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Juvenile charged in stabbing

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WHITMAN — A 16-year-old Whitman teen is in stable condition, recovering from extensive injuries following a stabbing on Sunday evening in Whitman.

Another 16-year-old was due to face charges of assault to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury in Brockton Juvenile Court Monday.

Police Chief Scott Benton addressed the media at Whitman Police Headquarters on Monday to confirm the two unnamed juvenile males do know one another.

“There is a victim here that suffered a significant stab wound,” said Benton. “Certainly our thoughts and prayers are with the family and the victim that he makes a full recovery,.”

The Express was on scene just after 9 p.m. Sunday night as police cordoned off the yard with crime tape following a 911 call for a stabbing at a home at the corner of Washington Street and Belcher Drive.

A knife was removed by detectives and evidence could be seen on the grass.   

A red shirt, a water bottle, and several items were lying on the lawn while detectives from Whitman police and Plymouth County sheriff’s officers investigated.  An area at the back of the house where the suspect lived was also being combed over by officers who carried a brown evidence bag to a patrol car. There were reportedly other juveniles at the Whitman home during the incident.

Detectives were due to speak with the victim at the hospital on Monday, according to Benton.

Adults who were standing on the front lawn speaking with law enforcement personnel Sunday night, declined to speak to the media. They were later seen going in to the home and closing the door.

Benton reiterated Monday that the case is ongoing and active with many details not being released due to the juveniles involved. He could not elaborate on the area in the backyard or how the disagreement began because of the ongoing investigation.

“The case involves juveniles so there is not a lot I can say,” he said.

Jared Wark, 18, of Whitman said he knows both the victim and suspect as a friend and former basketball teammate. He was not at the scene of the incident, he said.

Wark told the media outside the Whitman police station that the victim and suspect were “talking smack” and threats were made via social media.

“It is surreal. I never thought any of this would happen,” said Wark. “There were threats. No one thought he was serious and they were friends.”

He called the town of Whitman a “tight town” — a very small town.

“I love my town. We are all connected and word spread around very quickly. It is past shocking,” he said.

Benton would not confirm further details about the role of social media or the exact cause of the escalation.

“We are talking about juveniles,” Benton said. “There is nothing that I can imagine in your life, that at the age of 16, that is … (pause) could possibly cause the death of another person, “said Benton.

Plymouth County District Attorney Cruz’ office is reportedly handling the case going forward. The suspect was released to his parents and was due at Brockton Juvenile court on Monday.

The victim is expected to make a recovery but he has a long road ahead, Benton said.

Juvenile arrested after Whitman stabbing

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WHITMAN — A 16-year-old Whitman teen is in stable condition, recovering from extensive injuries following a stabbing on Sunday evening in Whitman.

Another 16-year-old was due to face charges of assault to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury in Brockton Juvenile Court Monday.

Police Chief Scott Benton addressed the media at Whitman Police Headquarters on Monday to confirm the two unnamed juvenile males do know one another.

“There is a victim here that suffered a significant stab wound,” said Benton. “Certainly our thoughts and prayers are with the family and the victim that he makes a full recovery,.”

The Express was on scene just after 9 p.m. Sunday night as police cordoned off the yard with crime tape following a 911 call for a stabbing at a home at the corner of Washington Street and Belcher Drive.

A knife was removed by detectives and evidence could be seen on the grass.

A red shirt, a water bottle, and several items were lying on the lawn while detectives from Whitman police and Plymouth County sheriff’s officers investigated.  An area at the back of the house where the suspect lived was also being combed over by officers who carried a brown evidence bag to a patrol car. There were reportedly other juveniles at the Whitman home during the incident.

Detectives were due to speak with the victim at the hospital on Monday, according to Benton.

Adults who were standing on the front lawn speaking with law enforcement personnel Sunday night, declined to speak to the media. They were later seen going in to the home and closing the door.

Benton reiterated Monday that the case is ongoing and active with many details not being released due to the juveniles involved. He could not elaborate on the area in the backyard or how the disagreement began because of the ongoing investigation.

“The case involves juveniles so there is not a lot I can say,” he said.

Jared Wark, 18, of Whitman said knows both the victim and suspect as a friend and former basketball teammate. He was not at the scene of the incident, he said.

Wark told the media outside the Whitman police station that the victim and suspect were “talking smack” and threats were made via social media.

“It is surreal. I never thought any of this would happen,” said Wark. “There were threats. No one thought he was serious and they were friends.”

He called the town of Whitman a “tight town” — a very small town.

“I love my town. We are all connected and word spread around very quickly. It is past shocking,” he said.

Benton would not confirm further details about the role of social media or the exact cause of the escalation.

“We are talking about juveniles,” Benton said. “There is nothing that I can imagine in your life, that at the age of 16, that is … (pause) could possibly cause the death of another person, “said Benton.

Plymouth County District Attorney Cruz’ office is reportedly handling the case going forward. The suspect was released to his parents and was due at Brockton Juvenile court on Monday.

The victim is expected to make a recovery but he has long road ahead, Benton said.

Hanson confronts littered properties

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HANSON — The Board of Selectmen, on Tuesday, June 4, voted to table a decision on a General By-law violation regarding property conditions at 248 East Washington St. because the wrong address was listed on the meeting agenda.

The agenda listed the address of the property as 246 East Washington. Selectmen will vote on the issue when they next meet on Tuesday, June 18.

Building Inspector Robert Curran wrote in a letter to Gilbert Grabowski, the owner of 248 East Washington, that: “Your property is littered with debris, junk, old boats and trailers that, in my opinion, is detrimental to public safety, health and good.”

The letter was addressed to 246 East Washington, however, prompting Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett whether the owner was properly informed of the public hearing.

Curran was seeking a 10-day notice for Grabowski to remove the junk, scrap metal and other waste. He also noted the property had been brought before Superior Court in 2014 after enforcement had been initiated in 2012.

“I then tried to work with the property owner to get them to clean it up,” Curran said. “Nothing was done sufficiently … and Selectmen declared it in my opinion, is detrimental to public safety, health and good in 2014. We then went to court and the owner of the property cleaned up the property sufficiently for me to say he was OK.”

The property is in need of cleanup again, Curran said.

“This one’s been difficult,” Curran said. “I think this is more of a hoarding issue more than anything and I think we should treat it more like that, so I need your support to take it further.”

Selectman Matt Dyer suggested that the board make sure the address be properly posted on the agenda before a vote is taken. FitzGerald-Kemmett agreed.

Selectmen did vote to declare property at 81 Ocean Ave., as in violation of the General By-law.

Curran provided the board with photographs showing “debris, junk, appliances and auto parts that, in my opinion, is detrimental to public safety, health and good,” he said in a letter to property owner Kevin Smith dated May 7. “There are also two motor vehicles up on jack stands undergoing repairs, one of which is in your front yard.”

Curran told Selectmen during a public hearing on the matter that the property has been before Selectmen, beginning in 2009 with a hearing at which that Board of Selectmen determined the property was detrimental to public safety.

Cleanup had progressed, but was not completed and a follow-up letter was sent.

“We never did go to court because the property was cleaned up, but it’s [now] worse than it’s ever been,” Curran said.

He said he is asking the Board to request Town Counsel to seek and order from the court to clean it up, followed by a permanent injunction to keep the property clean.

Selectmen enforce General By-laws.

In other business, Selectmen voted to suspend the Class II Auto License of Upscale Auto, at 169A Franklin St., with the provision that, if work flagged by Curran be completed by the board’s next meeting on June 18, the vote could be reconsidered. That work includes repair of a fence on the property and ensuring that all cars on site are in saleable condition, including inflated tires.

McCue faces OUI charge

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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.)

Man is killed by MBTA train in Hanson

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By Tracy F. Seelye, Express editor
editor@whitmanhansonexpress.com

HANSON — MBTA Transit Police said a man was struck and killed by a commuter rail train in Hanson early Wednesday morning by an in-bound train at the Hanson station.

The name of the person had not been released at press time. According to transit police, the victim was trespassing on the right of way near Main Street when he was struck.

“A male, age unknown at this time, while trespassing on the right of way in the vicinity of 1070 Main St., was struck by an inbound commuter rail train on the Kingston/Plymouth line,” Transit Police said in a statement. to Boston elevision stations “Foul play is NOT suspected.”

The incident happened at 5:30 a.m. near the Hanson Station on Main Street. Commuters already on the train were seen departing the train after 7 a.m. to be shuttled to other stations by transit buses.

Service on the Kingston/Plymouth line was delayed with inbound passengers from the Hanson station redirected to the Whitman station.

Officials from the Transit Police, Plymouth County BCI and Hanson Police and Fire responded to the scene.

MBTA officials did not make a statement at the scene, with press inquiries directed to Transit Police Superintendent Richard Sullivan.

Hanson police shut down Route 27, which is near the tracks, from Elm to Phillips streets for the investigation. The road was closed for several hours. Regular service on the Kingston-Plymouth line did not resume until just before 9 a.m.

Local road traffic was redirected through Halifax via Elm Street for eastbound motorists out of Whitman and via Phillips Street for westbound traffic in Hanson.

Transit Police officials talk on Main Street in Hanson after a man was stuck and killed by a commuter train Wednesday morning

An MBTA commuter rail train was stopped on Main Street in Hanson for more than three hours after a man was struck and killed at the Hanson station

A Hanson Police officer escorts commuter rail passengers to waiting shuttle buses

Hanson housing plan OK’d

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HANSON — Selectmen and the Planning Board voted, in a joint meeting on Tuesday, May 21, to approve a Housing Production Plan aimed at increasing the availability of affordable housing in town.

The Board of Selectmen also approved a grant application to fund an electric vehicle charging station at Town Hall.

Town Planner Deborah Pettey and consultant Judi Barrett with Barrett Planning Group LLC of Plymouth and Thomas Thibeault, executive director of the Hanson Housing Authority met with Selectmen to review what the Housing Production Plan would mean for the town.

“We all have some responsibility in talking to the public about what housing need means,” said Barrett. “There are seniors in this community who are really poor, who are barely holding on to the homes that they have. You have single parents in this community who grew up here, who are barely holding on to what they have. … It’s your community, it’s a nice town, so help your neighbors.”

Selectman Matt Dyer had asked how low income housing is actually defined in light of the stigma attached to the phrase, as well as what the town should look into for investing new funds resulting from the program. Pettey said an affordable housing trust is an option as well as investment in infrastructure.

The median income for Hanson is about $98,000 — with affordable housing income guidelines at 80 percent of median, that puts Hanson at about $65,000 per year for a family of four in this region.

Barrett explained that the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development adopted a regulation several years ago urging towns to create such a plan, with the incentive that such plans could earn towns a break from requirements that they approve Chapter 40B comprehensive permits.

“If you have a plan and you’re producing new, affordable housing, you become eligible for the ability to take a break,” Barrett said. “It could be very helpful to you, especially if you’re going to start seeing more comprehensive apartment activity in your community, it might be nice to have a plan that communicates to land owners and developers that this is what the town would like to see and to get credit for production that might keep something you don’t want away.”

The plan includes a housing needs assessment, including demographic and economic growth information; Chapter 40B information, a state law that establishes a regional fair-share standard designating 10-percent of a town’s housing stock as low or moderate income; and implementation strategies.

“The Housing Production Plan says if you’re working toward that 10 percent and you’re doing it in a fairly systematic way — in your case, are you creating at least 18 new units a year of low to moderate income housing — then you get some credit for that, which might mean you get a break from having to deal with a lot of comprehensive permit activity,” Barrett said. The plan is intended to ask the community, which is predominantly single-family homes, what type of housing it would be willing to consider in order to create low income housing and where it should be located.

Hanson’s affordable housing stock runs at about 4 percent, which is not unusual for a small town, according to Barrett.

Now that the two local boards have approved the Housing Production Plan, the state will consider approval. The plan also includes a provision that, should 40B development increase school costs above taxes generated by that development, the town would be eligible for additional aid to the schools, according to Barrett. While not every town receives it, that brings in $350,000 per year for the town of Lakeville and $100,000 in Lunenburg.

Housing Authority member Teresa Santalucia said several groups in town also back the Housing Production Plan, including the CPC and Housing Authority.

Charging station

Pettey also reported to Selectmen that a grant from National Grid, which is almost automatically approved, would provide the town $25,000 for the installation of two charging stations for electric vehicles. The stations would be located on the upper parking lot at Town Hall.

“It’s a rebate,” Pettey said. “The town would get reimbursed for it.”

There will be four plugs, two on each station. The town can charge $1 per hour to people seeking to charge hybrid or electric cars there. A fund would be set up, into which  to funnel the charging revenue, for the payment of network fees.

Dyer said Green Hanson members are “ecstatic” about the plan.

“If we can lead the way and have that, it would be great. It sends a good message,” said FitzGerald-Kemmett, who added that she is considering purchasing an electric car.

Town Administrator Michael McCue said the Green Communities program is also moving toward electric vehicles for town-owned purchases they support.

Selectmen also approved a bylaw last year requiring the town to replace most of its vehicles with electric vehicles going forward.

Planning Board member Joe Campbell said cellphone apps can be set up to ping the location of the charging station for motorists seeking one.

“It’ll become pretty popular, if it’s PR’d the right way over these apps that they have out there,” he said.

Evans, Bezanson win in Whitman

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Whitman voters signaled they are ready for youthful change tempered with experience, as they elected 29-year-old newcomer Justin Evans, and re-elected incumbent Brian Bezanson, to the Board of Selectmen Saturday, May 18.

The debt exclusion question passed 746 to 522. More than 1,400 Whitman voters — 13.65-percent of the town’s 10,420 eligible voters — cast ballots in the Town Election.

Evans was the runaway top vote-getter, receiving more than 200 votes in all four precincts — for a total of 1,024 votes. He garnered 266 votes in Precinct 1; 248 in Precinct 2; 253 in Precinct 3 and 255 in Precinct 4. Bezanson received 604 votes — 158 in Precinct 1; 157 in Precinct 2; 155 in Precinct 3 and 132 in Precinct 4.

Finance Committee member Chris DiOrio finished in third place, receiving 453 votes — 110 in Precinct 1; 114 in Precinct 2; 117 in Precinct 3 and 109 in Precinct 4.

Incumbent Selectman Scott Lambiase received 434 votes — 133 in Precinct 1; 101 in Precinct 2; 96 in Precinct 3 and 104 in Precinct 4.

The remaining races on the ballot were uncontested.

For School committee in Whitman, — with two seats being filled — incumbent Dan Cullity received 875 votes and newcomer Dawn Byers garnered 1,036 votes. Incumbent Carol O’Brien received 1,115 votes as assessor. The two DPW Commissioner seats went to incumbent Kevin Cleary, with 986 votes and Bruce Varley with 965 votes. Incumbents Roberta Ellis-Drews, with 1,019 votes, and Lauren Kelley was elected with 1,111 votes, were re-elected to the Board of Library Trustees.

Katherine A. Kelleher was re-elected to the Housing Authority wit 1,043 votes. A one-year seat on the Planning Board went to Adam Somerville, who received 1,091 votes and a two-year seat went to Elaine Bergeron with 1,098 votes. Eric Joubert was re-elected to the Board of Health with 1,086 votes.

In Hanson, where there were no contested races on the ballot, and some offices had no listed candidates, turnout was extremely light, with only 137 voters casting ballots by 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

For complete coverage, see the Thursday, May 23 Whitman-Hanson Express.

 

Roofer arrested after multi-town chase

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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 abe@whphexpress.com or follow him on twitter @nealabe

Hanson OK’s a $27M budget

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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.

School committee certifies 8.5-percent assessment

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The School Committee on Wednesday, May 1 fell in line with the Whitman and Hanson boards of selectmen and finance committees in voting to certify an 8.5-percent increase in the school assessment for the towns in fiscal 2020.

Both towns hold their annual and special town meetings at 7:30 p.m., Monday, May 6. Hanson voters convene at Hanson Middle School Auditorium and Whitman holds its Town Meeting at its Town Hall Auditorium.

The 9-1 vote, with member Alexandria Taylor voting against, set the assessment increase in Whitman at $1,127,966 for a total assessment of $14,398,151. Hanson’s assessment increase at 8.5 percent would be $757,634 for a total assessment of $9,670,975. The assessment to both towns is $24,069,146 for a total certified budget of $52,373,023.

Taylor had vowed at the last School Committee meeting, on April 24, that she would not vote an assessment increase that is lower than 12.5 percent.

Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak reminded committee members there will be “people and positions impacted on anything under 12.5.”

Committee member Fred Small said that, in coming up to 8.5 percent, Whitman Selectmen and Finance Committee members were able to find the revenue to reach that level.

“The 2 percent extra is very much appreciated in my mind,” Small said. “While it doesn’t give us level services, what I think it does is it allows us to make the best we can out of a very bad situation. … I don’t know that we could expect anything better.”

He also stressed the need to get right back to work “almost immediately” after Town Elections to begin work on the fall override. That should be a three-pronged approach, Small said — the schools “need to lead our own charge,” improve on ways to save money, and make the public aware of the need for a good override.

“We focused a lot on Whitman in this budget process,” said Committee member Michael Jones of Hanson. “I think we learned last night [at Hanson’s Selectmen meeting] that we skipped over Hanson.”

Szymaniak reiterated that, at 8.5, there has been $1,740,000 cut from the level-service budget presented by the district this past winter. Of that, $897,000 is people and about $290,000 in “things” including legal costs as well as more than $561,000 transferred from excess and deficiency.

“We’re in the process of restructuring what we do here as well,” Szymaniak said. “There will be an impact to service, there will be an impact to technology, there will be an impact to facilities, there will be an impact to central office.”

The district is eliminating middle school foreign language classes and high school guidance services will also feel cuts, according to Szymaniak. All schools will feel the effect of cuts.

“We are looking at making sure that our students are safe and they are being taken care of through our counseling services moving forward,” he said. “In a global economy, our students need to have foreign language. We do not do that well and part of these cuts will have an impact.”

Whitman School Committee candidate Dawn Byers tearfully spoke of her seventh-grade daughter losing her Spanish class next year.

“I stood up a few years ago and advocated for all students to have [foreign language], and next year, they won’t,” she said. “I’m not going to talk about money or decisions I just want people to know what the kids are doing — taking a step back.”

Assistant Superintendent George Ferro stressed that the School District was asked to begin the budget process two months earlier and complied with that request.

“We presented the exact same budget that you see in front of you,” Ferro said, “We didn’t change, we didn’t deviate, we presented the exact same thing. … We presented what we felt was reasonable, was best and was responsible.”

Szymaniak said he is ready to start work immediately after town meetings to put a plan together to satisfy the needs of the school district as well as the towns in a full team approach.

“I’m calling them out and saying, ‘We’ve talked about this for years and, through this whole budget process, we’ve talked about a fall override,’” he said. “It needs to happen and the school needs to be a part of it.”

Data outlining the effect of budget cuts over the past 10 years, which some School Committee members have requested, can help develop a presentation for the community on the need for an override, Szymaniak said.

Small said he is sure the towns’ police and fire departments will be doing the same thing.

“We would all stand together,” Small said. “Our medical calls are up, we’ve got fires that have been devastating over the past few months — so there’s need all around. … We all work together with it, but we need to drive our own bus.”

Whitman Fire Union, whose members had advocated a 6.5-percent assessment to avoid firefighter layoffs in a May 2 ad in the Express, released a statement Thursday in the wake of the School Committee’s vote.

“WhitmanFirefightersLocal 1769wouldliketorecognize theWhitman­HansonSchoolCommitteeontheirvoteforan8.5-percent assessmentfor FY20atlastnight’sschoolcommitteemeeting,” the statement read. “We understandthat alotofworkwasput intothisprocessand manydifficultdecisions weremade. We areverypassionateaboutkeepingourcommunity safeanda12.5-percent  assessmentwouldhavedecimatedour department’sstaffby50 percent. … WelookforwardtoworkingwiththeTownofWhitman,itsresidents andtheWhitman-HansonRegionalSchoolDistrictoverthecoming monthsonaplantomakeourcommunitysustainableforALL departmentsformanyyearstocome.”

 

School Committee member Robert O’Brien Jr., said his 15-year-old son is among a growing number of high school students who want a say in the budget process and how it affects them.

“Nobody likes it,” O’Brien said. “Unfortunately, there is not a lot of money to go around. … Starting Tuesday, we have to start pushing on it. … There is an incredible amount of teamwork that goes on behind the scenes that most people don’t see, but now we need to take that and — I guess — politic it, for lack of a better word.”

School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes said a Hanson Selectman told him at that meeting on Tuesday, April 30 that a budget “post-mortem” was needed. He suggested a monthly budget committee meeting be held between the School Committee, department heads, finance committees — in addition to the regular monthly School Committee meetings.

 

In other business, the School Committee also voted to advise the boards of selectmen and finance committees of the formation of a Budget Committee, which is designed to include representatives of the boards as well as department heads in both towns. The aim is to get to work after the May 6 town meetings on the override project.

The School District also reported receiving a letter from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) declining a request to waive the 180-day school requirement at Conley School where a norovirus affecting large numbers of students and staff forced the closing of that school on March 15.

The last day of school for Conley will be a half-day on June 14, at a cost to the district of $1,820 for bus transportation.

Small requested that the district post the DESE letter on the school website for parents to read.

“There’s a phone number on there, if parents wanted to call,” he said.

The School Committee also appointed Business Services Director Christine Suckow and committee members Taylor, Small, Dan Cullity and Christopher Scriven to an Insurance Committee to review all district insurance policies with an eye to reduce costs in the future.