Contact: Beth Stone 508-584-8120
WAREHAM – A man pleaded not guilty today to charges that he was intoxicated and behind the wheel when he struck and killed a motorcyclist, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced.
Raymond Cardoza, 67, of West Wareham, pleaded not guilty today in Wareham District Court to one count each of Operating Under the Influence – Manslaughter, Operating Under the Influence, 4th Offense, Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Personal Injury or Death, and Operating a Motor Vehicle with a Suspended License. The Commonwealth requested that Cardoza be held on $1 million cash bail. Judge Teresa Lamarre set bail at $250,000 with conditions that if Cardoza makes bail he wear a GPS monitoring bracelet, be home confined, and use a Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring, or SCRAM device three times per day.
At approximately 5:05 pm on Friday, Wareham Police received multiple 911 calls for reports of a serious car vs. motorcycle crash in the vicinity of 2628 Cranberry Highway.
Wareham Police and Fire personnel responded and located the motorcycle operator on the ground with life threatening injuries. He was taken to Tobey Hospital, before being transferred to St. Luke’s Hospital where he died as a result of his injuries. He has been identified as 25 year-old Jordan Hansen.
The operator of the motor vehicle, later identified as Cardoza, and the car he was operating were located a quarter mile from the crash scene. The Toyota motor vehicle had sustained damage consistent with a crash.
Wareham Police contacted the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, and an investigation commenced.
Cardoza told investigators that it was his birthday on Friday, and when he woke up that morning he had 2-3 beers. He said he was headed to Wal-Mart when the crash occurred. Multiple officers detected a strong odor of alcohol on Cardoza’s breath during interviews.
As a result of the investigation, which also included interviews with witnesses on scene, Cardoza was placed under arrest.
Cardoza is next scheduled to appear in court on August 27th.