Massachusetts State Police arrest Oklahoma man in Sturbridge for possession of illegal narcotics and firearms

On Monday at approximately 7:42 a.m., Trooper William Pothier, who is assigned to State Police-Sturbridge, conducted a check of the rest area on I-84 westbound in Sturbridge. While conducting this check, Trooper Pothier spoke with the occupants of a GMC Denali which was parked in the rest area, with an expired temporary Missouri registration.

After a brief investigation, the vehicle’s owner, JUSTIN G. BARRON, 39, of Heavaner, Oklahoma, was found to be in illegal possession of a .40 caliber Spingfield XD pistol and a Smith & Wesson M&P rifle, both with ammunition, and a smoking pipe containing methamphetamine as well as other miscellaneous drug paraphernalia. BARRON is not licensed to carry firearms in Massachusetts.

A female passenger was released with no charges. BARRON was placed under arrest and charged with the following:

1. Possession/carrying a firearm;
2. Assault weapon, sell/possess;
3. Improper storage of a firearm;
4. Possession of a large capacity weapon or feeding device;
5. Possession of a large capacity weapon or feeding device;
6. Possession of a large capacity weapon or feeding device;
7. Possession of ammunition without FID card;
8. Possession of Class B drug; and
9. Unregistered motor vehicle.

BARRON was transported to State Police-Sturbridge for booking. BARRON was held on $15,040 bail, pending arraignment in Dudley District Court.




Town of Fairhaven to honor this year’s graduating seniors with a graduation procession

“The Fairhaven High School Class of 2020 is graduating this Sunday, May 31st. With their traditional graduation on hold, the Fairhaven Public Schools, Town of Fairhaven, Acushnet Public Schools and Town of Acushnet will honor this year’s graduating seniors with a Graduation Procession on Sunday.

The Procession will start in Acushnet at the Elementary and Middle Schools at 10AM and proceed through Acushnet and into Fairhaven. It will go to Fort Phoenix before heading to Leroy L. Wood Elementary and then East Fairhaven Elementary. From there, the Procession will wind up at Elizabeth I. Hastings Middle School where students and their families will wait in their cars until they’re called in small groups to drive to the high school to receive diplomas. (Please do not show up at Elizabeth I. Hastings Middle School as ALL of the parking space will be utilized for graduates and their families.)

We encourage residents to show support on their lawns if the Procession goes by your house. We are also asking that spectators follow Department of Public Health guidelines at all times.

Use the link below for more information, including specific route details and other ways to tune into the Graduation remotely.

http://fairhavenhs.ss16.sharpschool.com/family___students/graduation_2020

Help us honor the Class of 2020 in a classy yet memorable way. Congratulations seniors!!”-Fairhaven Police Department.




New Bedford Symphony Orchestra FREE live-stream performance “Welcoming Summer with Dvořák”

LIVE STREAM on Sunday, May 31, 4pm.

Tune in on our website or on Facebook for a LIVE STREAM of Welcoming Summer with Dvořák when NBSO violinist Emmy Holmes-Hicks is joined once again by her downstairs neighbors, good friends, and wonderful musicians Adrienne Taylor (cello) and Andrei Baumann (piano).

Emmy, Adrienne, and Andrei will be back for another afternoon of chamber music for piano and strings. In these strange times, we can find hope and comfort in the natural world and the changing of the seasons. We bring you this program of Dvořák’s brooding, romantic, and folksy music to help welcome in the summer. We’re keeping Andrei busy with a program that includes the Dumky Trio, which means literally a song or lament of captive people; Silent Woods for cello and piano, which takes us on a tour of southwestern Bohemia; and Four Romantic Pieces for violin and piano, a charming collection of miniatures.

You have two options to view this live stream. The live videos will not appear until very close to 4pm, and it is possible that the performance may start a bit late.

Option 1: If you have a Facebook account, go to the NBSO Facebook Live Videos page where you will see current and past live videos. Click on Welcoming Summer with Dvořák to open the post so that you can comment and see others’ comments.

Option 2: Go to our website and look for the Events tab, then Upcoming Events, and click on Welcoming Summer with Dvořák. Simply scroll down to find the video.

All of our live stream performances can be viewed afterward in either place.




New Bedford’s Buttonwood Park Zoo to welcome public back

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell announced last week that the Buttonwood Park Zoo would be opening under the first phase of the plan to reopen Massachusetts.

BPZOO will welcome back the public on Wednesday, June 3, 2020 after 12 weeks of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

BPZOO will be open from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm, with last admission at 4:00 pm, from Wednesday through Sunday until further notice. The Zoo will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays for deep cleaning. Timed-based admission will be utilized to limit capacity and all tickets, for members and non-members, must be reserved online at bpzoo.org/purchase-tickets. There will be no cash handling on site. In accordance with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts guidelines, protective face coverings are required for all guests over the age of 2.

“We are very excited to reopen the Zoo for the community,” said Buttonwood Park Zoo Director, Keith Lovett. “During our closure, Zoo staff have been diligently working to make modifications to our grounds and our operating policies to allow guests the ability to socially distance during their visit.”

The visitor experience at BPZOO has been reconfigured to meet current public health guidelines. BPZOO has implemented measures to encourage social distancing among guests and staff and to protect our animals. Additionally, indoor areas will be temporarily closed during Phase One of reopening. This includes Rainforests, Rivers & Reefs, Buttonwood Farm barn and the North Wood Gift Store. A limited number of gift store items will be available for sale at an outdoor kiosk during your visit. The Wildlife Carousel, Baycoast Bank Black Bear Express and Charlie’s Nature Play area will be temporarily closed per State guidelines. For a complete look at what to expect, visit www.bpzoo.org/reopening/

“Although the experience may be a little different during our Phase One reopening, we are confident that a Zoo visit will continue to be an enjoyable, family-oriented activity that allows guests to gain a better appreciation of wildlife and the importance of endangered species conservation, “ Lovett went on to say.

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The Zoo is located at 425 Hawthorn Street in New Bedford and is open from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm, with admissions allowed every half hour. Ticket prices for non-New Bedford Residents are $10 for adults/$6 for children 3-12; Ticket prices for New Bedford Residents are $7.50 for adults/$4.50 for children 3-12 and must be reserved online in advance and brought to the Zoo for admission. There will be no monetary transactions at the admissions gate. For more information about the Zoo’s programs, animals and exhibits, visit www.bpzoo.org.




New Bedford roadwork sites for the upcoming week of June 1, 2020 –June 5, 2020

The City of New Bedford has roadwork sites for the upcoming week of June 1, 2020 –June 5, 2020 and they are as follows:

Eversource:

Eversource will replace the gas mains at the following locations:

• Tarkiln Hill Rd. and Park Ave. from Tarkiln Hill Rd. to Church St.
• Davis St. from Riverside Ave. to 389 Davis St.
• Johnathan St. from Arnold St. to 57-59 Johnathan St.
• Hill St. from Hillman St. to Mill St.
• Hillman St. from County St. to Pleasant St.

Eversource will be doing final street and sidewalk restoration at various locations city-wide.

Other:

• Contractor (PA Landers) to continue drainage work at MassDOT Project #606709, New Bedford- Roadway Reconstruction and Related Work (including signals) along a section of Kings Highway and Tarkiln Hill Road, Construction to take place during regular working hours (Tuesday – Friday), police details and traffic controls will be in place.
• Department of Public Infrastructure will be filling potholes on a continuous basis throughout the city.
• Department of Public Infrastructure conducting its annual street sweeping program city-wide.
• The contractor (WES Construction) is scheduled to continue construction of the new pumping station and installation of the site utilities at the Front St./ Elm St. site. Elm St, between JFK Memorial Highway (RTE 18) and Macarthur Dr. will be closed to westbound traffic. Westbound traffic will be detoured via MacArthur Drive. There will be detour signage and traffic controls in place.
• 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 clears.

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

Due to the current COVID-19 situation the Department of Public Infrastructure will be closed to the public entry. Office staff is available to assist by email and telephone.




Bristol County Sheriff: 32 inmates, 34 staff members have tested COVID-19 positive

Seven Bristol County Sheriff’s Office staff members and eight county inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 since May 21.

All of the seven staff members to test positive since May 21 are members of the security team; six corrections officers and one sergeant. A total of 34 staff members have tested positive since the beginning of March. Sixteen have recovered and returned to duty and two more are expected back this weekend, while the rest are expected to make full recoveries and return to duty in the coming weeks.

The total number of county inmates who have tested positive for COVID is now 32, 28 of which are still in BCSO custody. As reported last week, four county inmates who had tested positive were released as their sentences ended. Prior to their release, the BCSO provided notification of the positive test to the person picking them up and the state Department of Public Health, which in turn notifies the communities they are returning to. Of the 28 still in BCSO custody, several of them have recovered and returned to general population and the others are being kept in isolation and closely monitored by medical professionals.

Over the past few months, the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office has instituted many protocols to protect inmates, detainees and staff from the Coronavirus outbreak. Some of those measures include:

· All employees were given masks that must be worn inside the secure perimeter of our facilities. All inmates and detainees have also been given masks to wear for protection.

· All areas of the facility are being cleaned\disinfected every day on every shift.

· All staff members are being screened before entering the buildings; new arriving inmates are being screened before being accepted into custody.

· In-person visitation has been suspended to limit the number of people coming in and out.




New Bedford police arrest four, seize fentanyl, Oxycodone and crack cocaine

During two separate street-level incidents on May 28, New Bedford police detectives seized oxycodone, fentanyl, and crack cocaine and large amounts of cash.

After detectives observed a drug transaction, 49-year old Jose Gonzalez-Delgado of 1851 Purchase St., Apt. #38, is charged with trafficking, conspiracy, and possession to distribute. 34-year-old Joel Rodriguez of 89 Collette St., Apt. #2, is charged with trafficking and conspiracy. Police seized more than 22 grams of Oxycodone and $640 as a result of the incident.

Later that day, detectives observed what appeared to be a separate drug transaction on Acushnet Ave. near Wood Street. 26-year old Johnny Veras of 773 S. First St., Apt. #3, is charged with trafficking, possession to distribute and conspiracy. Veras currently has three open court cases for possession and distribution of Class A drugs in 2018 and home invasion in 2016. The following was seized during the arrests; 16 grams fentanyl, a small quantity of crack cocaine and $916.

Chief Joseph Cordeiro applauds Narcotics Detectives for their determination and resilience at this time. “The extraordinary circumstances of COVID-19 has not stopped our Detectives from doing incredible work to keep the residents of New Bedford safe. They continue to be successful in getting drugs off the streets.”

If you have any information on criminal activity in your community, 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.




New Bedford officials reports seven COVID-19 related deaths in past two days

New Bedford officials reported four additional COVID-19 related deaths since Wednesday bringing the total to 68. This makes for seven COVID-19 related deaths in the past two days.

Mayor Jon Mitchell’s office reported 23 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases in New Bedford on Thursday, bringing the total positive cases in the city to 1,781, up from 1,758 on Wednesday.

20 additional cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Fall River, according to Mayor Coogan. This brings the total in Fall River to 1,216. The death toll from the coronavirus in Fall River has increased to 33 as 5 more residents have sadly lost their life. Full details here.

Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday evening signed into law a suite of unemployment insurance relief measures that are aimed at helping employers and claimants during the coronavirus pandemic. Full details here.




South Coast Rail improvements on Tarkiln Hill Road starts on Wednesday

MassDOT’s contractor will perform the following early action construction work:

Culvert & Track Work

Location of work: Work will be performed throughout the South Coast Rail Phase 1 Corridor on the New Bedford Main Line, Fall River Secondary, and Middleborough Secondary in the communities of Berkley, Fall River, Freetown, Lakeville, Middleborough, New Bedford, Raynham, and Taunton.

Date/time of work:
– Wednesday, May 27, through Friday, May 29, from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM each day
– Monday, June 1, and Tuesday, June 2, from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM each day

This work will be disruptive to local residents. Crews will be using various pieces of heavy equipment and trucks along the railroad right-of-way throughout the construction period. While the project will seek to minimize construction-related impacts to communities, noise will be generated along the right-of-way.

Tarkiln Hill Road Grade Crossing Improvements

Location of work: Tarkiln Hill Road grade crossing in New Bedford
Date/time of work: Wednesday, May 27, through Friday, May 29, from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM each day. Vehicular and pedestrian access will be maintained and access to local businesses will not be impacted.

Work by MassDOT’s contractor on the Culvert Replacement Project and in the vicinity of the Tarkiln Hill Road grade crossing is anticipated to be completed in early summer 2020. Please note that although the South Coast Rail Early Action work at the Tarkiln Hill Road Grade Crossing is largely complete, the City of New Bedford is also carrying out work in the Tarkiln Hill Road location for MassDOT Project #606709 (King’s Highway Reconstruction). For more details and contact information for this project, please see the Roadwork Schedule page on the City of New Bedford’s website.

Please be advised that effective March 25, 2020, MassDOT, MBTA, and their consultants and contractors must maintain full compliance with the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 Guidelines and Procedures for All Construction Sites and Workers at All Public Works Sites until further notice.

If you would like to report a noise issue, call the hotline at (508) 397-4858. The noise hotline is for the reporting of construction-related noise issues. It will be answered Monday-Friday, between the hours of 7:00 AM and 3:30 PM (except holidays). All voicemails left outside of these hours will be received the following weekday. We will respond to all noise complaints.




Turnover in Massachusetts jail population creates constant challenge

Colin A. Young
State House News Service

As with nearly every household and business in the state, the COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges for Massachusetts sheriffs and jails. At the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction in Billerica, Sheriff Peter Koutoujian is managing turnover among the incarcerated population and finding opportunities to do things differently.

Since the beginning of March, Koutoujian has overseen a 27 percent reduction in the jail’s population — from 788 people incarcerated the week that ended March 7 to 578 the week that ended May 16 — but has also accepted more than 500 new commitments during the same time period, according to data provided by the sheriff’s office. That’s created two fronts in the battle against the highly-contagious virus: first, trying to prevent the virus from getting inside the jail’s walls by screening everyone at intake and then working to keep the incarcerated population safe, all while maintaining the tight security of a jail.

“We’ve dealt with those that were inside, but we still have people that are coming from the outside that are actually positive,” Koutoujian, who also serves as president of the Massachusetts Sheriffs Association and Major County Sheriffs of America, said. His office said that of the nine incarcerated people tested the week of May 11 to May 18, only one tested positive — a new commitment who was identified as COVID-positive at intake and was immediately placed into medical isolation.

While the state’s prisons run by the Department of Correction have seen a slowdown in intakes while jury trials are on hold and many court proceedings are put off, the state’s jails continue to accept the newly-arrested. In some cases, that’s put the facilities at risk of exposure to COVID-19.

On Tuesday, Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi put his jail in Ludlow on lockdown after eight inmates tested positive for COVID-19, the first cases among the incarcerated population there. Cocchi said his staff “had reason for concern based on the volume of arrestees over the Memorial Day weekend, a majority of whom scored high on the COVID-19 screening process.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic came into view and it became obvious that social distancing would be difficult in jails, many sheriffs began evaluating inmates for release, with an emphasis on the elderly and those with chronic health conditions. Koutoujian said Middlesex County had already reduced its population by more than 100 by the time the Supreme Judicial Court ruled in April that pre-trial detainees charged with non-violent crimes could seek release during the coronavirus outbreak.

“The idea of decarceration is one that is based in social justice and jurisprudence in almost one’s feelings about government and the role of corrections and the criminal justice system. Here, this decarceration has actually brought tangible opportunities to protect our population,” Koutoujian, the former chairman of the Joint Committee on Health Care and Joint Committee on Public Health said. “This is not a philosophical or jurisprudential exercise for me. This is something that I’ve been able to use and, by the way, a general reduction in incarceration is good for corrections because that means that instead of housing people we actually become houses of corrections, we actually get to do more programming and have opportunities to reduce recidivism.”

As the novel coronavirus was spreading across Asia and Europe in February, Koutoujian began consulting with Dr. Alysse Wurcel, an infectious diseases specialist at Tufts Medical Center who had previously worked with Middlesex County on HIV/AIDS and hepatitis issues. She’s provided substantial input as the jail braced for and then dealt with its own positive cases.

“Every move that we’ve made is a medically-driven decision that we then operationalize,” Koutoujian said. “It’s been a really good, healthy relationship because she’s really understanding the security issues up here.”

“The Way It Was”

The sheriff’s office began its COVID-19 screening protocols for new commitments on March 4 and suspended in-person family and friend visits to the Billerica jail as of March 13. To keep inmates connected to their friends and loved ones, the sheriff began on March 17 offering each incarcerated person a weekly quota of four free phone calls of up to 20 minutes each.

Koutoujian said eliminating visitation programs “is not something you do very lightly here” because maintaining family contact is important for a successful reentry to society and keeps people grounded while incarcerated. Providing an alternative to in-person visits was important, he said, because suspending visits was not meant as a punishment.

“These are sort of small things … sometimes they’re just gestures. We did a special meal for the population the other day. These are small gestures that make them understand we’re in this together, let’s make this work and to show that respect to them, so that we don’t have to have any outbursts or any violence or anything like that that can foster in these difficult circumstances.”

The sheriff said he expects the population of his facility will eventually go back up, but not to pre-pandemic levels, and that has him thinking about what other services his office may be freed up to provide.

“I’m not sure we’ll go back to the way it was. And so what does that mean? Does that mean more programs that we can offer? More assistance to our communities? More assistance to our other state government agencies? What are the new things that we think we might be able to offer in what will be the new normal?” he said. “It’s an exciting time to think of what the future will be, as we deal with a crisis now.”

For example, Koutoujian said his office has facilitated 1,000 court appearances via video and phone conferences while the courts have been physically closed. Why not continue that practice for some hearings even once courts reopen?

“The idea to use more video and audio conferencing for non-substantive court hearings, it would save a lot of money but more important than saving money, it would actually reduce the the issue of contraband, both weapons and drugs,” he said, adding that court lock-ups can be a source of prohibited items.

Video conferencing technology could also be used for meetings between attorneys and incarcerated clients, or as an alternative to in-person visits after the pandemic recedes, he said.

“For a family to come up to the jail and do a visit, it can be time-consuming and it can be expensive to take transportation,” Koutoujian said. “If we can find a cost-effective way to bring video visitation as a way to supplement visitations by family, by attorneys, that’s another exciting opportunity.”

But before getting to the new normal that might await on the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic, Koutoujian and the state’s other sheriffs have to deal with many of the same pandemic-related issues that are common outside of the corrections world — including a dip in vigilance about social distancing and mask wearing — while preparing for the possibility that an uptick in cases in Massachusetts could affect jails.

“We have to remain vigilant even today. I’m getting concerned that people are starting to relax a little bit, like they are in the public,” he said. “We’re not a fortresses on the hill. It’s not like a bubble, right? What goes on in the community affects us and what goes on in our facility affects the community. So as you can worry about people getting a little bit more lax in the public, we worry about that inside and make sure that we’re remaining vigilant.”