“Engine 3, and Medic 1 responded to an early morning roll over in the area of 229 Sconticut Neck Rd.
One person was transported to the hospital and Eversource crews were on scene working to replace the broken telephone pole.
Great work group 2!”-Fairhaven Firefighters Association, Local 1555.
Fairhaven Firefighters Association, Local 1555 photo.
“A Massachusetts State Police K9 team and its support element this afternoon located and apprehended a suspect who tried to evade capture after dragging a Trooper on Route 91 north.
The Trooper, a male, was attempting to stop the suspect, who was driving a 2007 Chevrolet Malibu sedan, for motor vehicle violations at the Holyoke rest area on the northbound side of the highway. The Trooper was standing outside the Malibu and was trying to secure the suspect when the suspect drove off. The Trooper was dragged a short distance by the Malibu. The suspect vehicle struck the Trooper’s cruiser and other vehicles as the suspect fled.
After he disengaged from the suspect vehicle, the Trooper radioed the State Police-Northampton Barracks and reported what had happened. The Trooper, who is assigned to the MSP Troop B Community Action Team, re-entered his cruiser and pursued the suspect up Route 91 north.
Massachusetts State Police photo.
Several minutes later the suspect vehicle went off the road and crashed. The suspect exited the car and ran into adjacent woods, heading toward Route 5.
Numerous MSP patrols, multiple MSP K9 Unit teams, and local police patrols rushed to the area to begin a search for the suspect. Troopers set up a perimeter around the area while State Troopers and Officers from the Northampton and Easthampton Police Departments, along with multiple K9 teams, searched the area, including along a bike trail and railroad tracks. Northampton Police launched a drone to assist in the search, and Easthampton Police launched a boat in the Connecticut River.
At approximately 5:35 PM, MSP K9 Unit Sgt. Jack Doherty and his partner Roxy located the suspect in the area and, along with a support element of other personnel, took the suspect into custody.
The suspect is identified as MICHAEL J. WILLIAMS Jr., 45, of Greenfield. He was charged with the following offenses:
1. Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon;
2. Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle;
3. Operating After License was Suspended for Prior OUI offense;
4. Leaving the Scene of a Crash that Caused Personal Injury;
5. Failure to Stop for Police;
6. Speeding;
7. Marked Lanes Violation; and
8. Resisting Arrest.
WILLIAMS is being held without bail for a violation of conditions of his probation from a previous conviction. He will be arraigned Monday in Northampton District Court.
Following the pursuit, the Trooper who was dragged was transported by ambulance to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton for a lower body injury. The Trooper was treated and released.”-Massachusetts State Police.
Massachusetts State Police photo.
Massachusetts State Police photo.
“The City’s Emergency Medical Services Department purchased 49 Automated External Defibrillators (AED) for the City Buildings using federal ARPA funds.
The Department of Facilities and Fleet Management is working to get them delivered and installed in all of the buildings. AEDs are a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia, and is able to treat them through defibrillation.”-City of New Bedford.
City of New Bedford photo.
“The City of New Bedford has roadwork sites for the upcoming week of September 25, 2023 – September 29, 2023, and they are as follows:
Eversource will be working on gas main relays and services on:
• Main relay on Allen St from Byron St to 606 Allen St
• Main relay on Berkley St from Commonwealth Ave to end of road
• Main relay on Church St from Tarkiln Hill Rd to Nash Rd
• Main relay on Hudson St from Brock Ave east to end of main at 32 Hudson St
• Main relay on Longwood Ave from Commonwealth Ave to end of road
• Main relay on Rockdale Ave from Grape St to Bluefield St
• Regulator work on Potter St at Rockdale Ave headed east towards Nashua St
• Services on Gaywood St from Brownell Ave to end of road
• Services on Lynwood St from Brownell Ave to end of road
• Services on Pauline St from Brownell Ave to end of road
• Services on Sheldon St from Brownell Ave to end of road
Other:
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working at varies locations throughout the city on roadway and sidewalk patches.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working at MassDOT project #609201, located at the intersection of Acushnet Ave & Peckham Rd/Sassaquin Ave.
• Contractors (PA Landers and various utility companies) will be working at MassDOT’s Kings Highway project. Minor traffic impacts and lane shifts required.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working on a road reconstruction project at Acushnet Ave from Tarkiln Hill Road to Monmouth Street.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working on a road reconstruction project at Wood Street from the town line to Church Street.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working on Braley Rd Sidewalks between Acushnet Avenue and Phillips Road. Minor traffic impacts and lane shifts required.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working on a road reconstruction project at Sutton Street from Shawmut Ave to Harvard Street.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working on a road reconstruction project at Irvington Street from Church Street to Maywood Street.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working at the intersection of Union Street and County Street. Minor traffic impacts are to be expected. Police details and lane closures will be required.
• Contractor (SCR Constructors) will continue site work at the future South Coast Rail station platform locations in the city. (Church St at Carlisle St and Wamsutta St at Acushnet Ave.) If you have questions, please email the project team at SouthCoastRail@dot.state.ma.us
• Contractor (SCR Constructors) will continue site work at the future pedestrian bridge across Route 18 impacting parking along Purchase Street between Willis Street and Pearl Street and at the Division of Career Services on Acushnet Avenue. Temporary detours may be in place pending construction activities occurring. If you have questions, please email the project team at SouthCoastRail@dot.state.ma.us
• Contractor (Middlesex Corp) will be working on Nash Rd between Church St and Mt. Pleasant St. Traffic will be reduced to one lane and will have police details on site to assist with traffic.
• Contractor (Newport) will be working on Nash Rd between Church St and Mt. Pleasant St. Traffic will be reduced to one lane and will have police details on site to assist with traffic.”
“A 42-year-old New Bedford Fentanyl trafficker, who at the time of his arrest last December had already not shown up for a similar court case out of Essex County, was sentenced last week in Fall River Superior Court to serve six to eight years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.
Felix Berrios Colon pled guilty to indictments charging him with Trafficking in Fentanyl and Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine.
On December 19, 2022, New Bedford Police had a search warrant for 83 Pawnee Court. The target was the defendant, who was using an alias of “Luis Mejias” at that time as it was later determined he is the country illegally. On that date, police conducted search warrant surveillance. They observed the defendant leave the target apartment, at which point they stopped him.
On his person, police located a sock containing a bag of cocaine and $561 in cash. The cocaine was weighed and tested at the lab—confirmed to be cocaine, weighing 7.05 grams. Police proceeded to search the target address. Once inside, police located a significant amount of a powder substance. The defendant made statements indicating some of the powder substance that was located was “not real” and that it was cutting agent. The narcotics seized from the house were tested and weighed and determined to consist of 109.84 grams of Fentanyl and 960.33 grams of caffeine, which is a common cutting agent used in narcotics distribution. In addition to the 109 grams of fentanyl, 7 grams of cocaine, and cutting agent, police located digital scales and a total of $2,561 in cash.
When the defendant was arrested on this case he was in default on a narcotics trafficking case out of Essex County.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Gillian Kirsch and the state prison sentence was imposed by Judge Valeria Yarashus.
“This defendant was out on bail for trafficking narcotics in another area of the state, failed to appear in court in that mater and then was re-arrested in New Bedford for doing the same thing. He clearly poses a danger to the community and needs to be kept off the street,” District Attorney Quinn said.”
“Last night Chief 1, Engine 1, and Engine 4 responded to Route 195 for a reported car fire.
On arrival, crews had heavy fire showing from the engine compartment which had started to spread into the passengers area. Engine 2 also responded but staged on North Street.”-Mattapoisett Fire Rescue.
Mattapoisett Fire Rescue photo.
Mattapoisett Fire Rescue photo.
Mattapoisett Fire Rescue photo.
Mattapoisett Fire Rescue photo.
As part of their Right-of-Way education program, Jean Fox Director of Community Engagement at MassDOT is sharing safety reminders on specific topics each month.
This week is Rail Safety Week, an opportunity to highlight safety and remember to take it to heart every week. With school back in session, MassDOT wants to reach out to teachers and parents specifically to encourage them to speak with students and children about putting Safety First. From classroom to home, wherever kids may come across railroad tracks, it is key to make sure they have the knowledge and tools to stay safe.
The MBTA will be testing and commissioning Commuter Rail trains to and from Middleborough, East Taunton, Freetown, Fall River, and New Bedford for the first time in decades. The test trains will travel the corridor, reaching speeds of up to 80 mph, much faster than previous freight trains at 25 mph.
As MassDOT approaches this exciting milestone, they want to remind everyone who lives by, drives, works, or crosses railroad tracks to prepare for high-speed trains to be a frequent sight in the region. It’s important to remember that only trains should be on the right-of-way. It is illegal and life-threatening to walk on or along the tracks.
Both adults and students should take the following safety information to heart:
• The ONLY safe place to cross train tracks is at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings—obey warning signs and signals posted there.
• Trains are quieter and faster than you think, and the average train traveling 55 mph can take a mile or more to stop.
• Using the railroad ROW to walk, ride bicycles, or for any other recreational purpose is trespassing and extremely dangerous. Make sure children know how to stay safe around trains!
• Emergency Notification System sign and location at the Concord Street crossing.
It is vitally important that kids know what to do in case of an emergency, such as a vehicle getting stuck on the tracks. The following steps should be memorized so that they are prepared:
• Get Out: Leave the vehicle immediately. A school bus driver may open the emergency exit door at the back of the bus. If children are commuting to school in a van, the driver will assist and direct them safely out of the vehicle.
• Get Away: Be sure to stay at least 15 feet away from the tracks.
• Find the Blue and White Sign: Call the number on the Blue and White Emergency Notification System (ENS) sign and share the crossing ID number with the dispatcher. If there is no ENS sign posted nearby, call 911.
The startup of SCR service represents great opportunities and benefits for the region, presenting new issues requiring education and caution. To ensure the safety message is shared effectively, MassDOT asks teachers and school staff to show their safety videos as part of classes or assemblies. You can also request a presentation by emailing them at SouthCoastRail@dot.state.ma.us with “Safety First” in the subject line.
The following resources can help put Safety First:
• South Coast Rail Safety Program – Elementary School
• South Coast Rail Safety Program – Middle School
• South Coast Rail Safety Program – High School
Operation Lifesaver’s Student Safety Guide Brochure is available in English and Spanish (Español) with an illustrated safety knowledge test.
South Coast Rail’s Safety First fact sheet with additional information and resources is excellent for downloading and sharing.
Safety First is aimed at promoting your safety throughout the railroad corridor. Presentations, brochures, videos, and conversations emphasize ROW safety for every age, occupation, and resident.
“A Nigerian man was sentenced yesterday for using various online scams to steal more than $1.3 million from approximately 125 victims.
Esogie Osawaru, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to six months in prison and two years of supervised release. Osawaru was also ordered to pay $1,340,516 in restitution and forfeiture. In November 2020, Osawaru pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Osawaru was arrested in June 2020 along with a co-defendant, Nosayamen Iyalekhue.
Osawaru and Iyalekhue participated in a series of romance, pandemic unemployment insurance and other online scams designed to defraud victims by convincing them to send money to accounts controlled by the defendants. Osawaru opened at least six bank accounts using fake foreign passports in the names of aliases but bearing photos of him, to which co-conspirators directed victims to send money. Osawaru and Iyalekhue then rapidly withdrew the victims’ money from various bank branches and ATMs, often multiple times during a single day. The victims, who were often elderly, were deprived of thousands of dollars and in some instances, their life savings. The schemes also included collecting unemployment insurance in the name of others during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March 2021, Iyalekhue was sentenced to 63 months in prison and three years of supervised release after previously pleading guilty to his role in the scheme.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristen A. Kearney and Ian J. Stearns of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.”-Massachusetts Department of Justice.
“A survey of New Bedford Police Union members was conducted on Thursday, September 14, 2023.
This climate survey was similar to the June survey, as it is meant to take stock of the opinions of employees regarding their job and work environment.
As we have previously mentioned, climate surveys may present more of a problem to administrators, as the information may result in administrators being limited in their ability to suggest they were unaware of employee issues or problems being present within the agency.
This information is being shared to give the public an idea of the current state of officer/employee opinions and perceptions. The scale is from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree) for most of the questions.
Questions about morale have a scale from 1 (Extremely Low) to 5 (Extremely High).
The survey was done by in-person, anonymous ballot in an effort to limit errors or problems which may have occurred with an online platform. Those issues were discussed in the June survey response post on Facebook.
There were eighty (80) responses, and the notice of the survey was made to the union body two days prior to the event.”-New Bedford Police Union.
New Bedford Police Union photo.
New Bedford Police Union photo.
“On September 17, 2023, these two individuals are alledged to have stolen over $1600 worth of fragrances from Ulta Beauty.
If you know who they are, we would really appreciate your help in identifying them so that we can have a conversation with them. Please reach out to the Wareham Police Detective Division at 508-295-1206.
Together we can make our community safer.”-Wareham Police Department.
Wareham Police Department photo.
Wareham Police Department photo.