District Attorney denies car accident despite police records

Robert Galibois II, district attorney for the Cape and Islands, has repeatedly denied hitting another car in an accident last year, but police records obtained by The Times show he was involved.

Galibois’ use of his office to issue a press release “portraying the accident in a light most favorable to him” was deemed a violation of state conflict of interest law under an agreement he signed with the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission.

On May 1, the commission fined him $5,000. Later that day, however, Galibois issued a statement in which he referred to the “so-called car crash” when describing the two-car rear-end collision on February 23, 2023.

According to police reports, Galibois was driving his service vehicle, a 2023 GMC, on Barnstable Road when he made an improper U-turn from the southbound lane into the northbound lane. His vehicle then struck the front tire of a 2004 Audi driven by Rahim Edwards Jr., records show.

Galibois’ car pushed Edwards’ vehicle onto the curb of the northbound lane, Edwards told police.

He said he “felt a noticeable impact from Galibois’ vehicle” and then saw Galibois “flee the scene of the accident.”

Edwards said he approached Galibois’ vehicle, honked his horn and signaled for Galibois to stop. The two cars pulled into a parking lot and got out.

Edwards said Galibois asked, “Oh, did I hit you?”

Galibois’ account is different. He told police that Edwards got out of his car and said in an “agitated voice,” “You hit my vehicle.”

“At that time, I did not know or believe that I was involved in an accident with that vehicle,” Galibois told police.

He said he told Edwards he was unaware of a collision and said, “Maybe I hit the curb.”

Although Galibois offered to call the police, Edwards did not think it was necessary. The two exchanged contact information and took photos of their vehicles.

As Edwards drove off, he saw “his vehicle’s dashboard warning lights illuminate and felt a mild to moderate shaking in the front of his vehicle.” He then called 911 to report the accident, police records show.

There was no visible damage to Galibois’ car.

Surveillance video from Cape Cod Cars & Trucks and damage to Edwards’ car “strongly suggest that Galibois’ passenger tire collided with Edwards’ vehicle while in a full turn position,” police records say.

Barnstable police spoke with Heather Lehtola, Edwards’ mother who owns the Audi, on March 1. She said Galibois was involved in a hit-and-run accident, did not respond to her and later denied the accident.

When Letola called Galibois, she said she was “put on hold by his secretary for ten minutes before being told that Galibois was out of the office.” She also sent him emails but received no response, she told police.

Lehtola said her insurance company informed her on February 28, five days after the accident, that Galibois denied any involvement in the accident.

In a telephone interview with the Cape Cod Times on March 6 last year, Galibois also denied that a collision had occurred.

After the incident surfaced in the media, the prosecutor’s office issued a statement speaking to Lehtola’s insurance company, saying he had fully cooperated with authorities and had not found any damage to either car.

His statement said he “accepts responsibility for civil traffic violations.” But he also said “the other driver was under the impression that the two cars had come into contact with each other.”

The ethics committee concluded that Galibois’ press release constituted a “use of public funds for private purposes” and “distorted the public portrayal of the accident in (Galibois’) own favor,” the agreement states.

In the same month, Galibois also violated the conflict of interest law when he informed his staff by email about unlisted vacant apartments belonging to a campaign donor, the Ethics Commission ruled.

The $5,000 civil penalty covers the two violations.