With the temperatures dropping to record dangerous levels, Odies Place Animal Rescue has announced their Third Annual Winter Coat Drive for the less fortunate.

The following are the drop of locations announced so far for our Winter Care Kit Drive. These locations will have a giant box where you can donate until January 20th.

Ritual Sweat Society
634 State Rd, Dartmouth, MA 02747

Tractor Supply Co. (South Swansea, MA)
207 Swansea Mall Dr Ste 15, Swansea, MA 02777

Purchase Street Records
767 Purchase St, New Bedford, MA 02740

Downtown Smoke Shop – New Bedford
277 Union St, New Bedford, MA 02740

Cycology Studio Inc.
1701 Stafford Rd.
Tiverton, RI 02878

A previously deported Salvadoran national appeared in federal court in Boston today to face the charge of failure to register as a sex offender.

Oscar Alfaro, 46, is in state custody in connection with sexual assault charges stemming from a 2016 incident in Newbury. On Dec. 21, 2017, Alfaro was indicted in federal court on one count of failure to register as a sex offender.

In 2008, Alfaro was convicted in Virginia state court for taking indecent liberties with a child. As a result, Alfaro was required to register as a sex offender in any jurisdiction where he lives or works. Following his 2008 conviction, Alfaro was deported.

In March 2016, Alfaro committed an indecent assault and battery in Massachusetts, which qualified as a sex offense under Massachusetts state law. After the assault, Alfaro left Massachusetts. The U.S. Marshals Service located and apprehended Alfaro in Virginia in November 2017 and returned him to Massachusetts to face the state sexual assault charges.

Failing to register as a sex offender provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to lifetime supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Alfaro will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and John Gibbons, United States Marshal for the District of Massachusetts, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Paruti, Lelling’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

Starting on January 2, 2018 the Wareham-New Bedford will now be running Monday-Friday.

Travel between Wareham and New Bedford using the Wareham-New Bedford Connection. The route originates at the New Bedford Terminal and travels along Route 6 between Fairhaven and Wareham.

This route is a flag route. You can wave the bus down anywhere along the route and the bus will stop as long as it is safe to do so.

HOURS
Monday – Friday
7:30AM-11:30AM
2:00PM-6:00PM

Full Fare……………….$1.50
Reduced Fare*……………$0.75
Children under 6 years old…Free
*Reduced fare for senior citizens (ages 60+),children 6-11 years old, registered disabled, Medicare recipients

CASH ONLY
EXACT FARE REQUIRED
Transfers are not available to/from this service

Wareham-New-Bedford-Connection-Schedule-final-2

On December 29, just before 10:00 p.m., Troopers Kevin Doyle and Eric Fairchild, who are assigned to the State Police Air Wing, were monitoring a search in Hatfield, where Hatfield Police and troopers assigned to the State Police Northampton Barracks were searching for a man who had made threats against himself, then fled a residence into the woods. It was also learned that the man also had felony warrants for his arrest. The man was not dressed for the zero degree weather.

Troopers Fairchild and Doyle, located the man in the woods using the helicopters FLIR, and guided ground officers and troopers to the man. When they located the man on the ground, he had covered himself with snow and was laying on the bank of a ice covered pond.

The man was guided out of the woods and transported to a local hospital and treated for exposure. Hatfield Police will handle the arrest once he is released from the hospital.

From the Fairhaven Police Department:

“It has been reported to our department that an elder has been scammed with the gift card scam. An unknown male made contact with the female and told her she needed to go to a local retailer and purchase large sum gift cards. She did so as many times as she was asked and gave them the gift card numbers on the cards she purchased. If you work in retail, have elders in your family, or anyone for that matter, please pass on that no one will offer to reimburse you over the phone using gift cards. No agency or utility company will call for payment over the phone.

If you get a call like this, call the police when in doubt. If someone comes into a store where you work looking to purchase large sum gift cards it is okay to call the police while they are there in order for us to talk to them. Often, the callers tell them to say it’s a gift and threaten them if they don’t follow directions.”

From the organizers:

“Due to the forecast of extreme frigid temperatures and the utmost concern for our volunteers (registration crew,DJ, EMT’s/fire department/police) and, most of all for our courageous participants, the committee has decided to post-pone the 2018 Ft. Phoenix Polar Plunge scheduled for New Year’s day to a later, warmer date.

Our event is free but we raise funds for our FDS Scholarships by the sale of event t-shirts. We will still be at Days Health & Sports on Saturday, Dec 30th from 2-4 p.m. – selling event shirts and accepting donations to benefit: Fairhaven Dollars for Scholars Scholarships in memory of Fairhaven’s domestic violence victims. Or, you can mail a check made out to: FDS Polar Plunge Scholarship, c/o 100 Cedar Street, Fairhaven, MA 02719.

Please check this site for the rescheduled date to be posted after confirmation with Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Our apologies for the delay in making the decision, we were hoping that maybe the forecast would change!”

At 3:24am this morning a fire was reported at a residence on Gammons Road. Upon the arrival of emergency personnel it was determined that the occupants of the building had evacuated without injury. Firefighters observed fire in the front, rear and through the roof of the building at the time of their arrival.

The fire was fought from outside the building due to structural concerns. It took firefighters 45 minutes, in single digit temperatures, to extinguish the blaze.

Mutual aid was received from the Fairhaven (ladder truck), Mattapoisett (engine), Rochester (tanker) and Freetown (station coverage) Fire Departments.

“We are very thankful that the occupants are safe and that there were no injuries to first responders,” stated Acushnet Fire Chief Kevin A. Gallagher. “There was a tremendous amount of fire and ice”.

Investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s office are presently on scene conducting an investigation. The Red Cross is providing assistance.

Massachusetts State Police and Taunton Police, along with members of a regional gang task force, yesterday executed a search warrant at Taunton home that resulted in arrests of two suspected drug dealers and the seizure of two illegally possessed guns, assorted narcotics including suspected cocaine and crystal methamphetamine, ammunition and US currency.

As a result of an investigation, the State Police Gang Unit and Taunton Police obtained a search warrant for 152 Dunbar St. The State Police Special Tactical Operations (STOP) Team made entry into the residence early yesterday morning. The units were assisted by the State Police Troop D Community Action Team and the Southeastern Massachusetts Gang Task Force.

Seized pursuant to the search warrant were a Smith & Wesson 9 millimeter semi-automatic firearm believed to have been stolen; a Colt .38 caliber revolver; 13 rounds of 9 millimeter ammunition and 12 rounds of .38 caliber ammunition; four clear plastic bags of a substance believed to be cocaine; 585 assorted pills; approximately 100 suboxone strips; two clear plastic bags of a substance believed to be crystal methamphetamine; a bag of mushrooms; a quantity of marijuana greater than what is legally permitted; and $1,950 in US currency.

Troopers and officers arrested JOHN JEFFREYS, 43, and KAYLA M. MALAGUTI, 29, both of that address. They are charged with unlawful possession of the firearms and ammunition; trafficking in cocaine; unlawful possession with intent to distribute of Class B crystal methamphetamine; unlawful possession of Class B, C, and D pills; unlawful possession of Class C mushrooms; unlawful possession with intent to distribute of Class D marijuana; and unlawful possession with intent to distribute of Class B suboxone.

JEFFREYS and MALAGUTI were expected to be arraigned in Taunton District Court.

he overflow will be opened again tonight due to the frigid temperatures. All inquiries can be forwarded to Sister Rose House and 1-800-homeless.

On Wednesday, December 27, at approximately 11:15am, the Barnstable Police received a report of a dog bite at Pet Smart in Hyannis. Upon arrival, Patrolman Doug Palmer found a trail of blood leading from the grooming area, through the customer aisle and training area, around the corner and into the employee lounge. In the lounge, officers found a 22 year old Pet Smart employee being treated by co-workers for multiple bite wounds. As a result of the severity of the injuries – described as bite wounds to her upper torso, wrist and hand, as well as extensive tearing of the flesh, possible broken bones and a suspected dislocated shoulder – Hyannis Fire Department Rescue also responded to the scene.

The victim stated that the owner of the dog, a Pit Bull mix, brought him in wearing a muzzle, requesting that he be groomed. When asked about the muzzle, the owner simply told the employees that the dog had previously attacked another dog, and stated that the dog was “sweet as can be,” while failing to disclose that he had also attacked a person, which Pet Smart states would have resulted in services being declined. The victim stated that store policy required that the muzzle be removed in the grooming area, and that the owner was informed.

During the grooming process, while the dog was being moved, for no apparent reason and without warning, the dog attacked the victim and would not let go of her arm. Co-workers utilized an air horn and special spray, but were not able to deter the dog, until they were able to physically extract the victim’s arm from the jaws of the dog. They secured the dog in a kennel cage and brought the victim to the employee lounge.

Due to the severity of the victim’s injuries, Hyannis Fire Department Rescue stabilized her at the scene, transported her to Cape Cod Hospital, and she was later flown to Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston for treatment. Her condition at this time is not known.

Following this incident, the dog, per state policy, was released to the owner and ordered to be kept under in-house quarantine for ten (10) days, and the Town of Sandwich Police and Animal Control were notified.