A State Police trooper who was allegedly found “slumped over” in his car at around 5 a.m. in the South End with an open container of High Noon vodka has been “relieved of duty.”

Mass State Police confirmed to the Herald Wednesday night that Trooper Donovan Preston, 31, arrested for alleged drunken driving in Boston this past weekend, “has been relieved of duty.” Preston’s base pay is listed as $80,213.

A Boston Police report states that police arrived at Herald Street on Saturday to see Preston “stopped in lane 2 of the road” with his brake lights on. The suspect was slumped over “with his eyes closed,” the report adds.

“The officer observed that the car was on and in drive. The officer observed an open container of alcohol (High Noon) in the cupholder,” according to the report. The BPD officer then knocked on the window “for approximately 10 seconds before the suspect lifted his head up.”

Once he picked his head up, police said he appeared “confused and he looked around. The suspect’s vehicle began to roll to which the officer announced, ‘Boston Police. Open the Door.’ ”

Preston stopped on the three-lane, outbound road with his black BMW in the middle of two lanes.

A State Police spokesman said in an email: “Trooper Donovan Preston was relieved of duty and will be subject to a department discipline process.” All other comments were directed toward the police report.

That report, provided to the Herald Wednesday night, added that State Police were notified after Preston’s arrest.

The can of High Noon was logged into the evidence book.

This latest OUI case comes as State Police Sgt. Scott Quigley is being investigated in an alleged drunken driving fatal crash in Woburn in 2023 that killed a disabled passenger in a van.

In the Quigley case, his blood alcohol level reportedly tested at a .114 at the hospital following the crash (the legal limit is .08). That detail came out in a wrongful death suit filed by the victim Angelo Schettino’s family.

‘Unless he’s s###-faced, I’m not worried’: Mass State Police dash cam catches aftermath of deadly cruiser crash [+video]

Days after kids got into a major brawl in Downtown Pittsburgh, some school leaders are reacting, trying to get ahead of more potential activity this weekend.

Pittsburgh Public Schools left a voice message for families Tuesday night, informing them about a flyer circulating on social media of a “downtown takeover” on Friday.

“This event is not sanctioned, not supervised, and poses a serious safety concern for our students. We urge all families to discourage their children from attending,” part of Pittsburgh Public Schools’ message said.

The location is unclear, but it’s scheduled for less than one week after a large brawl at Market Square, a place Pittsburgh Public Safety said has become a hub for kids and teens to gather, and where a fight early Sunday evening resulted in seven minors cited for disorderly conduct, and around 20 treated for exposure to pepper spray.

Jen Grippo, owner of Original Oyster House, said they were closed at the time. However, Grippo said they remain in close contact with their neighboring businesses about any activity.

“It was certainly disappointing,” Grippo said. 

Grippo said she and Kathy Marsico, the operations manager at Nicholas Coffee and Tea Co., were already aware of the potential event on Friday.

“It’s a crazy world right now,” Marsico said. “It’s a cultural, social, kind of environment where the kids are very, you know, just attracted to that type of behavior.” 

Marsico said police are urging all shops that don’t have cameras to put them up and to provide them with access to assist in these situations. She also said they work with an outreach team called AIM.

“They’re trying to make sure that the kids act responsibly and don’t take part in those types of events,” Marsico said.

Between these efforts and the PPS voicemail, businesses are encouraged by the proactive measures, but do feel more long-term solutions are needed, something the Pittsburgh Public Safety director said is in the works, as police confirmed to KDKA they’re monitoring the potential gathering that’s days away.

“We just want to make sure that even if the kids do come Downtown, you’re being safe, you’re being respectful, and you’re not going to cause a ruckus,” Grippo said.

Wednesday’s landmark jury ruling in a social media addiction case was watched closely by an Enfield mother who’s also suing social media companies, including Meta, after her daughter took her own life a few years ago. She said her daughter’s death was fueled by an addiction to the platforms.

“We deserve this win. The whole, all of us who have lost our children deserve this win,” Tammy Rodriguez said.

She jumped for joy after a jury found Meta and YouTube liable in a social media addiction case. The verdict found the social media companies negligent in the design and operation of their platforms to the point where it was a substantial factor in causing harm to the plaintiff.

This is the first of many cases brought by families accusing social media companies of harming their children. Rodriguez is suing after her 11-year-old daughter, Selena, took her life in the summer of 2021. She pointed to Selena’s struggles with bullying and a change in her behavior.

“She was doing things she never would have done in the past, very risky things,” Rodriguez said.

In a statement to NBC News, Meta called teen mental health “profoundly complex” and “couldn’t be linked to a single app,” saying in part: “We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online.”

Google, which owns YouTube, said the case “misunderstands” YouTube, saying it’s a “responsibly built streaming site”.

Quinnipiac University law professor Wayne Unger says this is a landmark verdict for other similar cases in court.

“For the first time, we are holding companies civilly liable for the harms that they have caused,” he said.

He says the ruling means Meta and YouTube didn’t adequately warn users about the dangers of using their platforms. He says down the line, this could mean companies changing their behaviors and adjusting their platforms.

“That means change their products to now make them essentially legally compliant or, in other words, to mitigate the new legal exposure that they have,” Unger said.

An exposure Rodriguez hopes could bring real change.

“People need to know the real truth.”

Rodriguez’s case still remains pending in federal court.

Unger says for social media companies, the easiest thing that could happen, for example, is putting a warning label on their products. He says there could be changes with likes and reshares as well.