governor.
Oliver entered the courthouse shortly before 9 a.m. as arraignments began. His lawyer, John Hendrie, greeted him warmly and led him into the lawyers’ lounge, where they stayed for a few minutes before walking into the courtroom together. Oliver sat quietly next to his wife, Emerald O’Driscoll-Oliver, near the back of the courtroom as he waited his turn to be called, watched intently by more than half a dozen journalists and photographers.
