Dorchester Man Charged with OUI, Motor Vehicle Homicide in Cyclist’s Death

BOSTON, Sept. 17, 2011 – A Dorchester man was drinking at the bar he co-owns before colliding with and killing a 63-year-old bicyclist early Friday morning, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s office said today.

MICHAEL AHERN (D.O.B. 12/23/65) of Dorchester was arraigned in Dorchester District Court this morning on charges of motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence of alcohol, operating to endanger, and speeding. Assistant District Attorney Patrick Devlin requested $50,000 bail and that Ahern not drive while his case is pending. Judge James W. Coffey set bail at $25,000 and imposed the driving restriction.

Ahern, whose lengthy driving history Devlin called “atrocious,” was allegedly drunk behind the wheel of his pickup truck and driving over the speed limit when he struck Doan Bui shortly before 12:30 a.m. Sept. 14, as Bui rode his bicycle southbound on Morrissey Boulevard near Malibu Beach. Bui, a Dorchester resident who was returning from a fishing trip, was pronounced dead by responding emergency medical technicians. Ahern remained at the scene and called 911.

Prior to the fatal crash, prosecutors say, Ahern was drinking at Slate Bar and Grill, of which he is a co-owner. At the scene, he was allegedly unsteady on his feet, incoherent, and smelled of alcohol. A preliminary estimate put his speed at 50 miles per hour in a 30 mph zone.

“The only correct decision he made all night was calling 911,” Devlin said in court.

Ahern was treated at Boston Medical Center for cuts and bruises after the crash. Medical staff requested a blood sample to determine whether he was bleeding internally, but Ahern refused.

State Police detectives assigned to Conley’s office arrested Ahern yesterday at his home. Because Morrissey Boulevard is a state roadway, they have jurisdiction over the investigation into Bui’s death. They are assisted by the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the Crime Scene Services Section, and uniformed troopers assigned to the South Boston barracks.

Ahern was represented by attorney Jeff Clifford. He is due back in court on Nov. 21.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.