New Bedford Police Investigating Brock Avenue Market Robbery

Police are investigating the armed robbery of Brock Avenue Market, 629 Brock Ave., Thursday night.

The clerk reported that a man entered the store and brandished what appeared to be a black firearm. The suspect was described as a light-skinned black male, about 5’ 5’’ tall and about 145 pounds. He was wearing a black coat with a hood, a white shirt, tan pants and black high top sneakers or boots.

He took cash and fled.

A BOLO was broadcast and the area was searched but the suspect remains at large.

New Bedford police are investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call the police department at 508-991-6350 or the anonymous tip line at 508-992-7463 or e-mail tip@newbedfordpd.com.

The incident was reported at 7:10 p.m.




24-year old New Bedford male arrested after shooting .357 handgun

New Bedford Police Department’s Gang Unit arrested a male in connection with a shots fired call from Wednesday morning which occurred in the area of Coffin Avenue. As result of an ongoing investigation which started yesterday between major crimes detectives and the gang unit detectives a person of interest was identified. Gang unit Detectives spotted this male at approximately 3:45 pm today on Acushnet Avenue and Phillips Avenue. Detectives gave foot pursuit and eventually caught the male who was in possession of a loaded 357 Taurus handgun as well as several rounds of ammunition on his possession.

The male was identified as JOSE RAMON RODRIGUEZ 24 of New Bedford.
He was arrested and charged with the following:
1. Unlawful possession of a firearm without a license
2. Firearm violation with 1 prior violent/drug crime
3. Unlawful carrying of a firearm
4. Unlawful possession of ammunition
5. Disturbing the peace while armed

As result of the initial investigation from Wednesday morning, detectives are also charging Rodriguez with the following additional charges:

1. Receiving stolen property
2. Illegally attaching plates
3. Obscured license plate number
4. Unlawful possession of ammunition
5. Unlawful carrying of a firearm
6. Unlawful carrying a loaded firearm
7. Discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling
8. Assault to murder

Video by Carlos Pimentel Felix. 




Faces Of New Bedford #84 – Jose Rego

Meet Jose Rego, 45-year-old Chef and Restaurant Owner. Jose grew up in a Portuguese family where cooking was central to their lifestyle. Their Sundays consisted of large feasts, where Joe learned so much about cooking.

As Joe got older and eventually graduated from high school, he became a pipefitter in Newport. Due to the nature of the job, he would get laid off every summer, which led him and a friend to move to North Carolina to help build a golf course. During that time as roommates his friend would clean and Joe would cook. Blown away by his talent, he encouraged him to go to school for culinary, and went as far as getting him an application to Johnson and Wales.

This was only the start to Jose’s cooking career, as he finished school and went on to work in various restaurants across the country. During sometime in Atlanta, he heard about an open casting for the Food Network television-show Chopped, which he entered and was selected. He performed so well on the show that he finished in first. He also went on to compete in another of the network’s show Cutthroat, which he also won and even competed in a Battle of the Champions special.

With all this experience, he returned home to create his own culinary dream. Alongside Mario Ribeiro, of The Pasta House, they have teamed up to open the Cask & Pig. Their hope is to bring a gastro pub to North Dartmouth, which is teeming with corporate-owned restaurants, and give their patrons a place where there is quality service, food, and drinks.

Jose’s biggest philosophy isn’t about receiving though, as he tries to spend as much time helping others as possible. He has, throughout the years, offered his chef services up for non-profit organizations to raffle off at banquet silent auctions, which has helped him raise over $65,000 for causes such as NOAH’s Foundation, Prince Henry Society, St. Francis School, St. Anthony Church Choir, and so many more.

“It’s not all about receiving, it’s about giving back.”

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Faces of New Bedford is a project by Colton Simmons. If you are interested in booking a shoot or getting prints from the series email all inquiries to colton@coltonsimmons.com

Follow Colton on Instagram: https://instagram.com/simmonscolton




Massachusetts ‘Most Wanted’ robs bank and then captured in Somerville

UPDATE: James Morales was arrested by a uniformed MA State Police officer in Somerville. The Trooper spotted Morales in area of Route 28 in Mystic Avenue. Morales ran, and the Trooper pursued on foot for about two blocks. Morales tried to jump a fence in Foss Park neighborhood, but was apprehended. 

Federal, state and local police agencies are seeking the public’s assistance to identify the individual who attempted to rob the Bank of America, located at 772 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, Massachusetts earlier this morning.

The attempted bank robbery suspect resembles escaped fugitive JAMES MORALES, but law enforcement officials have not definitively confirmed it was him yet. The intensive investigation into this morning’s attempted robbery and MORALES escape is ongoing.

This morning’s suspect is described as a black male, approximately 5’10”, with a mustache. He was wearing a black jacket with a grey sweatshirt, black knit cap, a scarf, and black sneakers.

MORALES fled the Wyatt Detention Center last weekend.

Surveillance photos from this morning’s attempted robbery are included in this post, as is the Massachusetts State Police Wanted Poster for MORALES.

Anyone with information about the identity of this individual should call 1-800-KAPTURE (1-800-527-8873).




Dartmouth man arrested with heroin and suboxone at 3rd District court

Jason E. Costa 40 of Dartmouth was charged with possession of class A Heroin and possession of class B suboxone yesterday at 3rd District Court. Costa who was ordered held on a probation violation, by Judge Stapleton was found to be in possession of one bag of heroin and 10 strips of suboxone while being searched before being placed into a holding cell at court. He was arraigned on the additional drug charges and was held on $2,500.00 with a new court date of 3/8/17. Incident was reported at 9:40am.




New Bedford Emergency Overflow Shelter Open Tonight (05 Jan, 2017)

Due to the expected weather conditions, the overflow will be open tonight.

Guests can start to arrive at Sister Rose House (71 Division St) at 6pm. It is a first come, first serve basis and our capacity is 25 individuals. Guests will be offered a meal, showers and a good night’s rest in a safe environment.

Any inquires can be forwarded to Sister Rose and 1-800-homeless. On any given day that the overflow is activated, it will always be confirmed by email no later than 12pm. If the weather forecast stays as projected, the overflow could be open over the next couple of days. Thanks you for your continued support.




Multiple Charges for Four Locals in New Bedford Rollover Incident

On Wednesday evening members of the New Bedford Police Department’s Gang Unit were conducting street level crime investigations. At approximately 6:15 pm, detectives attempted to stop a black Dodge Durango. The vehicle fled from the detectives driving erratic and the wrong way on a one way street. The vehicle struck a chain link fence at the corner of Bates Street and Healy Street where it came to a stop.

As detectives approached the vehicle they observed four parties inside. As detectives got two of the parties out of the car, the driver (Sarah Gada) drove over the chain link fence and fled with one of the other passengers. The vehicle fled in a southerly direction. By the time Detectives returned to their vehicle and set off to pursue the vehicle again they encountered the vehicle on its side in front of 559 Belleville Avenue.

This particular house sustained some damage to the front porch and fence which was more than likely the cause for the vehicle to roll onto its driver’s side. Fire Department deemed the structure as structurally sound.

Gada who was the driver fled the scene on foot and was not located. Woodard who was seated in the back of the vehicle was transported to St. Luke’s Hospital with minor injuries.

Detectives located ten bags of crack cocaine in the vehicle. Vehicle was towed and the four individuals are being summonsed and charged with the following.

Sarah Gada 36 of New Bedford

  1. Possession with intent to distribute class B cocaine
  2. Conspiracy to violate controlled substance laws
  3. Illegally attaching plates
  4. Failure to use turn signal
  5. Reckless operation of a motor vehicle
  6. Operating motor vehicle with a suspended license

Mario Vardaro 35 of Rochester

  1. Possession with intent to distribute class B cocaine
  2. Conspiracy to violate controlled substance laws

Nicole Woodard 26 of Fairhaven

  1. Possession with intent to distribute class B cocaine
  2. Conspiracy to violate controlled substance laws

Arjenis Torres 20 of New Bedford

  1. Possession with intent to distribute class B cocaine
  2. Conspiracy to violate controlled substance laws

Video by Carlos Pimentel Felix




Sheriff Hodgson makes formal offer to President-elect Trump to have inmates build immigration wall in debut of Project N.I.C.E.

Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson made an official offer to President-elect Donald Trump to have inmates from Bristol County and beyond build the immigration wall through the debut of Project N.I.C.E.

Sheriff Hodgson made the offer in his remarks Wednesday night at Bristol Community College during his fourth inauguration as High Sheriff of Bristol County.

“I can think of no other project that would have such a positive impact on our inmates and our country than building this wall,” Sheriff Hodgson said Wednesday night. “Aside from learning and perfecting construction skills, the symbolism of these inmates building a wall to prevent crime in communities around the country, and to preserve jobs and work opportunities for them and other Americans upon release, can be very powerful.”

The offer was made as the debut of Project N.I.C.E., which stands for National Inmates’ Community Endeavors. Project N.I.C.E. takes the successful inmate work program that has inmates from the Dartmouth jail doing community service around the area and expands it nationally with the cooperation of Sheriff’s Offices across the country, who would also send inmate workers.

From building an immigration wall to rebuilding communities after a hurricane, flood or tornadoes, Project N.I.C.E. has the potential to be a major boon for our country and save taxpayers a lot on labor and disaster relief.

“Think of how much good could come of 500 or 1,000 extra hands in rebuilding a community after a disaster, and the inmates would learn valuable construction skills and on-the-job training as part of their rehabilitation,” Sheriff Hodgson said Wednesday night.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker delivered the official Oath of Office to Sheriff Hodgson Wednesday as he started his fourth six-year term as Bristol County Sheriff. Sheriff Hodgson was overwhelmingly re-elected in November.

Also in his remarks, Sheriff Hodgson stressed the importance of cooperating with all federal, state and local law enforcement in entering into the 287(g) immigration enforcement program with ICE. He also said he hopes to bring back the controversial $5 daily inmate fee at the jail, and focus more on youth education programs over the next six years.

“After about 20 years as Sheriff and more as a police officer and investigator, I’ve come to the conclusion that the way to solve the revolving door of the criminal justice system is to reach children before they ever walk through the front door of a prison. Reaching these kids before they make a bad decision is of the upmost importance to a safer community,” Sheriff Hodgson said Wednesday night.




Police actively investigating Attleboro fatal hit-and-run incident

At around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Attleboro Police responded to calls regarding a pedestrian being struck by a motorist at the intersection of North Main Street and Peck Street. When police and rescue personnel arrived on scene, they located the victim, later identified as 60-year-old Attleboro resident David Nepini, and rushed him to Sturdy Memorial Hospital. Due to the severity of his injuries, the victim was then transferred to Rhode Island Hospital, where he died from his injuries around 10:45 p.m. last night.

Attleboro Police were actively searching for the vehicle involved in the incident when they received a call from the Plainville Police Department at around 8 pm indicating that the driver had contacted that department regarding the crash.

The driver agreed to return to the Attleboro Police Department for an interview last night. While at the Attleboro Police Station, the driver, Neetu Kainth, 38, of Plainville, was issued a citation for leaving the scene of an accident–death resulting. She will be summonsed into Attleboro District Court for arraignment on the charge at a later date to be set by the court.

The investigation remains active and ongoing, and it is unclear at this time whether more charges will issue against the driver in this case. Accident reconstruction and a follow up investigation by Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to this office, along with Attleboro Police detectives, are both ongoing.




Southcoast Health now offering online check-in and wait times for Urgent Care Centers in Wareham and Fairhaven

Southcoast Health announced today that patients, who seek services at its Urgent Care Centers in Wareham and Fairhaven, can now wait in the comfort of their own home until it’s their turn to be seen with its new online check-in system. Visitors to www.southcoast.org/urgentcare can find the closest center, its current wait time and click “Save My Spot” to get in line electronically.

“More and more each day, patients are approaching their healthcare needs from a consumer perspective. They want timely and convenient access to care that fits their unique needs. At Southcoast Health, we are rapidly evolving to meet those needs — from walk-in urgent care 7 days a week and this online check-in tool, our award-winning, informative and interactive website, Southcoast.org, and online scheduling coming to select primary care offices in early 2017,” said Keith A. Hovan, President & CEO of Southcoast Health. “We will continue to deliver the same high quality healthcare to this region, but in a refreshingly unique approach to patient and consumer experience.”

Patients will have the ability to choose the next available appointment or a later time that may be more convenient for them. They will also be able to indicate how many minutes prior to their designated arrival time they want to be notified and will receive their choice of a text message or email letting them know when it’s time to come in. Upon arrival, patients will check in at the registration kiosk to let the Urgent Care staff know they are there. If a patient misses their scheduled arrival time they will receive a text alert letting them know that they have been rescheduled for 15 minutes later. If the clinic is experiencing a delay, the patient may also receive a text letting them know that their expected arrival time is being pushed back a certain number of minutes.

The system works for same day appointments only. There is also a drop down of potential emergency conditions which may suggest a redirect to call 911 or go to the nearest hospital’s emergency department.