Whitman-Hanson Express

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Rates
    • Advertisement Rates
    • Subscription Rates
    • Classified Order Form
  • Business Directory
  • Contact the Express
  • Archives
You are here: Home / Archives for Abram Neal, Express Correspondent

Roofer arraigned after delays

August 1, 2019 By Abram Neal, Express Correspondent

BROCKTON — After several lengthy delays, former contractor Matthew Will, 38, of Pembroke, who once ran 5-Star Discount Roofing in Halifax, was arraigned on the fifth try before Judge Gregg Pasquale Wednesday, July 17, at Plymouth Superior Court, Brockton.

Court officials, prosecutors, or corrections officials have offered no explanation for the numerous delays in Will’s Superior Court arraignment.  Will was arrested at his Pembroke home on Thursday, May 9, after law enforcement sent in dogs to convince Will to surrender, more than two months earlier.

When police attempted to execute the search warrant at the Pembroke home, according to sources close to the investigation, Will hid in his attic. After several attempts to negotiate with him, Zane said law enforcement officials sent dogs into the attic to extricate him, sources say was for their own protection. Will wrestled with the dogs, eventually falling through his attic ceiling and injuring himself.

He appeared in the arraignment courtroom in Brockton before Judge Pasquale in the prisoners’ dock shackled and wearing jail garb, with a sling around his arm. Tilden argued that Will had been seriously injured at the time of his arrest, and Zane did not disagree, but Pasquale pointedly said to her, “Well, he shouldn’t have resisted arrest,” to which she smiled and redirected her argument.

Will has been held at a state-run hospital in a Department of Corrections prison ward at the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Jamaica Plain, Boston, almost continuously since he was taken into custody May 9. His attorney said his family, including his partner, Tina Bowles, and his mother, who both attended the arraignment, have not been able to visit him there according to Tilden.

Tilden did not detail Will’s injuries, nor have they been made public. She said that his family is struggling financially and psychologically without him and is being forced out of their home.

Zane said investigators did not find any money in the Pembroke house when it was searched but did find packed suitcases that would appear to allow Will to live “off the grid.” He also said that Will had ties to two states, with property in New Hampshire and Maine.

The former roofer, who Plymouth County prosecutors say allegedly stole over $250,000 from more than 50 mostly elderly or otherwise vulnerable victims across the region over about 18 months, has been indicted on 18 mostly financial-related criminal charges. The alleged victims so far known to investigators are from Duxbury, East Bridgewater, Falmouth, Hanson, Kingston, Middleboro, Easton, Pembroke, Plympton, Rockland and Wareham.

Assistant District Attorney Zane emphasized that some of the alleged victims, many concentrated at the Oak Point 55+ community in Middleboro, gave Will their life savings to do emergency repairs to their homes, which he allegedly partially completed or did not complete at all. Some alleged victims gave Will several hundred dollars where others lost tens of thousands of dollars, Zane said.

Police made attempts to arrest Will in Central Massachusetts and into Rhode Island on default warrants resulting in two separate high speed-chases.  Police reports indicate those chases were called off because some of Will’s children were in his car. Rockland Police arrested him May 4 after Zane said Will took a ride-sharing service from Rhode Island to Rockland.

For unknown reasons, according to Zane, Will was next transported by Rockland Police to Hingham District Court which has jurisdiction over the Town of Rockland, but where Will had no open warrants.

There, over the course of only a few minutes, according to audio of the hearing, a judge who was not told of Will’s recent high-speed chases by the Rockland Police prosecutor released him on personal recognizance.

The Hingham Court judge did order Will’s common-law wife, Tina Bowles, to drive him to Wareham District Court to deal with open warrants before that court closed at 4:30 p.m., according to the recording.

Will’s attorney, Plymouth-based Charlotte Tilden, says Will fell ill, called the clerk’s office in Hingham letting them know and has a doctor’s note to prove it. Prosecutors say Will failed to appear in Wareham District Court, which prompted them to apply for the search warrant that was executed May 9 on his Furnace Colony Drive, Pembroke, family home.

Will pleaded not guilty to all 18 charges and is being held on $75,000 bail.

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

McCue faces OUI charge

June 6, 2019 By Abram Neal, Express Correspondent

NORTH ATTLEBORO — Hanson Town Administrator Michael McCue, 52, has been placed on paid administrative leave by Selectmen pending an investigation following an alleged OUI crash in North Attleboro Wednesday, May 29.

Hanson Town Administrator Michael McCue, 52,

The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, June 4 voted to appoint the board’s Administrative Assistant Meredith Marini as interim town administrator, “until such time as she is no longer needed in that said role,” a post she has filled before. Marini was also authorized to sign off on auction papers following a scheduled property auction on Wednesday, June 12, which McCue had previously been authorized to sign.

Police and witnesses say the Mansfield resident was driving a Town of Hanson SUV May 29 when he turned left off Route 1 just before 5 p.m. onto Park Street and collided with a vehicle driven by a woman who told police she was 16-weeks pregnant.

She told police her vehicle’s airbags deployed and one struck her in the stomach. She was sitting on the ground and appeared to be upset, according to the report. She was transported to Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro for treatment.

Two officers say in their reports that McCue smelled of alcohol, was being evasive toward them, and tried to keep his distance while avoiding eye contact. At one point he put paperwork in his mouth, they say to attempt to keep from breathing in their direction. They said McCue’s eyes were bloodshot and glassy and that he was unsteady on his feet.

After denying consuming any alcohol that day to an officer twice, McCue later admitted to drinking “a few beers at lunch.” According to a source, McCue was coming from a “Tree City USA” conference in Sturbridge. He would not say to police how he came to be in North Attleboro other than to say, “I live in Mansfield.”

McCue was not able to complete roadside sobriety tests to the satisfaction of police.

When he was asked to state the alphabet from the letter B to M, he “continued in groups of letters,” and did not stop at M, reciting the letters N, O, P and Q before stopping.

He later was asked to stand on one foot and was not able to do so. He asked for a second try, could not complete the task, and the officer then “stopped the test … for safety considerations.” McCue referenced a medical condition several times as a reason for not being able to complete the tests.

After failing the roadside sobriety tests, McCue was arrested and taken into custody.

He refused a breathalyze after being taken to the North Attleboro Police Department, resulting in an immediate license suspension, according to a police report and his driving record. He was charged with OUI-liquor (second offense), negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and failure to yield at an intersection.

Other than a 2016 accident, McCue has not had even a speeding ticket in 20 years, according to his driving record, although it is his second OUI offense. His first OUI occurred in 1995 and was continued without a finding in Wrentham District Court.

McCue was arraigned in Attleboro District Court Thursday morning by Judge Edmund C. Mathers. The case has been continued to June 28 for a pre-trial hearing.

The town-owned vehicle McCue was driving was towed to Reil Auto, a secure-lot in North Attleboro, and later to the Hanson Police Department. Hanson Police Chief Michael Miksch said that the SUV is now at a body shop being repaired. The extent of the damage cannot be confirmed.

McCue has been Town Administrator since 2016, and succeeded Ron San Angello, the last contracted Town Administrator. Marini served as interim town administrator at that time.

McCue’s salary is currently $119,646 and his contract, which was extended last year, is set to expire in 2022. He can be disciplined or dismissed by the Board of Selectmen for just cause.

Hanson Selectmen became aware of the incident Wednesday night, and scheduled an emergency meeting for Thursday. At that meeting, which was attended by one member of the public, the board voted unanimously to put McCue on paid administrative leave following an investigation into “misconduct.”

The town did not respond to a request for a statement, although Hanson labor counsel Jaime Kenny said that it was a “personnel matter.”

The condition of the alleged victim and her unborn baby is unknown at this time.

McCue did not respond to repeated attempts for comment.

(Express Editor Tracy F. Seelye contributed to this report.)

Filed Under: Breaking News, News

Roofer arrested after multi-town chase

May 13, 2019 By Abram Neal, Express Correspondent

Matthew Will is treated by paramedics after being arrested on warrants related to over 50 alleged larceny- and fraud-related crimes across Plymouth county and beyond. (Photo by Abram Neal)

PEMBROKE — Matthew Will, 38, owner of 5-Star Discount Roofing in Halifax, was arrested at his rental home on Furnace Colony Drive, Pembroke, at about 5:30 p.m., Thursday, May 9 after a dramatic chase and a tense standoff with police.

Will allegedly fled after he missed a Falmouth District Court arraignment, then was arrested May 4 in Rockland — after escaping from police and leading them on a multi-town high-speed chase from Worcester County into Rhode Island the night before.

He was then released by a Hingham District Court judge, John Stapleton, who had not been made aware of the chase by court personnel, according to audio of the hearing, fled again and was finally re-arrested Thursday, May 9, after a tense standoff with police in Pembroke.

Will was expected to appear Monday, May 13, at 9 a.m. in Wareham District Court, with transportation provided by the Plymouth County Sheriff’s department, who have also provided his lodging since his Thursday arrest.

But he was not transported Monday to Wareham District Court by the department as ordered by a Plymouth judge Friday, and a Wareham court officer who said he had knowledge of the situation indicated Will had refused to come out of his cell at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility, had sustained an injury there and was being treated at a Boston hospital.

A Plymouth County Sheriff’s department spokesperson, Karen Barry, said that Will had not sustained any injury at the jail, but said he was in their custody. She would not confirm if he was being treated for an injury sustained outside of the jail and would not confirm his next court appearance, citing CORI protections for prisoners.

Neighbors watched Thursday afternoon in the quiet neighborhood overlooking Furnace Pond as Hanson, Pembroke, and Middleboro police, as well as Plymouth County Sherriff’s Department and police canines executed an arrest and search warrant on Will and his house. When police searched the house for Will, he attempted to avoid arrest by hiding in his attic, according to police at the scene.

Will’s girlfriend, Tina Bowles, and several of their young children, identified by neighbors, could be seen standing in their side yard during the more than two-hourlong standoff. Police said they did not believe that Will was dangerous, although many law enforcement personnel were seen in bullet-proof vests waiting outside the home for Will to respond.

The father of five could be heard screaming obscenities at law enforcement officers as police dogs with cameras on their backs were sent into the attic to capture him. A police officer described a chaotic scene inside the house just after Will’s arrest and said that Will was bitten by the dogs and had fallen through his attic ceiling into his living room.

Matthew Will and Tina Bowles’ rental home on Furnace Colony Drive in Pembroke was searched by authorities Thursday, May 9. (Photo by Abram Neal)

He was led in handcuffs from his home into a waiting Pembroke Fire Department ambulance and taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth, where he was treated overnight for his dog bite-related injuries. He was discharged the next morning, into the custody of the sheriff’s department.

John Canavan, a Plymouth District Court judge, Friday, May 10, ordered Will held at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility over the weekend and that he be transported to Wareham District Court to address his warrants in that court. The department did not transport him for reasons the Express cannot confirm.

The roofer was wanted on warrants in connection with a series of alleged larceny- and fraud-related crimes across Plymouth county and beyond, with at least 50 households allegedly victimized in Duxbury, East Bridgewater, Falmouth, Hanson, Kingston, Middleboro, North Easton, Pembroke, Plympton, Rockland and Wareham.

Funds allegedly collected for work not done total more than $200,000, say court records. The vast majority of the alleged victims are elderly and live in Middleboro, concentrated at Oak Point, a 55-plus community Will allegedly targeted.

The investigation began with Middleboro Detective Simone Ryder and multiple agencies are now investigating Will, including Hanson police.

Will skipped a Falmouth District Court arraignment April 10, on charges that he allegedly took more than $55,000 from the owner of a Falmouth apartment complex, according to the reported victim, Joel Mazmanian, who resides in California but manages property in Massachusetts. The court issued a bench warrant for Will’s arrest. He next did not appear for a hearing in Wareham District Court on ongoing cases, prompting that court to issue arrest warrants, as well.

Will fled the county, court documents say, and was next spotted by police May 3 in Hopkinton, in Middlesex County, where a Hopedale police report says he was stopped by police. He was ordered out of his vehicle, according to the report, but fled from the scene.

Police did not give chase because there were children in the vehicle, Hopkinton Deputy Police Chief Joseph Bennett said to the Express.

Later that day, in Hopedale, in Worcester County, Will failed to stop at a stop sign, twice. A Hopedale Police Department report describes a multi-agency car chase that ensued involving the Bellingham, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Mendon, Millville and Woonsocket, Rhode Island, police.

The report was written by Hopedale Police Sergeant Mark Rizoli.

After being followed by Rizoli for about a quarter of a mile, Will, driving his mother’s 2006 Buick Lucerne, stopped in the middle of the road. The officer said he observed what appeared to be a female passenger and two rear seat passengers.

Police later discovered Will had three of the five children Will shares with Tina Bowles with him. The sergeant on the scene said they began making “furtive movements,” which prompted Sgt. Rizoli to attempt to stop the car, he said.

Next, “ … he accelerated to a speed I estimated to be 70-80 mph. Due to the fact it was dark, wet, and that Blackstone Street is [a] narrow and curvy road I decided to maintain a speed of approximately 40-45 mph, as I felt it unsafe to travel at a higher speed. I subsequently lost sight of the vehicle … ”

Blackstone Police were able to locate Will, but he was able to escape them, as well, and his vehicle was observed fleeing into Rhode Island. Woonsocket, Rhode Island, police gave chase, but Bowles later told police Will ran up a long driveway on foot. Bowles was stopped by police driving Will’s mother’s car with their children in Bellingham later that night, police reports say.

Early the next morning, Saturday, May 4, Will was arrested at a residence in Rockland by the Rockland Police department. Will traveled from Rhode Island to Rockland via a ride sharing service, said a source close to the investigation and Bowles was present at the Rockland arrest, according to court documents.

He was held at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Plymouth over the weekend, and was transported to Hingham District Court Monday, May 6, by the sheriff’s department.

Although there were no open cases for Will in that court, as he was arrested on open warrants in Rockland, and Rockland is in Hingham District Court’s jurisdiction, Will was transported to that court, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

Will’s case was called at 10:34 a.m., in Courtroom 1, before Stapleton, according to audio of the hearing requested by the Express. Neither a police prosecutor for Rockland, nor any commonwealth attorney can be heard addressing the judge.

Only Will’s court-appointed attorney, whose name is indecipherable in the recording, speaks to the judge, and he does not address the high-speed chase with Stapleton, only the outstanding warrants in Wareham and Falmouth.

Stapleton freed Will after two minutes, only checking to make sure that he had a ride to Wareham to clear up his warrants in that court at 2 p.m. Bowles, who the defense attorney tells the judge is Will’s wife, says she has her keys and a license in the recording, which the judge asks a court officer to check.

Will left Hingham District Court free, did not attend his 2 p.m. hearing in Wareham District Court, and warrants for his arrest were reactivated. He spent the next three days a fugitive from justice until he was arrested in Pembroke.

Why Will is where and when he’ll be back to court has yet to be independently confirmed by the Express.

Contact Abram Neal at [email protected] or follow him on twitter @nealabe

Filed Under: Breaking News, News

Hanson OK’s a $27M budget

May 9, 2019 By Abram Neal, Express Correspondent

The Hanson Board of Selectmen. (Photo by Abram Neal)

HANSON — Voters passed a 31-article Annual Town Meeting warrant and a 12-article Special Town Meeting article warrant on Monday, May 6, 2019 at the Hanson Middle School. Although all of the votes were nearly unanimous, except for one during the STM that required a count, there was still some passionate discussion on the floor of the meeting, although ultimately the meeting was mostly uncontroversial.

The nearly $27 million budget passed unanimously, almost breezily, to cheers from the audience.

But articles six and seven, which funded the recreation department and the transfer station prompted passionate discussion and some parliamentary maneuvering.

The Finance Committee moved the articles as they had recommended them, not as the selectman had, with less money than the departments had asked for, only funding the departments through October until the budgets could be looked at again at a Special Town Meeting.

Chairman of the Finance Committee Kevin Sullivan said that the Recreation Department and the Transfer Station need to be self-sustaining entities.

Arlene Diaz, chair of board of health, moved an amendment on the floor for more money than proposed to fund the transfer station, but the amendment failed nearly unanimously after town officials said this would throw off the delicately balanced budget, and articles six and seven passed nearly unanimously.

Questions arose during discussion of Article 10, proposed by the Capital Improvement Committee, about whether a fiber network, one of nine capital items listed, would link the school buildings to the town buildings. It would not, but the article passed nearly unanimously.

Selectman Matthew Dyer opposed resurfacing the Whitman-Hanson Regional High School track, part of Article 11, saying after the meeting that they could have added another percentage point to the school budget and kept teachers for that amount of money, although he did not clarify his position on the meeting floor. Article 11 passed nearly unanimously.

Article 11, all capital improvements to the schools, passed nearly unanimously.

The police and fire departments received $48,500 with Article 15 to cover the cost of sending 20 police officers and 18 firefighters to active shooter hostile event response training. The article, moved by Fire Chief Jerry Thompson, passed unanimously.

By the time article 20 rolled around, things started moving more quickly as people appeared to get more tired and the hour grew late.

The Hubbell/Litecontrol property donated to the town was nearly unanimously accepted by the Town Meeting with Article 22, over the objections of Selectman Laura Fitzgerald-Kemmitt, who was the only member of the board to vote not to recommend the donation.

Article 23, to implement Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, was passed over on the recommendation of the Board of Selectman, the only article to be passed over in full.

Finally, a lengthy article bringing zoning bylaws into harmony with the general bylaws implementing a marijuana retail sale ban, was passed nearly unanimously by the body.

Filed Under: Breaking News, News

Hanson boards back 8.5% for schools

May 2, 2019 By Abram Neal, Express Correspondent

Hanson Selectman clarify school budgeting processHANSON — Hanson Selectmen, with the support of the Finance Committee, agreed on an 8.5 percent — up from 6.5 percent — increase in the Whitman Hanson Regional School District assessment Tuesday, April 30, still leaving them several percentage points behind the regional School Committee’s proposed increase of 12.5 percent. The Selectmen also voted to support a warrant article to acquire the Hubbell/Litecontrol property and rehearsed town meeting.

Finance Committee chair Kevin Sullivan liaised between the selectmen and his committee, and after offering several detailed explanations of their recommendations on warrant articles for town meeting he went to meet with his committee to work out a compromise on the school assessment issue.

Sullivan said the money for the 2-percentage point increase was found in the snow and ice line item. The Finance Committee found about $17,000 to fund the increase.

He said that the snow and ice budget was rarely spent, and that they had been increasing it over time so that they were comfortable taking money from it for the school assessment and the Selectmen agreed.

The board was likewise comfortable supporting the increase in order to compromise with the school committee, but Selectman Chairman Ken Mitchell wants to change the process.

He said that they cannot be doing this on the eve of town meeting in the future.

Hubbell/Litecontrol property

Selectmen voted to support a warrant article at Town Meeting to accept the formerly heavily polluted 9.5-acre Hubbell/Litecontrol property with an eye to move the Highway Department there.

The board had a lengthy discussion about the pros and cons of receiving the property.

Selectman Matthew Dyer was at first suspicious that the company was giving the property to the town, noting that corporations generally are in the business of making money, not giving things away. He also noted that it could be used for commercial uses, bringing tax revenue to the town.

He changed his mind after the discussion, though, and voted to support the land transfer.

FitzGerald-Kemmett was vocally opposed.

“I don’t want to be the member of the board of Selectmen [who accepts] an ‘Erin Brockovich’-like property,” she said. She went on for some time explaining her rationale.

The property was heavily polluted and has been cleaned-up. It has been given a “clean bill of health,” according to Town Counsel Kate Feodoroff, except for “sensitive uses” like residential development. Wells cannot be dug on the land.

It can be used for municipal or commercial uses, and has been eyed for the Highway Department, which even FitzGerald-Kemmett admits is housed in an unhealthy building.

Selectman James Hickey asked the Highway Department if they could use the two buildings currently on the site to park equipment that is currently left outside until a more permanent solution could be found. The response was yes, and that seemed to seal the deal.

With only FitzGerald-Kemmett opposed, the Selectmen voted to support the warrant article, 4-1.

Hanson Public Library Director Karen Stolfer offered a brief preview of what library trustees would present at Town Meeting regarding a possible building project at the library.

She said that the library is currently involved in a planning project which requires two documents, a “strategic plan” and a “building program,” both of which have been completed.

The Library Board of Trustees adopted the strategic plan Sept. 29, 2018, and approved the building program March 5, 2019, after conducting an involved survey of library user needs, she said.

Stolfer said a presentation and documents will be provided at Town Meeting to inform the residents of different options that trustees hope the town will approve in the future, either an expansion of the current library, to approximately double its space, or a new library altogether. Flyers and a PowerPoint presentation will be provided at Town Meeting the strategic plan and building program are available online at hansonlibrary.org.

Filed Under: More News Right, News

Murray search leaves questions

April 11, 2019 By Abram Neal, Express Correspondent

Maura Murray, pictured on a missing persons poster. (Courtesy image)

A lack of evidence during an excavation in a New Hampshire basement crosses something off the list of questions surrounding Hanson native Maura Murray, a family member says.

Despite a day of hope last week, no evidence was found in the search for Maura Murray, a Hanson resident and UMass Amherst student missing for 15 years. After an extensive search of a long-suspected house close to where the 21-year-old Murray was involved in a single-car crash along Route 112 in February 2004, New Hampshire Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey A. Strelzin made the announcement Wednesday, April 3.

Maura Murray’s half brother, Kurt Murray, 30, of Halifax, said in a later interview that his family was given less than 24 hours’ notice regarding the imminent search of the basement. He said it was important to him and his family that they be there.

No evidence was found in connection with the case, said Strelzin, and, “certainly no evidence of human remains.”

Kurt Murray said, “No scenario is a particularly good one,” when asked what the family was hoping to find.

The Murray family has been critical of law enforcement over the years, blasting authorities for not doing enough to find Maura.

Officials from the New Hampshire State Police, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office and the FBI searched the house at times over the month of March, culminating in law enforcement tearing up a basement floor April 3 with a jackhammer, with the present homeowner’s consent.

“We certainly did not believe there was any credible evidence,” but searched anyways, said Strelzin. “It was really done to cross something off a list.”

“There certainly wasn’t any probable cause to search the house,” he added.

But, he said, “Everybody involved remains committed to following every lead that’s out there. There’s a lot of information we continue to follow up on.”

Kurt Murray said of the next step for his family, “We’ll have to try to work with New Hampshire authorities.”

The nursing student’s mysterious disappearance has sparked attention in the press, on the internet and on social media over the course of the last decade-and-a-half across the world.

“The community support has really been astonishing,” said Kurt Murray.

Her father, Fred, said that the house that was searched was “astonishingly close” to the site of the accident, in a previous interview with the Express. According to him, locals first tipped him off about suspicious activity at the house in the first year after his daughter’s disappearance, including a rumor of new concrete being poured in the basement, but the owners of the house would not cooperate with the investigation.

In November and December 2018, Fred Murray brought in two trained, accredited cadaver detecting dogs to the house, after it had changed ownership, each one on separate occasions. They alerted, he says, by lying down in the same spot in the basement of the house.

Later, he brought in ground-penetrating radar which he said indicated strong findings of an abnormality in the same spot in the concrete.

“It’s astounding that this [basement] wasn’t looked at before. I told the police about this in the first year … the State Police did an inadequate job when my daughter first went missing,” he added.

Exactly where Maura Murray was headed, and why, has remained a mystery over the years. Moments after the crash, a good Samaritan stopped to assist her, but she waved him off and told him not to call the police, according to original police reports from 2004. The passerby called local police anyway, although he did drive off. A Haverhill police cruiser arrived 19 minutes later, but Maura Murray’s Saturn was locked, and she was gone. She has remained missing ever since.

“The case is still open and active.  We do receive tips and information periodically, as well as generate new information from investigative efforts,” said Streizen in a previously emailed statement.

But this does not satisfy Kurt Murray. “Not knowing for 15 years … she deserves to be home. She’s too special a person to be left unfound somewhere,” he said.

Filed Under: Breaking News, News

Authorities fail to find Murray after search

April 3, 2019 By Abram Neal, Express Correspondent

Maura Murray, pictured on a missing persons poster. (Courtesy image)

HAVERHILL, NH — Despite a day of hope, no evidence has been found in the search for Maura Murray, a Hanson resident and UMass Amherst student missing for 15 years. After an extensive search of a long-suspected house close to where the 21-year-old Murray was involved in a single-car crash along Route 112 in February 2004, New Hampshire Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey A. Strelzin, Wednesday, April 3, made the announcement.

Officials from the New Hampshire State Police, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office and the FBI searched the house at times over the month of March, culminating in the tearing up of a basement floor today with a jackhammer, with the present homeowner’s consent.

No evidence was found in connection with the case, said Strelzin, and, “certainly no evidence of human remains.”

The Murray family has been critical of law enforcement over the years, blasting authorities for not doing enough to find Maura.

“We certainly did not believe there was any credible evidence,” but searched anyways, said Strelzin. “It was really done to cross something off a list.”

“There certainly wasn’t any probable cause to search the house,” he added.

But, he said, “Everybody involved remains committed to following every lead that’s out there. There’s a lot of information we continue to follow up on.”

The nursing student’s mysterious disappearance has sparked attention in the press, on the internet and on social media over the course of the last decade-and-a-half.

Her father, Fred, said that the house was “astonishingly close” to the site of the accident, in a previous interview with the Express. According to him, locals first tipped him off about suspicious activity at the house in the first year after his daughter’s disappearance, including a rumor of new concrete being poured in the basement, but the owners of the house would not cooperate with the investigation.

In November and December 2018, Fred Murray brought in two trained, accredited cadaver detecting dogs to the house, after it had changed ownership, each one on separate occasions. They alerted, he says, by lying down in the same spot in the basement of the house.

Later, he brought in ground-penetrating radar which he said indicated strong findings of an abnormality in the same spot in the concrete.

“It’s astounding that this [basement] wasn’t looked at before. I told the police about this in the first year … the State Police did an inadequate job when my daughter first went missing,” he added.

Exactly where Maura Murray was headed, and why, has remained a mystery over the years. Moments after the crash, a good Samaritan stopped to assist her, but she waved him off and told him not to call the police, according to original police reports from 2004. The passerby called local police anyway although he did drive off. A Haverhill police cruiser arrived 19 minutes later, but the Saturn was locked, and Maura Murray was gone.

“The case is still open and active.  We do receive tips and information periodically, as well as generate new information from investigative efforts,” said Streizen in a previously emailed statement.

Murray’s family members could not be reached for immediate comment.

Filed Under: Breaking News, News

‘I’m not thrilled’

March 21, 2019 By Abram Neal, Express Correspondent

Train 041 arrives at Hanson Station from Boston on Tuesday, March 19, 2019. (Photo by Abram Neal)

In 1959, the Kingston Trio famously popularized the song MTA, about a man named Charlie stuck forever riding beneath the streets of Boston because he can’t pay his fare. Now, Charlie will have an even harder time coming up with his fare because the MBTA announced fare increases for the first time in three years last week.

Area riders can expect to pay more for their “T” trips beginning July 1. Local monthly commuter rail passes were hit hard by the hikes — increasing at a higher percentage rate than the overall system increase.

At a meeting of the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board March 11 the board approved an overall 5.8-percent increase in fares across the transit system after modifying a previous proposal tabled in January.

Bob Gray, a commuter from Duxbury, who disembarked from train 041 at Hanson Station said of the increase, “It’s more money,” but added, “It’s a good way to get into the city.”

Another rider, Shellie, of Pembroke, who works in Boston at a law firm and disembarked from the same train said, “Yeah, I’ll have to pay more … I’m not thrilled.”

The Whitman, Hanson and Halifax commuter rail stations are in fare zones five, six and seven, respectively.

One-way fares inbound or outbound to or from Boston will increase by 50 cents in each zone, from $9.25 to $9.75 or 5.4 percent in zone five (Whitman), from $10 to $10.50 or 5 percent in zone six (Hanson) and from $10.50 to $11 or 4.8 percent in zone seven (Halifax).

A monthly commuter rail pass will cost you an extra $19.50 in zone five (Whitman), up from $291.50 to $311 a month, an extra $22 in zone six (Hanson), up from $318 to $340 a month and an extra $19.50 in zone seven (Halifax), up from $336.50 to $360 a month.

This represents a yearly cost increase for a monthly commuter rail pass of $234 or 6.7 percent in zone five (Whitman), $264 or 6.9 percent in zone six (Hanson) and $282 or 6.9 percent in zone seven (Halifax).

The total yearly cost for a zone five pass will now be $3,732, a zone six pass will be $4,080 and a zone seven pass will be $4,320.

Local one-way bus fares, local monthly bus passes, reduced local bus and subway one-way fares and reduced monthly passes for seniors, TAP (those with disabilities), youth and students were spared the fare increase.

A local bus fare will remain $1.70, with a CharlieCard. A one-way subway ride will go up by 15 cents, from $2.25 to $2.40, with a CharlieCard.

The transit agency stated, “While the MBTA continues to focus on controlling costs and growing non-fare revenue, this increase, which is in line with the rate of inflation in the Boston area, is necessary for the Authority to continue making system investments to improve service.”

The MBTA website says that state law allows them to raise fares regularly but must limit those increases to every two years with no more than 7 percent for each increase. The MBTA has not raised fares since 2016. This increase is lower than the 6.3 percent increase originally proposed.

Filed Under: More News Right, News

Plastic bag article delayed

March 21, 2019 By Abram Neal, Express Correspondent

HANSON — At a special joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Health Tuesday, March 19, officials decided to move forward with polystyrene and plastic bag ban town meeting warrant articles, but not as originally proposed for the May annual Town Meeting.

The bans are now likely to be on the October special Town Meeting warrant, proposed by the Board of Health, although, “the language will need to be tightened up,” said Board of Health chairman Arlene Dias.

The warrant articles, penned by Town Administrator Michael McCue based on similar bans in other communities in Massachusetts, were written so that there was a Board of Selectmen warrant recommendation and a Board of Health warrant recommendation, he said, which Selectman Matthew Dyer was not aware of until recently.

The two boards clashed on whether or not to pursue polystyrene and plastic bag ban articles in the first place, which board the articles would be recommended from and who would enforce the bans, if approved at town meeting.

Dias said she supported the bans, but added she felt there needed to be more education, and that bans would simply increase paper that needed to be recycled at the transfer station.

“You need to look at what a ban will do,” she said. “I’m not happy with the bylaw. It’s too soon.”

Dyer has been spearheading the proposed bans. It became clear early on in the meeting which board would recommend the article was a central component of the debate, as was the issue of who would enforce the ban, which was brought up by Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett.

McCue said that most towns instituting such bans do so as through the Board of Health, with the Health Agent as the enforcement officer. Hanson does not have a permanent Health Agent currently. Selectmen briefly entertained the notion of the Building Inspector enforcing the ban on behalf of the Board of Selectmen.

Alternatively, Dyer said, “I’ll enforce [the ban] until I kick the bucket or get elected out of office,” but noted that he will ultimately not be around to be the enforcement officer.

Later, the selectmen reached a consensus among themselves and the Board of Health members and decided that any future polystyrene and bag bans would be recommended at a town meeting as a warrant article by the Board of Health.

Dyer fought for the earlier May ATM, but was not disappointed, he said, to move the proposed warrant article back to October’s STM, as long as the start date for the ban was July 1, 2020.

The Selectmen and Board of Health agreed, and the Board of Health will work with Dyer on the article along with Selectman Wes Blauss.

After the meeting, Dyer said with sincerity that he wasn’t disappointed and, “Look at it this way: we’re moving toward a goal.”

Filed Under: More News Left, News

Kulikowski status hearing held

March 14, 2019 By Abram Neal, Express Correspondent

A courtroom in the John Joseph Moakley United States Federal Courthouse in Boston. (Photo courtesy United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts)

BOSTON — Matthew Kulikowski, 37, of 52 Priscilla Road, Whitman, was not present at the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse for a status hearing held in his federal case on one charge each of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography March 7, 2019.

The hearing was held in Courtroom 25, where Magistrate Judge Marianne B. Bowler presided. Attorneys Jane Peachy, an assistant public defender representing Kulikowski, and Anne Paruti, the prosecutor, told Bowler that they are discussing a “potential resolution short of trial,” indicating a possible plea deal.

The hearing was brief. The attorneys also discussed with the magistrate judge progress with discovery, which was on track, and Paruti added that state charges against Kulikowski will require some “coordination,” although she didn’t elaborate.

Kulikowski, a former MCI-Norfolk prison guard, was arrested and charged in federal court Sept. 10, 2018. Investigators say they found images depicting child pornography, including the sexual assaults of girls who appeared to be between 4- and 8-years-old, on a tablet computer found in his bedroom.

According to federal court documents and officials, while on pretrial release from Plymouth Superior Court, investigators from Homeland Security Investigations, Massachusetts State Police and Whitman Police discovered during a five-month-long investigation that Kulikowski’s home internet service was being used to distribute child pornography via a mobile app known as Kik Messenger.

The investigation into the federal charges originated in Canada, when the Ontario-based company that owns the Kik Messenger app reported an account suspected of transmitting child pornography to Canadian federal authorities.

That suspect account was then reported by Canadian authorities to American authorities in Ottawa because the pornography was transmitted to a U.S. internet service provider “geolocated to the United States.” That internet service was later determined to be the service at Kulikowski’s Priscilla Road address.

Authorities executed a search warrant at his family home Sept. 10, 2018. Court documents say Kulikowski and his father, Edward Kulikowski, were not originally cooperative with investigators, first lying about the existence of any tablets in the home.

Later, “[i]n a second conversation with Edward Kulikowski, agents asked him again where the [tablet] was. Edward Kulikowski led agents to a bookshelf in a hallway on the second floor of the home and removed a … tablet from within what appeared to be a photo album. Edward Kulikowski told agents that the evening before, while the family was gathered at the home, another adult family member observed Matthew Kulikowski in his bedroom using the tablet and notified Edward Kulikowski because Matthew Kulikowski was prohibited as a term of his pretrial release from using electronic devices. Edward Kulikowski said that he then hid the tablet in the bookshelf so that Matthew Kulikowski would not be able to use it.”

That tablet had been factory reset, but authorities hope to recover data from it, reports say. Investigators found a second tablet in Kulikowski’s bedroom, with its screen smashed, but they were able to recovery child pornography off that device.

Kulikowski first made headlines in 2014 when he was arrested and charged in Plymouth District Court and later indicted in Plymouth Superior Court in 2015 on three charges of posing a child in a sexual act; two charges of possession of child pornography; one charge of disseminating obscene material to a minor; one charge of indecent assault and battery on a child under age 14; two charges of enticement of a child under age 16; and one charge of breaking and entering a building in the daytime for a felony.

He is being held on both the state and federal charges.

Kulikowski is scheduled for a change of plea hearing on those state charges May 23, 2019, at 2 p.m. in Plymouth Superior Court in Plymouth before Judge Cornelius J. Moriarty, III.

As for the federal charges, another status conference is scheduled for April 26, 2019, at 2:15 p.m. in Courtroom 25 of the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse before Bowler.

Filed Under: News

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »

Your Hometown News!

The Whitman-Hanson Express covers the news you care about. Local events. Local business. Local schools. We honestly report about the stories that affect your life. That’s why we are your hometown newspaper!
FacebookEmailsubscribeCall

IN THE NEWS

Hanson passes $3M override proposal

May 8, 2025 By Tracy F. Seelye, Express Editor

HANSON – Hanson Town meeting voters are giving the town’s voters another chance to be heard on the … [Read More...]

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK

Whitman-Hanson Express

FEATURED SERVICE DIRECTORY BUSINESS

LATEST NEWS

  • Sr. tax work-off raise May 8, 2025
  • Whitman honors fire Lt. Brian Trefry May 8, 2025
  • Hanson passes $3M override proposal May 8, 2025
  • Whitman OK’s $2M override plan May 8, 2025
  • Memories of Mom as Mothers Day nears May 1, 2025
  • Whitman Democrats to Elect Delegates to State Convention May 1, 2025
  • Town ballots form up May 1, 2025
  • Whitman outlines override impact May 1, 2025
  • Whitman gains $65K cybersecurity grant April 24, 2025
  • What is DEI, really? April 24, 2025

[footer_backtotop]

Whitman-Hanson Express  • 1000 Main Street, PO Box 60, Hanson, MA 02341 • 781-293-0420 • Published by Anderson Newspapers, Inc.

 

Loading Comments...