Former Select Board vice chair Mary Jo LaFreniere raises her hand to be sworn in for court proceedings at Framingham District Court on Thursday for charges relating to operating under the influence. PHOTO/NICK SCHOFIELD

Former Select Board vice chair Mary Jo LaFreniere avoided a jury trial for charges of operating under the influence after reaching an agreement with prosecutors on Thursday.

LaFreniere and her lawyer, attorney Sean Doherty, began the morning at Framingham District Court ready for a jury trial. A discussion between Middlesex County assistant district attorney Leon Rotenstein, Doherty and Judge Jennifer Queally revealed that plea agreements had been discussed prior to Thursday’s hearing.

“Is this worth a conversation about trying to resolve?” Queally asked.

Doherty responded that he and the District Attorney’s office had been unable to reach a resolution.

LaFreniere had an automatic plea of not guilty entered on her behalf at a pretrial hearing in February.

When asked if he and LaFreniere were prepared potentially to move forward to a jury trial, Doherty remarked that he is “always ready for showtime.”

Doherty and his client were directed by Queally to consult with Rotenstein to see if a resolution could be reached and return after a brief recess.

The OUI charge LaFreniere was facing stemmed from an incident on Dec. 15, 2024. She was arrested and charged following a minor accident on Walcott Valley Drive that night after driving home from TJ’s Food and Spirits on the Hopkinton-Ashland line.

According to a report from the MetroWest Daily News, LaFreniere said she had consumed two Irish coffees (a cocktail made with coffee and whiskey) before returning home that night.

Upon returning to the courtroom, the attorneys informed Queally that an agreement had been reached. LaFreniere made an admission to sufficient facts, waiving her right to a jury trial and other protected rights.

An admission to sufficient facts, according to the Massachusetts Rules of Criminal Procedure, is an alternative plea where “the defendant does not explicitly admit guilt.” It allows a defendant’s case to be continued without a finding.

To accept LaFreniere’s plea, Queally asked for a recounting of the facts of the case from Rotenstein and affirmation from LaFreniere that these facts were true.

Rotenstein laid out the Middlesex DA’s case, starting with Hopkinton police officer Nicholas Walker’s testimony.

According to Rotenstein, Walker was off-duty and walking his dog in the Walcott Valley Drive neighborhood when he heard a bang and found LaFreniere on the sidewalk in her vehicle. Walker, in his testimony, “noticed an odor of alcohol” from LaFreniere as he assisted her back to her residence.

After calling for backup, officers found LaFreniere’s vehicle inoperable and noticed she “had bloodshot, glassy eyes, was unsteady, and [couldn’t] remember what she hit,” said Rotenstein. She also allegedly admitted to officers she had a drink with dinner and two Irish coffees after dinner at TJ’s, Rotenstein said.

She subsequently was arrested and charged with an OUI.

Despite some hesitation, LaFreniere accepted these facts in her admission at Queally’s prompting.

Before Queally’s final ruling, Doherty asked the judge to consider extenuating circumstances. He pointed to LaFreniere’s clean legal history, years of service to the town of Hopkinton and both medical and social factors that contributed to her OUI.

“It was a confluence of alcohol, no medication, and a funeral,” said Doherty.

LaFreniere had visited TJ’s on Dec. 15 following the wake of a family member — the third funeral she claimed to have attended in the span of a month. She reported to the court that she had not taken her diabetes medication that day, either.

“It was a perfect storm,” both LaFreniere and Doherty claimed.

In her final ruling, Queally continued the case without a finding and ordered LaFreniere on probation for a year. As well, she ordered a 45 day loss of license and the completion of a driver impairment education program.

According to a court official, as long as LaFreniere follows the orders and remains in good standing with the court, her charges will be dismissed at the end of her probation.

Speaking with the Independent following the hearing, LaFreniere said the decision avoided drawing out the process.

“I could continue to fight it,” she explained. “You just get to a point where you’ve got to move [on].”

She also noted there were a lot of extenuating circumstances in her case, and her health was a contributing factor. LaFreniere, who appeared in court with a walker, noted issues with osteoarthritis and a recent fall that caused damage to her nose.

Now that the trial is over and her tenure with the Select Board has come to a close, the 76-year-old said she is not sure what comes next.

“My whole life has been devoted to Hopkinton,” LaFreniere said.