“Last evening Chief 1, Engine 1, and Engine 4 responded to Route 195 West for a motor vehicle fire. The sole occupant was able to exit the vehicle safely, but the vehicle is a total loss.

Thank you to the Mattapoisett Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police for assisting us with traffic during the incident.”-Mattapoisett Fire Rescue.

Mattapoisett Fire Rescue photo.

Mattapoisett Fire Rescue photo.

“FALL RIVER, NEW BEDFORD and WAREHAM, Mass. – Southcoast Health physician, Dennis LaRock, MD, has accepted the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Physician Officer effective March 1, 2024.

“I am pleased to announce we have selected Dennis LaRock, MD, from an incredibly talented group of candidates to serve as the Chief Physician Officer for Southcoast Health,” said David McCready, President and Chief Executive Officer of Southcoast Health. “With more than 25 years of experience across the organization in numerous leadership positions, he has demonstrated a strong commitment to clinical excellence and advancement. I am confident Dr. LaRock will continue to strengthen and develop our clinical services, ensuring Southcoast Health continues to deliver exceptional care to our community at the same level as larger hospitals nearby in Boston or Providence.”

The Chief Physician Officer is the senior-most physician leader for Southcoast Health and is charged with ensuring the highest levels of quality clinical care throughout the system. Dr. LaRock succeeds Rayford Kruger, MD, FACS, who held this position beginning in 2021 up until his retirement earlier this month.

South Coast Health photo.

Dr. LaRock most recently served as the Physician-in-Chief of Surgical Services at Southcoast Health overseeing the surgical departments of Brain and Spine, Ear Nose and Throat, General Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Orthopedics, Plastic Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Trauma and Urology. He was appointed to this position in 2022 in addition to his roles as the Co-Chief of Urology and Chief of Robotic Surgery at Southcoast Health, positions he has held since 2005 and 2008 respectively. He will retain the responsibilities of these positions for the immediate future.

“I am delighted to accept the Executive Vice President and Chief Physician Officer position at Southcoast Health and continue working to advance the care and services we provide to our patients and community,” said Dr. LaRock.

“In this role, I am honored to continue working alongside our incredible team of providers, nurses and staff to deliver exceptional care right here, close to home. I have seen our health system make tremendous progress over the last 25 years, and I am looking forward to continuing to bring new treatments, technology and services to the South Coast region.”

Dr. LaRock first became a member of the Southcoast Hospitals Group (SHG) Medical Staff in 1998 and his private practice joined Southcoast Physician Group (SPG) in 2012. He is board certified in adult and pediatric urology and is a Diplomat of the American Board of Urology.

Within this new role, he will continue seeing patients at the Southcoast Health outpatient offices in Fairhaven and Fall River and performing surgical cases in Southcoast Health facilities.

To learn more about Dr. LaRock please click here.

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About Southcoast Health
Founded in 1996, Southcoast Health serves communities across southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island as the largest provider of primary and specialty care in the region. The not-for-profit, charitable system includes three acute care hospitals – Charlton Memorial in Fall River, St. Luke’s in New Bedford (a Level II Trauma Center), and Tobey in Wareham, Massachusetts with a physician network of more than 675 providers.

With upward of 7,500 employees, Southcoast Health is the largest employer in southeastern Massachusetts, and one of the largest employers in the Commonwealth, according to the Boston Business Journal. More information is available online at www.southcoast.org.“

“The latest vehicle accident occurred yesterday morning on Bedford Street (8:28 am) in front of Lakeside Landing. The accident involved 4 vehicles.

This accident was the 5th crash in just over 24 hours.

Thankfully, there have been no serious injuries. Please use caution while traveling!”-Lakeville, MA Fire Department.

Lakeville, MA Fire Department photo.

Lakeville, MA Fire Department photo.

Lakeville, MA Fire Department photo.

Lakeville, MA Fire Department photo.

“Congratulations to our recruits who graduated from the 75th Class of the MPTC Plymouth Police Academy! They will be sworn into the New Bedford Police Department on Friday ??‍♀️?.”-City of New Bedford Police Department.

“PLYMOUTH – Yesterday, the Municipal Police Training Committee Executive Director Robert Ferullo and Plymouth Academy Director Eileen Goodick announced the graduation of 48 police officers from the MPTC Plymouth Police Academy’s 75th Recruit Officer Class. The graduates successfully completed over 20 weeks of intensive, standardized training in all aspects of law enforcement and will now serve as full-time officers representing 27 police agencies across Massachusetts.

The women of the 75th ROC Plymouth Police Academy. Photo by MPTC Plymouth Police Academy.

“The latest MPTC graduating class represents our investment in the future generation of public safety leaders who are well-prepared to protect and serve their communities and advance public safety across the Commonwealth,” said MPTC Executive Director Robert Ferullo (Ret. Police Chief). “I commend their commitment to meeting our statewide professional training standards, which has prepared these officers to provide communities with exceptional policing services by putting into practice the advanced skills, values, and principles engrained throughout their training.”

In a graduation ceremony at the Plymouth Memorial Hall earlier today, members of the 75th ROC took an oath and received their badges for service. The new officers represented several police departments and agencies, including Attleboro, Auburn, Barnstable, Bourne, Bridgewater, Brockton, Bunker Hill Community College, Duxbury, Eastham, Emerson College, Foxborough, Harwich, Leominster, Marlborough, Massachusetts Environmental, Middleborough, Milton, Nantucket, Needham, New Bedford, Northeastern University, Pembroke, Plainville, Plymouth, Provincetown, Truro, and Whitman. They join over 300 officers who have graduated from MPTC-operated academies in training year 2023-2024.

Administering the Oath of Honor to the MPTC Plymouth Police Academy 75th Recruit Officers Class graduates this afternoon at Plymouth Memorial Hall. Congratulations to the recruits and their families. Be safe! Photo by District Attorney Tim Cruz.

The Recruit Officer Course provides over 800 hours of course curriculum designed to prepare student officers for the safe and effective performance of their duties. In keeping with mandates established by the landmark 2020 police reform law, the MPTC curriculum includes de-escalation training based on new use-of-force policies and regulations. Student officers also receive uniform training based on best practices related to essential modern-day policing needs, including effective communication skills, victim-centered and trauma-informed incident response, missing persons and human trafficking investigations, mental health-related emergency response, active shooter and hostile event response, patrol duties, and officer safety and wellness.

Upon successful completion of the Academy, student officers have met all training requirements to be eligible for Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission certification.”- MPTC Plymouth Police Academy.

Administering the Oath of Honor to the MPTC Plymouth Police Academy 75th Recruit Officers Class graduates this afternoon at Plymouth Memorial Hall. Congratulations to the recruits and their families. Be safe! Photo by District Attorney Tim Cruz.

Administering the Oath of Honor to the MPTC Plymouth Police Academy 75th Recruit Officers Class graduates this afternoon at Plymouth Memorial Hall. Congratulations to the recruits and their families. Be safe! Photo by District Attorney Tim Cruz.

75th ROC Graduation – Law Enforcement Oath of Honor Administered by Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz. Photo by MPTC Plymouth Police Academy.

City of New Bedford Police Department photo.

“Yesterday Engine1 of the Dartmouth Fire Departments responded to the McDonald’s on Dartmouth St for an auto versus transformer accident.

There were significant delays involved with the extrication due to live voltage. Eversource worked to isolate the power and allow emergency personnel to work.”-Dartmouth Fire District 1.

Dartmouth Fire District 1 photo.

“Defendant previously extradited from the United Kingdom to face charges.

BOSTON – A former New Bedford man pleaded guilty today to wire fraud and money laundering charges involving funds obtained from “romance scam” victims.

Chukwunonso “Douglas” Umegbo, a/k/a James Abbott, a/k/a Michael Philips, a/k/a Richard Armani, 38, pleaded guilty to six counts of making a false statement to a bank, two counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. U.S. Senior District Court Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. scheduled sentencing for April 4, 2024. Umegbo was arrested in London in April 2022 and extradited to the United States in February 2023. He has remained in federal custody since. Umegbo was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2021.

Between no later than 2018 through at least 2019, Umegbo opened bank accounts in the greater Boston area using fake identity documents. The bank accounts were used to receive fraudulently obtained funds from a number of victims of romance scams, in which perpetrators create fictitious online personas to develop online romantic relationships with individuals in the U.S., and then leverage those relationships to obtain money and/or property. Once the fraudulently obtained funds reached the accounts controlled by Umegbo, Umegbo withdrew the money in cash, used the funds to purchase cashier’s checks, or spent the money on personal purchases. Altogether, the fraudulent accounts received more than $560,000.

The charge of making a false statement to a bank provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the scheme, whichever is greater. The charge of money laundering provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000, or twice the value of the criminally derived property. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division; and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance in securing the arrest and extradition from the U.K. of Umegbo. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristen A. Kearney and Leslie A. Wright of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.” -Massachusetts Department of Justice.

Seeks Acceleration of Fine Schedule for Repeat Offenders; Chance to Reset After 1 Year.

NEW BEDFORD – “Mayor Jon Mitchell has submitted a proposal to the City Council which would accelerate the fine schedule for irresponsible absentee landlords and give them an opportunity to start fresh after 12 months of compliance.

Mayor Mitchell announced the proposed changes in his Inaugural Address on Jan. 1, and in a Thursday filing to the City Council, wrote that the “amendments would encourage more responsible management of residential property, strengthen neighborhoods, and conserve the City’s enforcement resources.”

The current fine schedule requires 25 separate violations before City inspectors can issue the maximum fine allowed by state law, $300. Penalties start with a warning and escalate in increments of $25 until the maximum is reached after 25 separate offenses. Mayor Mitchell said the current fine schedule is too gradual and has impeded the City’s enforcement efforts.

Over the last five years, more than 585 properties have had more than 10 violations. Of those properties, 177 had between 20-49 violations, 49 had 50-99 violations, and 12 had more than 100 violations.

“The City’s current fine schedule has proven inadequate to curb the irresponsible management practices of some landlords,” Mitchell wrote. “Some of them have violated the trash ordinance so often that it is evident that they are simply ignoring their fine tickets … in part because the current fine schedule does not create a strong enough incentive for repeat offenders to change their management practices.”

Mayor Mitchell proposed changing the fine structure to reach the maximum $300 penalty after seven violations, starting with a warning and increasing in $50 increments for each violation.

“I believe any landlord who fails to address a chronic problem after a handful of fines simply lacks the will to do it, and must be forced into compliance by the threat of higher fines,” he wrote.

City Council President Naomi R.A. Carney shared the Mayor’s sentiment that the number of fines to reach the maximum should be reduced.

“I agree that we need to look at the Code of Ordinance and reduce the 25 violations number before reaching maximum,” she said. “I look forward to the discussion.”

Additionally, Mayor Mitchell proposed a reset for landlords who actively seek to improve the conditions of their property. Under the filed amendment, the violation tally would reset to zero for any property that goes an entire year without a new violation.

“If a property owner is making genuine improvements, that landlord should have the opportunity to start over,” he wrote. “I believe this would create a compelling incentive for a landlord to improve their management practices.””-City of New Bedford.

“Former Mayor John A. Markey passed away Sunday at 89. Mayor Jon Mitchell has ordered flags at City facilities be flown at half-staff in his honor. Mayor Mitchell’s statement on Mayor Markey’s passing:

“I was saddened to learn of the passing of former Mayor John A. Markey, whose legacy is evident across New Bedford today. Mayor Markey was first elected in 1971, winning a three-way race between incumbent George Rogers and former Mayor Edmund Harrington.

The history of the City would show that Jack Markey was the right leader at the right time. Arriving in office in the wake of riots and strikes that rocked the City, and a time when America’s democratic institutions were losing credibility, Mayor Markey restored trust in municipal government and stability to the City. His tenure in office would come to define New Bedford in the 1970s, one marked by an unfailing integrity and clarity of purpose.

Despite the headwinds of a contracting manufacturing economy, he maintained the City’s focus on the long term, and hired a capable team of public servants to carry out the work. His tenure was replete with investments that make up much of the bulwark of the City today, nearly 50 years later: The construction of New Bedford High School and GNB Voc-Tech, four new elementary schools, a modern drinking water plant, and numerous major housing and road projects. But his signature achievement was the establishment of the Historic District and the restoration of its cobblestoned streets.

In 1977, the City was allotted $13 million from the then new Community Development Block Grant program, and despite calls to spend the windfall on various immediate needs, Markey was convinced that an investment to help bring the City’s storied past to life would pay off in the long run. No one today doubts that his decision was the right one. Thanks to Mayor Markey’s clear understanding of the City’s core interests and the courage to advance them, the Historic District is today the most photographed part of the City, and an enduring source of pride for our residents.

Mayor Markey prevailed in six mayoral elections, leaving office in 1982 as the longest continuously serving mayor in the City’s history. In his second act in public service, he served as the presiding judge of the New Bedford District Court until his retirement, where he was known for his fairness, his incisive analysis of the law, and his commitment to justice for all. In 2014, the City officially named the plaza along what is arguably the City’s most central intersection and the gateway to the Historic District “Jack Markey Plaza” in honor of his long and distinguished service to New Bedford.

Mayor Markey left New Bedford a stronger, more confident City for his efforts. His accomplishments are many, but he will be remembered most by those who knew him as a thoroughly loyal, honest and humble man, committed unwaveringly to his family, his City and his Faith. I will be forever grateful for his support and encouragement, especially at the beginning of my tenure. Ann and I offer our condolences and prayers to his wife Carol, his children, John, Carol Ann, Chris and Jennifer, his grandchildren, and his many friends. I have ordered the flags at City facilities to be flown at half-staff in his honor.”-Jon Mitchell.

“Wareham Police Department is asking for help in identifying the individual in the photo above.

On January 14th there was a shoplifting incident at ULTA in Wareham.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Please reach out to Detective DeSilva with any information at wcd@warehampolice.com.”-Wareham Police Department.

Wareham Police Department photo.

“Early morning crash on Rt 140.

The call came in from State Police for a car versus tree just after 5 am. Engine 1, Ambulance 3, and Car 2 responded to the highway.

The drivers refused treatment and transport to the hospital.”-Lakeville, MA Fire Department.

Lakeville, MA Fire Department photo.