“The Massachusetts Environmental Police received information regarding the possible illegal killing of deer in the Templeton/Phillipston area.

On the night of Thursday, November 11, 2021, Officers patrolling the region of inquiry observed a vehicle using a spotlight to search area. Upon locating a decoy deer, an individual within the vehicle shot the decoy with a crossbow. Realizing it was a decoy, the vehicle attempted to flee but was subsequently stopped by Officers. Officers then observed deer legs within the truck bed in plain view.

Three individuals in the vehicle, including the operator, were arrested. Through the interview process, it was reported that additional deer had been taken illegally. The crossbow was seized, the vehicle was impounded, and illegally taken deer meat was surrendered.

The individuals were arraigned at Gardner/Winchendon District Court on Monday, November 15, 2021 on charges, to include:

– Discharge of Crossbow w/in 150’ of roadway
– Illegal Hunting w/Crossbow
– Hunting w/Aid of Motor Vehicle
– Hunting w/an Artificial Light
– Hunting After Hours
– Tagging Violation
– Hunting Public Land w/out Permit

Additional charges, including violations from another state, are forthcoming.”

The New Bedford police department is announcing a new program which is intended to make their response to intellectually disabled or emotionally disturbed people safer for everyone involved.

Chief Paul Oliveira credits the “Use of force” commission which was formed to review policies within the department in the fall of last year. One concern they brought to our attention was the police response to people having a condition or disability that might prevent them from responding appropriately to commands. When police are unfamiliar with the limitations or specific needs of a person, they might mistake their failure to follow directions as an implicit threat. This creates a dangerous situation which nobody wants to have imposed upon them.

It is estimated that 1 in 4 fatal law enforcement encounters involve a subject who suffers from a serious mental illness (Fuller, et al. 2016). The New Bedford police department currently utilizes mental-health clinicians who are often deployed into the field along with police officers to respond to calls involving the mentally ill or emotionally disturbed. This new program augments our efforts to lower the risk of having to using force on a person who may be better handled with more innovative tactics.

Sgt. Samuel Ortega of the department’s ‘Community Crisis Intervention Team’ took the concerns of the “Use of Force” commission and spearheaded an effort to make a change. The end result has manifested in what’s become the “Let Me Introduce Myself” program. How does it work? Citizens notify our department of a person of concern. This can be someone who is unable to follow basic commands, is prone to getting lost, may have an increased fear of police or authority figures, unable to communicate their own needs, might have an aversion to being touched by strangers, etc. A form is accessible through the department’s website. On this form, you can provide information regarding your person of concern including their address, the name they answer to, diagnosis, emergency contacts, verbal or non-verbal, etc.

When the form is received, the information on it will be put into “caution” notes for the individual listed and the address where they reside. In the event that the police respond to a situation involving the person or address, officers can be better prepared to meet their individual needs or limitations.

“No police officer wants to use force on anyone they encounter but using force on someone and later finding out that they were unable to comply with you is especially heart-breaking. In our roles as guardians to the community, we want to resolve as many
situations as we can in the most peaceful manner possible. Filling out this form will help us to get the critical information that we need in order to do just that. If you’d like to bring a person of concern to our stations to meet our officers so that we can get to know one another before a crisis happens, I encourage that also and we will accommodate,” said Chief Paul Oliveira.

Mayor John Mitchell stated, “This program is directly in line with our emphasis on community policing. With a better understanding of the physical and mental health conditions of individuals they encounter, police can tailor their responses to allow those individuals to get the help they need while ensuring public safety,” Mayor Jon Mitchell said. “I applaud Chief Oliveira and the Police Department for taking this inclusive, personal approach to policing and emergency response.”

If you would like to make us aware of a person we should know about, access the form at www.newbedfordpolice.com. Under “Resources”. Scroll down to “Forms” and find the “Let Me Introduce Myself Disabiliy”. Once filled out, you can upload and e-mail it to Samuel.ortega@newbedfordpd.com. You may also deliver it in hand to either the NBPD headquarters at 871 Rockdale Ave., or the South-end Public Safety Complex located at 912 Brock Ave. in an envelope marked for Sgt. Samuel Ortega.

1.) Fuller, Doris & Lamb, H. & Biasotti, Michael & Snook, John. (2016). Overlooked in the Undercounted: The Role of Mental Illness in Fatal Law Enforcement Encounters. 10.13140/RG.2.1.1655.9128.

For more on this program, please click https://youtu.be/IiiJhNFNbro

The City of New Bedford has roadwork sites for the upcoming week of November 22, 2021 – November 26, 2021 and they are as follows:

Offices will be closed & no construction works Thursday, November 25th and Friday, November 26th.

Eversource will be working on the gas main relays and services at:

• Replacing gas services on Elizabeth St, Bedford St and Taber St
• Abandoning gas main on Hersom St / Waldo St and Vernon St
• Tie in gas main and replacing gas services on Phillips Rd starting from Birchwood Dr to Hillcrest Dr
• Working on the regulators on Holly St at Belleville Ave
• Relaying gas main on Church St at Tarkiln Hill Rd

Other:
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be on Cottage St (Parker St to Sycamore St) for various sidewalk restoration areas. No Parking zone signs will be posted in areas as necessary.
• Contractor (PA Landers) to continue sidewalk roadway improvements on Weld St from Summer St to Myrtle St.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be conducting test pits on Cedar St (Maxfield St to North St) for upcoming sewer main installation.
• Contactor (AGS) will be replacing sidewalk panels at various utility pole locations throughout the city.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be repairing various roadway and sidewalks citywide.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working on wheelchair ramp reconstruction on Pleasant St by North St / Tower Dr
• Contractor (JH Lynch) to continue work at MassDOT Project #608536, intersection improvements at Rockdale Ave X Allen St. Detours during working hours will be required for installation of new drainage throughout the project site. Signage will be posted for detour routes.
• Contractor (K.R. Rezendes, Inc.) to continue work at MassDOT Project #606718, roadway reconstruction and related work (including traffic signal installation) along a section of Hathaway Rd, Nauset St and Mt Pleasant St.
• Contractor (PA Landers) to continue work at MassDOT Project #606709 with roadway and sidewalk reconstruction related work along a section of Kings Highway and Tarkiln Hill Rd.
• 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.) Contractor will be performing test pits in Wamsutta St. Street closure from Acushnet Ave to N Front St. Detour signage and police details will be in place. If you have questions, please email the project team at SouthCoastRail@dot.state.ma.us
• Due to ongoing construction at the High Hill Reservoir residents may experience discolored water. The water is safe, and the discoloration will be temporary. We recommend allowing the water to settle for a few hours and then flushing your service line by letting the bathtub run for a few minutes until the water runs clear.
Hydrant Flushing:
• The City will be flushing hydrants Saturday and Sundays between November 13th and November 27th. Industrial Park (along Braley Rd, Church St, Phillips Rd, Duchaine Blvd, Samuel Barnet Blvd and John Vertente Blvd.), the Fish Houses (along Coggeshall St and North Front St, Herman Melville Blvd, MacArthur Drive from Front St to Cove St), Pier 2, Pier 4, State Pier and Downtown (between Maxfield St and Walnut St and from County St to the Waterfront)
Union St. Phase II Sewer Separation Project:
• Contractor (C. Naughton Corp.) will work Monday to Wednesday to continue installing catch basins and drain piping along Union St between Sixth St and County St. During working hours, Union St will be closed between Sixth St and Eighth St. Westbound traffic on Union St will be detoured via Pleasant St, Elm St and County St. Eastbound traffic on Union St will be detoured via Spring St and Pleasant St.

** Please note: Contractors will continue to follow guidelines and protocol regarding COVID-19 social distancing while conducting work in construction zone.

“At 20:02 yesterday Marion Fire/EMS was dispatched to a reported box truck fire on Allen’s Point Rd.

Engine 1 was first on scene confirmed a Box truck carrying O2 cylinders was fully involved. No reported injuries.

Responding Units

• C-1
• A-3
• E-1
• E-2
• Tanker 1
• Marion police.”-Marion Fire/EMS.

Marion Fire/EMS photo.

Marion Fire/EMS photo.

A Dominican national was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with using the identity of a U.S. citizen at the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles.

Hector Antonio Cruz Ciprian, 33, a Dominican national previously residing in Lowell, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Cruz Ciprian will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. On June 21, 2021, Cruz Ciprian pleaded guilty to one count of false representation of a Social Security number and one count of aggravated identity theft.

On June 14, 2016, Cruz Ciprian used the identification of a U.S. citizen to apply for an out-of-state driver’s license conversion at the Registry of Motor Vehicles in Haverhill. In the application, Cruz Ciprian provided, among other things, a Social Security card, birth certificate and utility bill in the victim’s name.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security’s Investigation’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF), a specialized field investigative group comprised of personnel from various local, state, and federal agencies with expertise in detecting, deterring, and disrupting organizations and individuals involved in various types of document, identity, and benefit fraud schemes.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and John Cremonini, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and the Lynn Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Deitch of Mendell’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

Free, walk-up COVID-19 vaccination clinics are offered regularly in New Bedford. Clinics offer CDC-approved booster shots for eligible adults, in addition to first- and second-dose vaccines and, at some locations, pediatric vaccines. Please bring your vaccination card when getting a booster. Details on boosters and pediatric vaccines are below.

******This Saturday, the state has added a clinic for pediatric vaccines only at Andrea McCoy Recreation Center, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.******

Thursday, Nov. 18:

• Greater New Bedford Community Health Center (874 Purchase St.) – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Pfizer, Moderna, J&J

Friday, November 19:

• PAACA (360 Coggeshall St.) – 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., J&J, Pfizer and Moderna; pediatric vaccines for children 5 – 11 years old

Saturday, November 20:

• Cape Verdean Veterans Association Hall (561 Purchase St.) – 12 to 4 p.m., Pfizer, Moderna, J&J; pediatric vaccines for children 5-11 years old
• Andrea McCoy Recreation Center (181 Hillman St.) – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Pfizer, pediatric vaccines for children 5 – 11 years old

Monday, Nov. 22:

• Andrea McCoy Recreation Center (181 Hillman St.) – 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., Pall vaccines and boostersfizer, Moderna, J&J; pediatric vaccines for children 5 – 11 years old

Tuesday, Nov. 23:

• Greater New Bedford Community Health Center (874 Purchase St.) – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Pfizer, Moderna, J&J
• Former Fire Station 11 (754 Brock Ave.) – 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., J&J, Pfizer and Moderna; pediatric vaccines for children 5 – 11 years old
• Health Imperatives (651 Orchard St.) – 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pfizer and J & J

Monday, Nov. 29:

• Andrea McCoy Recreation Center (181 Hillman St.) – 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., Pfizer, Moderna, J&J; pediatric vaccines for children 5 – 11 years old

Pediatric Vaccines Available: COVID-19 vaccines for children 5 to 11 years old have arrived in New Bedford and are available at local clinics, including Mondays at the Andrea McCoy Recreation Center, Tuesdays at former Fire Station 11 on Brock Avenue, and Fridays at PAACA on Coggeshall Street.

“McCoy Mondays” are One-Stop Shop for Vaccines: With the arrival of pediatric vaccines at Andrea McCoy Recreation Center, the center’s Monday clinics from 2 to 7 p.m. – upcoming dates include Nov. 15, and 22, and 29 – are “one-stop shops” for families and people of all ages seeking COVID-19 protection, whether it be first or second doses of Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J vaccines, boosters, or pediatric vaccines.

In-Home Vaccination Available by Appointment: The city and state are offering in-home COVID-19 vaccinations, particularly for elderly residents or those not able to travel to a clinic. To schedule an in-home vaccination (Moderna or J&J) with the New Bedford Health Department, call the department’s main line, 508-991-6199, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday to Friday.

To schedule an in-home vaccination (Moderna, Pfizer or J&J) through the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, call the I n-Home Vaccination Central Intake Line at (833) 983-0485, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday to Friday.

For more information: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-in-home-vaccination-program

Booster Shots Approved for Eligible Recipients: The CDC has approved booster recommendations for Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J vaccines. Booster shots are available at local vaccine clinics, for people who are eligible under the following criteria.

Anyone 18 and older who received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is eligible for a booster shot six months or more after their initial series.

Please bring your vaccination card when getting a booster shot, to verify eligibility.

For anyone 18 and older who got the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, a booster shot is recommended two months or more after their initial shot.

Mixing & Matching: The CDC also has approved mixing and matching of vaccine types for the booster dose. When first getting vaccinated, people should still get two doses of the same vaccine type, but for the booster, a different vaccine from the initial series can be used, following the criteria above.

More info: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p1021-covid-booster.html

Reminder on the importance of vaccinations, especially ahead of the holidays: Vaccination levels in the region remain low, and daily case rates remain high. Getting vaccinated for COVID-19 is not only about protecting yourself – it’s also about protecting your family, friends, and community. Vaccination is critically important ahead of the holiday season, when large family gatherings could lead to super-spreader events among people who are unvaccinated.

**Start vaccinations now to be fully vaccinated by the New Year**

City leaders and health officials are urging unvaccinated residents to get their first shot and begin vaccination as soon as possible, in order to have safe and healthy holidays.

“On Wednesday, November 17, 2021 the State Identification Section gathered to honor Oliver Lewis and his 37 years of service to the MSP. Oliver is retiring from public service this Saturday November 20.

Oliver’s hard work, dedication to public safety, and welcoming personality has persisted throughout his career and will be missed within the State Identification Section. Oliver started his career with the MSP on April 29, 1984 as an Identification Clerk in the Firearms Records Section.

Massachusetts State Police photo.

He then moved on to a Dispatcher position in July of 1985 at 1010 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston.

In January of 1986 Oliver transferred into the State Identification Section as an Identification Technician II and has been an outstanding asset to the MSP ever since.
Oliver’s dedication was acknowledged at a luncheon with his coworkers where he received a Certificate of Excellence from Detective Lieutenant Christine Dorian for all his great work at State Identification Section. Oliver earned the nickname of ‘Ollie Crime Fighter’ over the years.

Major Mark Cyr also presented Oliver a Certificate of Appreciation for his 37 years of service on behalf of Colonel Mason. While Oliver will be missed, everyone at the State Identification Section wishes him well as he enjoys his well-deserved retirement. Congratulations to Oliver!”

Massachusetts State Police photo.

A New Bedford man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston on federal wire fraud charges arising from claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) funds.

Arthur Pacheco, 47, previously of New Bedford, Mass., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to one year in prison and three years of supervised release. On July 22, 2021, Pacheco pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud. He was indicted in January 2021 along with his wife, Tiffany Pacheco, who pleaded guilty on Aug. 30, 2021 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 12, 2022.

In April 2020, Tiffany Pacheco was hired by the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) shortly after her release from federal prison following a conviction for aggravated identity theft. While employed by DUA, Tiffany Pacheco misused her position to submit fraudulent PUA claim information on behalf of herself and Arthur Pacheco, who was incarcerated in Texas until Sept. 4, 2020, and thus ineligible for PUA funds.

Specifically, in June 2020, PUA claims submitted for Tiffany Pacheco and her husband reflected 2019 income of $0 and no dependents. In July 2020, via her employment with DUA, Tiffany Pacheco obtained access to the PUA computer system, and later changed claim information for herself and Arthur Pacheco in order to increase the amount of PUA funds they would receive. For example, Tiffany Pacheco increased the amount of 2019 income for her and Arthur Pacheco to more than $240,000 and increased the number of their dependents to seven. Tiffany Pacheco further used her access to the PUA system to verify the increased 2019 income on both claims without the required income verification documents.

In November 2020, Arthur Pacheco called DUA and falsely denied that he had been incarcerated during the timeframe leading up to September 2020, and that he was only incarcerated for approximately one month. Tiffany Pacheco also spoke with DUA and misrepresented the period of time in which Arthur Pacheco had been incarcerated.

A search of the New Bedford apartment where Tiffany and Arthur Pacheco resided uncovered various tools of identity fraud, including an ID laminator, 100 blank ID cards, 68 hologram overlays, 150 card lamination sheets and 649 sheets of blank checks. Law enforcement also seized approximately $17,000 cash and a notebook that appeared to contain the personal identifying information of various individuals. In addition, a driver’s license recovered during the search matched the name of a victim Tiffany Pacheco used to submit another fraudulent PUA claim. On Sept. 23, 2020, DUA terminated Tiffany Pacheco’s employment.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security’s Investigation’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF), a specialized field investigative group comprised of personnel from various local, state, and federal agencies with expertise in detecting, deterring, and disrupting organizations and individuals involved in various types of document, identity, and benefit fraud schemes.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigation made the announcement. The New Bedford Police Department, Massachusetts Parole Board and Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance, Program Integrity Unit provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Abely, Chief of Mendell’s Criminal Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao, Chief of Mendell’s Public Corruption and Special Prosecutions Unit, prosecuted the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Detectives assigned to the Organized Crime Intelligence Bureau have arrested a man for trafficking in fentanyl.

On November 17, 2021, detectives executed a search warrant at 269 Belleville Ave. #1S. The target of the investigation was MANUEL MEJIA, 26. As a result of this search, detectives located over 70 grams of Fentanyl, cutting agent, packaging materials and a digital scale. MEJIA was taken into custody and charged with trafficking in Fentanyl and motor vehicle offenses.

MEJIA has a previous conviction for distributing cocaine in September of 2016. He has several open cases in New Bedford district court for drug and firearm related offenses.

The lead investigator in this case was Det. M. Sylvia.

The New Bedford police department remains steadfast in its mission against the opiate epidemic and is committed to keeping the streets safe. If you have any information on criminal activity in your neighborhood, the New Bedford Police Dept. wants to hear from you. You can leave an anonymous tip on our voicemail at (508) 991-6300 Ext. 1. You may also leave a tip on our website.

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Congressman Al Green (D-Texas) introduced a joint resolution to designate August 20th as Slavery Remembrance Day. This legislation is cosponsored in the Senate by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)

“The horrors of slavery can never be forgotten. We must acknowledge the dangers and dehumanization that enslaved people faced, and honor those who led the long fight for abolition and justice. Today, the legacy of slavery still has pervasive impacts on the descendants of enslaved individuals in institutionalized racism, police brutality, mass incarceration, and in other forms. Representative Al Green and I are introducing this legislation to establish August 20 as Slavery Remembrance Day — an important step to ensure we never forget this stain on our country’s history,” said Senator Warren.

“The legacy of slavery, our nation’s seminal sin, continues casting its shadow across our nation today. It fuels invidious discrimination even in the most unsuspecting of places and perpetuates attempts at sanitizing oppressive history in our classrooms,” Congressman Al Green said. “Currently, we have remembrance days for the Holocaust, Pearl Harbor, and 9/11. Enshrining such events not only in our collective memories, but also among our official, collective observances, serves to remind us of atrocities that have occurred and must never be repeated. As an immoral institution, slavery is no exception.”

Congressman Al Green continued, “This resolution proposes August 20th be designated as Slavery Remembrance Day because on that day in 1619, the first slave ship arrived on the shores of the English-speaking American colonies. This annual reminder is necessary because it teaches persons to denounce oppression while simultaneously exemplifying why it should be denounced. However, efforts to teach about the suffering of enslaved persons are being fought by states like Texas with its recent bill to curb how race and the history of racism are taught in schools. The Texas bill is dangerous because it limits teaching by excluding any mention of historic individuals who challenged the discriminatory status quo, such as Harriett Tubman (Araminta Ross) and John Brown. We must remember the history of slavery to avoid repeating the horrors of slavery.”

Senator Warren has led numerous efforts to acknowledge the wrongdoings of our nation’s past and enact policies to dismantle systemic racism.

– In July 2021, Senator Warren and Congressman Green introduced the Reconciliation in Place Names Act, which would create a commison to review and rename land units and geographic features with racist and bigoted names.
– In March 2021, Senator Warren and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas.) unveiled a resolution to mark the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Massacre. The resolution serves as a reminder that the fight to end racist violence against Black people continues.
– In March 2021, Senators Warren and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Congressman Kaiali’i Kahele (D-Hawaii) reintroduced the Remove the Stain Act to revoke the Medal of Honor from the soldiers who perpetrated the Wounded Knee massacre.
– In January 2021, Senator Warren cosponsored Senator Booker and Congresswoman Jackson Lee’s resolution, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals.