Pelham News : crime

Mass. man to serve jail timefor Pelham motorcyclist’s death

Salem Editor — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:32:00 GMT

A Massachusetts man who caused the crash that claimed the life of a Pelham motorcyclist in 2007 was sentenced to spend at least three years behind bars.

Jason T. Connolly, 35, of Haverhill, Mass., was sentenced to serve three to six years in New Hampshire State Prison after pleading guilty to a single charge of negligent homicide.

Authorities claim that on Sept. 18, 2007, Connolly was driving a Ford Taurus with defective brakes at an unreasonable speed while under the influence of alcohol, cocaine and marijuana when he crossed a double yellow line on Route 38 in Pelham and struck a Harley-Davidson motorcycle ridden by Pelham resident John Sweren.

Sweren collided with another vehicle, and later died at a Boston hospital.

The crash occurred minutes after Connolly allegedly helped another man, Joseph Murabito, of Lawrence, Mass., steal an exotic bird from a pet store in Salem. The young macaw, a bright-colored parrot, was valued at $1,900.

Connolly was sentenced on the negligent homicide charge in Hillsborough County Superior Court in Nashua on Thursday, Jan. 8.

In addition to his prison sentence, Connolly will lose his driver’s license for at least seven years, must perform 500 hours of community service upon release, and complete any counseling, treatment and education programs recommended by the state’s Department of Corrections.

The court wants Connolly to undergo drug and alcohol treatment and counseling.

Connolly will also serve a disciplinary period of 150 days for each year of the minimum sentence. He will receive credit for 280 days already served in jail.

Connolly, an unemployed welder, was unable to post $10,000 bail after his arrest. Connolly had been indicted on two counts of manslaughter and two counts of negligent homicide last year. By agreeing to plead guilty to a single negligent homicide charge, he avoided going to trial and the other charges were dropped.

After the crash, Murabito fled into the woods off Route 38, according to police. The bird was eventually found alive in the woods by a search party organized by the pet store’s manager.

Alleged Pelham burglar presented business card to victim

Salem Editor — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:10:00 GMT

A business card given to the victim of a home break-in by the intruder led to the arrest of a Pelham man.

Damon Bonnell, 31, was charged with felony burglary. On Oct. 19, a woman told police that she was home alone and heard someone knocking on her front door. She was not expecting anyone, so she decided to not answer the door. A short time later, she heard knocking on her back door, then knocking on her basement door. When she went to take a look around, she found a man inside her home.

She said that when she confronted the man, he was startled and at first said he was new to the neighborhood and was selling a car. After the homeowner said she was not interested, the intruder told her he worked on computers and handed her a business card. After again telling him she was not interested, the man left.

Police later found evidence that lead them to believe that the suspect had made a forced entry into the home. Police followed up with the company listed on the business card and arrested Bonnell.

Bonnell was taken into custody on Friday, Nov. 7, and was held on $100,000 cash bail. He is currently being held at Valley Street Jail in Manchester. His arraignment was set for on Nov. 10 at Salem District Court.

Phone fraud on rise, Pelham police say

Salem Editor — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:42:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

The Police Department has fielded many calls related to telephone fraud recently, according to Police Chief Joseph Roark.

“The common thread of all the complaints is an attempt by the caller to obtain personal information from the citizens,” said Roark in a press release. “This type of scam is very common and referred to as ‘pre-texting’ in law enforcement. The criminals lie on the telephone to get your personal information.”

In such cases, the scammer may call and lie to the resident about who they are and whom they work for, saying they are with a particular bank or another legitimate company to get the resident to divulge their personal information by saying there is a problem with an account.

Some even pose as representatives from government agencies and ask the resident to confirm their billing information. In these ways, the scammers obtain Social Security numbers and other types of personal information to commit any number of identity fraud crimes, including unauthorized charges on existing credit cards, opening new credit cards or bank accounts, writing fake checks and taking out loans.

But scams are not just limited to phone calls, Pelham police Lt. Gary Fisher pointed out.

“A lot of it is done over the Internet,” he said.

A Contoocook woman was recently duped when she received an e-mail saying Yahoo. com wanted to confirm her personal information for her account. Pam Manus did not respond with her account information, but did send a reply asking why Yahoo wanted the information.

When she sent the e-mail, she saw that it did not go to Yahoo, but to a different email address. Just by doing that, Manus set off a chain reaction in which an e-mail was sent to all of the people in her address book saying she’d been robbed in Michigan, and requested they wire money to her.

The Pelham police have a case now in which a man was being asked via e-mail to give money for a cause and found out it was going overseas.

Both telephone and email scams should be reported to police, Fisher said, as a security in a person’s eventual dealings with their credit company or bank. All such incidents should also be reported to the Federal Trade Commission and to your credit company immediately.

“If (residents) report them to us, usually police agencies can work with the banks to try and find out where (the scam originated),” Fisher said.

If there is no return number or e-mail address, the culprits can be very hard to track, Fisher said.

If residents do not recognize the e-mail address, can’t get a caller to give them a return number or especially if they haven’t done business with the agency being represented lately, no personal information should be given out, Fisher said.

Those who suspect they’ve been scammed should close their accounts immediately and place fraud alerts on their credit reports, police said.

For more information on identity theft, visit www.ftc. gov/idtheft or call (877) IDTHEFT. To find out more about the most common phone scams, visit www.ftc.gov/bcp/ edu/microsites/phonefraud/ index.shtml.

Three suspected of murdering a Pelham man plead innocent

Salem Editor — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:04:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

The three suspects accused of fatally shooting a Pelham man in Worcester, Mass., after a conflict over a woman pleaded innocent at their arraignments in Worcester Superior Court.

Adrian Ortiz-Rodriguez, 21, of Pelham was gunned down on Ethan Allen Street in Worcester after attending a night club and then a party afterward.

Ortiz-Rodriguez was not directly involved in the altercation between his friend and another man over a woman at a night club, Worcester police said.

The alleged gunman, Hector Cortez, 26, of Worcester is facing charges of murder, assault and battery with a deadly weapon, and six other charges related to his carrying a loaded gun.

Juan Tapia, 22, of Lowell, Mass., who allegedly drove the getaway vehicle, is charged with murder, being an accessory to murder after the fact, being an accessory to murder before the fact, and several other gun charges.

Manuel Padilla, 23, of Worcester is also charged with murder, as well as several other gun and accessory charges similar to Tapia’s.

A grand jury indicted the three men in July. The case proceeded to their Superior Court arraignments on Wednesday, Sept. 10.

“At this time, the cases are being tried together,” said Tim Connelly of the Worcester District Attorney’s Office. The next step is a pre-trial conference scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 8, Connelly said.

According to witness accounts, Ortiz-Rodriguez and a group of friends were at Voodoo, a night club on Commercial Street in Worcester, when a man allegedly confronted one of Ortiz- Rodriguez’s friends for talking to the girl he was with at the club.

After leaving Voodoo, Ortiz- Rodriguez and his friends went to the party 27 Ethan Allen St., about a mile from the club.

“Once at the after hours party, the friend of the victim encountered the same man that he had argued earlier with, and words were exchanged once again,” a Worcester police statement said.

The situation quickly escalated, according to police, when Ramos allegedly went into a bedroom in the house with another man and came out pointing a gun at Ortiz- Rodriguez’s friend, prompting the group to leave the party.

Worcester prosecutors allege Cortez, Padilla and Tapia left the party minutes later, got into a Jeep Cherokee, which police allegedly traced to Padilla’s girlfriend, and circled the block until they found Ortiz-Rodriguez and his friends.

Cortez allegedly fired shots at the group, hitting Ortiz-Rodriguez, who was pronounced dead at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester at 3:35 p.m. on May 25 from a single bullet that entered his arm and went into his chest.

A security camera caught the three men walking into the 51 Wellington St. apartment complex where Padilla lives. When officers came on the scene at about 3:15 a.m., according to police, Ortiz-Rodriguez’s friends were driving toward St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester at a high rate of speed. Officers followed the two cars to the hospital.

During the Superior Court arraignment on Sept. 10, Cortez’ attorney Alan Black argued outlining the story line and facts in the case would prejudice the jury pool.

“The judge didn’t accept that objection, and Ms. Hatch was allowed to recite the basic facts of the case,” Connelly said. A trial date has not yet been set in the case, nor has jury selection started.

Drugs at Pelham High School

Salem Editor — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:13:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

A 16-year-old Pelham High School student was arrested on the second day of school for allegedly bringing narcotics into the school to sell them to other students.

The student’s name is not being released because he is a juvenile. Police are pursuing charges through Salem Family Court for possession of a controlled drug with intent to distribute.

Police were called to the high school Thursday, Aug. 28, at 12:35 p.m. Assistant Principal Leland Brennan Jr. said he got an anonymous tip that the student had prescription pills at the school. Brennan could not say whether that source was a student or not, he said.

“We had a confidential source tell us that he was in possession,” said Brennan. “Our process always is, unless there’s a threat to other students, like a weapon or something like that, we always deal with the student first,” he said, in case the tip is misleading or in error.

After questioning the student in private, the student handed 19 pills to Brennan, who in turn called police, Brennan said. Police were able to identify the pills, 14 of which were the narcotic Adderall and the rest Vyvanse. Both prescription medications are used in treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and attention deficit disorder.

The student has been suspended from school, although Brennan said he could not reveal how long that suspension will last.

Brennan said prescription drug use is on the rise among students, but said he and other administrators are making every effort to eliminate all types of drugs from the school.

“I think the prescription drugs are becoming the drug du jour, if you would,” Brennan said, adding they are easily obtained and hidden from view.

Pelham High School has a very stringent medication policy, Brennan said. Students are not supposed to keep any medications on their person throughout the day, and instead have to store them at the nurse’s office. Parents have to give the nurse their written consent to allow their children to have medication at the school.

“We’re trying to monitor it the best we can,” said Brennan, although he added it’s difficult to catch every pill bottle. “If we catch that, it’s confidential, and the parents are notified of our medication policy. I think most of the kids realize that they’re not supposed to have any type of medications on them at school grounds at all.”

The hard part, Brennan said, is sustaining their status as an educational institution without overstepping their bounds by searching the backpacks, purses or pockets of every student who walks through the door.

“We’re trying to keep this as a school instead of becoming invasive,” Brennan said.

Brennan said anonymous tips from students, teachers, faculty and community members are the key to uncovering drug use and sales in the school.

“Students and other people know before we do,” said Brennan. “That bridge, I have found, is the most important part of trying to get a school that is free of drugs.”

The first step in that is getting students to trust that whatever they say will remain completely confidential, Brennan said, which many students are starting to believe.

A large seminar held at the end of the last school year featuring a person who’d been incarcerated for drugs, addiction counselors, police and school administrators talking about drug use among youth was very poorly attended, Brennan said.

“We were kind of upset about the fact that we only got a few parents,” he said.

The climate in the school is swinging in favor of eliminating drugs on school grounds, Brennan said, and more and more people are speaking up when they see suspicious activity that may involve drugs.

“I think the biggest change is people are making the decision to not just say, ‘oh well, I can’t do anything about it.’ They’re deciding to make a stand. They want a drug-free school, and this is their way of handling it, and we’re there to back them up,” he said.

Pelham man arrested after struggle with police

Salem Editor — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:52:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

A 23-year-old man was hospitalized after a physical altercation with two detectives outside of a Rite-Aid pharmacy.

Pelham resident Kevin Henderson – with three warrants already out for his arrest on charges relating to speeding and drug possession – attempted to flee the pharmacy parking lot after two detectives approached him and identified themselves at about 1:11 p.m. Thursday, July 24.

Officers were able to physically detain Henderson, at which point he began to struggle with police, authorities said. One officer sustained minor arm injuries.

After additional officers arrived at the scene, Henderson was placed into the backseat of a police cruiser for transport. Henderson began kicking the backseat windows, causing damage to the vehicle’s doors and windows, according to police.

Henderson was subsequently transported to Southern New Hampshire Regional Medical Center to receive treatment for minor lacerations to his head sustained during his struggle with police.

Police are charging Henderson with resisting arrest, assaulting an officer, criminal mischief and operating a vehicle with a suspended license. He is also being held on three electronic bench warrants, including driving with a revoked license, speeding, and possession of drugs in Nashua and Merrimack.

Pelham woman charged with stealing school funds waives arraignment

Salem Editor — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:31:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

A Pelham Elementary School aid accused of stealing thousands of dollars from the school’s “sunshine fund” waived her arraignment in Salem District Court, which was scheduled for Monday, July 14, at 8 a.m.

Lisa Harris, 50, of 50 Windham Road in Pelham, turned herself in to police after a warrant was issued for her arrest on Tuesday, June 17.

The fund, for which Harris was in charge of accounting, was set up by Pelham Elementary teachers. Teachers would contribute money to the fund, which is completely independent of the school district’s budget, to make special purchases such as cards and gifts for special occasions.

Superintendent Frank Bass explained most schools have similar funds which incorporate collections from teachers and staff for such purposes, including weddings and funerals.

“These are monies that teachers put aside. It’s a very normal system. Most schools have sunshine funds of some sort,” said Bass.

Since the donated money in the fund is separate from the school budget, the missing funds will not be reflected back onto taxpayers.

Pelham police allege that Harris, who has since been terminated from her position as an instructional aid at the school after 10 years on the job, transferred $4,600 from the sunshine fund into a Sovereign Bank account. When the account was about to be drawn upon for a purchase, school staff noticed some of the money was missing.

“We became aware of a discrepancy in the account when money was called on for a specific purpose, and then upon investigation we realized the discrepancies were significant, and the investigation went its course,” said Bass.

According to police, the school district reported the missing funds on May 22. Investigators reviewed the financial statements, and found that several transfers had been made out of the fund between May 16, 2007, and May 28, 2008.

Police then reviewed the Sovereign Bank records for the account the money was being transferred into, and found it to be in Harris’ name.

Harris is now facing a felony theft charge for which she could be sentenced to jail time, probation and fines. She is out on bail, and her trial has yet to be scheduled. Bass said the school district administration and staff, as well as Pelham Elementary teachers are shocked at Harris’ behavior, adding she was a well-liked employee by all accounts.

“It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances, and we’re very disappointed in what has occurred,” Bass said.

Pelham teacher’s aide charged with stealing from fund

Salem Editor — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:30:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

A Pelham Elementary School instructional aide faces a felony theft charge after she allegedly stole thousands of dollars from the school’s Sunshine Fund.

Lisa Harris, 50, of Pelham turned herself in to police after a warrant for her arrest was issued on Tuesday, June 17.

The fund is a collection of money set aside by Pelham Elementary teachers to purchase cards and gifts for occasions such as funerals and weddings , school Superintendent Frank Bass explained.

“We became aware of a discrepancy in the account when money was called for for a specific purpose, and then upon investigation, we realized the discrepancies were significant, and the investigation went its course,” said Bass, adding Harris is no longer employed with the Pelham School District.

Harris, who worked as an aide for about 10 years, allegedly stole a total of $4,600 from the Sunshine Fund, transferring the money into a Sovereign Bank account.

Harris was in charge of keeping track of the funds, Bass said, which were accrued over time from teacher donations. They were not a part of the school district’s budget, Bass said, and the missing money will not reflect back onto taxpayers.

“These are monies that teachers put aside. It’s a very normal system. Most schools have Sunshine Funds of some sort,” said Bass.

According to police, the Pelham School District reported on May 22 that the money had been taken from the fund. After reviewing the fund’s financial statements, police found that the $4,600 had been transferred out of the fund between May 16, 2007, and May 28, 2008.

Pelham police investigators were able to secure the financial records of the Sovereign Bank account into which the money was deposited, and found it to be in Harris’ name.

Police released Harris on $5,000 personal recognizance bail. She will be arraigned in Salem District Court on Monday, July 14, at 8 a.m.

Bass said the school district administration and staff, as well as Pelham Elementary teachers are shocked at Harris’ behavior.

“It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances, and we’re very disappointed in what has occurred.”

Pelham babysitter arraigned

Salem Editor — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:12:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

A Pelham woman has been arraigned on 53 charges after she allegedly tried to pass off her employer’s baby as her own.

A probable cause hearing has been set for Jessica Provencal, 21, operator of Child Care on the Go, for Monday, July 2, in Salem District Court.

Provencal, of 364 Mammoth Road, had been caring for Cindy and Jim Chok’s 8-month-old baby since it was just weeks old.

The parents were horrified to learn that Provencal had put an ad up on Craigslist advertising for a babysitter for “her” baby. Not only had Provencal interviewed several candidates for the bogus job, she’d actually left the baby with some of them and had paid them for their services.

“It’s a parent’s worst nightmare,” said Pelham police Lt. Gary Fisher.

Provencal is being charged with 26 counts of kidnapping, 26 counts of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of theft by deception.

Fisher said someone called the Pelham police station on Monday, June 2. The caller stated that Provencal was a care provider for several families in Pelham.

She then told police that Provencal was telling people about her 8-month-old baby and was looking for a babysitter. The caller said that Provencal had never been pregnant to her knowledge.

She also told police about the Craigslist posting, which police were able to access.

From there, police tracked down three babysitters interviewed and hired by Provencal, all of whom were under the assumption that the eight-month-old was hers, Fisher said.

When police arrived at Provencal’s home for questioning, the baby was with her.

At the time, she told police that the Choks knew about the Craigslist ad, according to court records. She also supplied the wrong address and contact information for the Choks.

After tracking the Choks down and questioning them about their day-care arrangements, officers learned that Provencal had been caring for the baby on Tuesdays and Fridays since December 2007, when the baby was about 6 weeks old.

Cindy Chok told police she specifically told Provencal that the baby was not to be left with anyone else and said she was completely unaware of the Craigslist posting.

The Choks, who live at 24 Longview Circle, released a statement expressing relief to have their child back safely and thanking the Pelham Police Department for “their diligence in investigating this matter.”

The Choks also warned parents to thoroughly investigate the backgrounds of the sitters they hire, including running criminal background checks and asking for evidence of all the day care providers’ certifications and qualifications.

“Conducting random, unannounced physical checks of your child when they are being cared for outside of your home would also be helpful. Had we done any of these actions, we would have discovered our sitter was not being forthright with us,” the Choks said in the statement.

Each of the kidnapping charges, class B felonies, carry maximum sentences of up to seven years. The class A felonies, endangering the welfare of a child, each carry maximums of seven years or more.

Police are still tracking down other sitters Provencal may have solicited or other parents who have left their children in her care. Anyone with such information is asked to call the Pelham Police Department at 635-241.

Pelham babysitter charged with kidnapping

Salem Editor — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:59:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

A young Pelham woman is facing 27 felonies and 26 misdemeanors after she allegedly tried to pass off the 8-month-old baby boy for whom she was providing day-care services as her own.

Jessica Provencal, 21, of 364 Mammoth Road has been charged with 26 counts of kidnapping, 26 counts of endangering the welfare of a child and one charge of theft by deception, said Pelham police Lt. Gary Fisher, after she allegedly posted an ad on Craigslist seeking day-care services for the baby and actually brought the baby to other sitters’ homes while she was supposed to be watching him a few days a week.

“It’s a parent’s worst nightmare,” said Fisher.

The parents, Cindy and Jim Chok of 24 Longview Circle, released a statement saying they are relieved to have their child back safely and thanked the Pelham Police Department for “their diligence in investigating this matter.”

The statement also warns parents to take greater care in investigating the backgrounds of the sitters they hire, including running criminal background checks and asking for evidence of all the day-care providers’ certifications and qualifications.

Authorities were tipped off by a woman who called Pelham police on Monday, June 2, informing them that Provencal was a babysitter for several families in Pelham and was attempting to pass off the 8-month-old boy as her own.

The woman who called said she knew for a fact that Provencal had never given birth, and told police that she heard Provencal was advertising for a babysitter on Craigslist.

Several people responded to that posting, and Provencal allegedly brought the baby to the homes of unwitting sitters after interviewing them.

“We’re aware of at least three different people that she left the child with,” said Fisher. “They believed that the child belonged to Provencal. We also believe that she interviewed other potential day-care providers that she turned down.”

Pelham police are asking for anyone who has heard from Provencal regarding day care to call the police.

Officers went to Provencal’s Mammoth Road home on Tuesday, June 3, to question her about the baby, who was in her arms when she answered the door and greeted the officers. Upon questioning, according to a police affidavit, Provencal admitted that she told other people the baby was hers. She also admitted to posting on Craigslist for another sitter.

“She explained that she could not watch him every Tuesday and Friday, due to her other babysitting jobs, so she posted the ad. I asked her if (the baby’s) mother was aware of the posting on Craigslist. She stated that (the baby’s) mother was aware and gave her permission to do this,” O’Donnell said in the affidavit.

Provencal also told O’Donnell she had received a response from the Craigslist ad, and that she’d met with and interviewed the woman who responded, hiring her for $50 for Tuesdays and Fridays between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Provencal said she told the woman that the baby was hers.

When asked, she could not produce the last name of the woman she’d hired to care for the baby, according to O’Donnell.

Provencal tried to throw officers off by providing the wrong address and telephone number for the Choks, the affidavit said. After tracking the Choks down and questioning them about their day-care arrangements, officers learned that Provencal had been caring for the baby on Tuesdays and Fridays since December 2007, when the baby was about six weeks old.

Cindy Chok told police she specifically told Provencal that the baby was not to be left with anyone else, and said she was completely unaware of the Craigslist posting. The police assisted the Choks in making arrangements to get the baby out of Provencal’s home immediately, the affidavit said.

After speaking with the woman Provencal hired, police brought Provencal to the police station for questioning on June 3. During the interview, Provencal admitted to leaving the baby with two other individuals besides the one police had already spoken to.

Provencal will answer to her charges in Salem District Court on Monday, June 16, at 8 a.m. She has been released on $2,500 cash bail. Each of the kidnapping charges, Class B felonies, carry maximum sentences of up to seven years. The Class A felonies, endangering the welfare of a child, each carry maximums of seven years or more.

Fisher said Provencal has not been in trouble with Pelham Police before, and that she’s been running a day-care service called “Child Care on the Go” out of her home for several years. Police are still in the midst of tracking down other sitters Provencal may have solicited or other parents who have left their children in her care.

To offer information on this case, call the Pelham Police Criminal Bureau at 635-2411.

Pelham teen charged in Mass. pizzeria robbery

Salem Editor — Wed, 21 May 2008 18:12:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

A Pelham teen was one of three people charged as a result of an armed robbery of the owner of a Dracut pizza parlor after beating him repeatedly with a wooden stick, police said.

As police waited to execute a search warrant on the home of one of the suspects, the juvenile accomplice and an accessory to the crime happened upon the property and were arrested on the spot.

Jeremy Hogan, 17, of 1 Land Road in Pelham turned himself in to both Dracut and Pelham police on Monday, May 12, after a search of his home after the incident on Friday, May 9, turned up the burnt remnants of a briefcase stolen from the owner of Brother’s Pizza on Lakeview Ave.

Also arrested during the investigation’s course were Justin Hayes, 19, of Hudson, who was charged with accessory after the fact and an unnamed 16-year-old from Dracut, an accomplice in the robbery.

Alicia Beauregard, 18, of Pelham was also arrested while Pelham police searched Hogan’s home, but was not charged in connection with the robbery. She was charged with with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and felony possession of Vicodin.

Dracut and Pelham police collaborated on the case to make the arrests, with Dracut dealing with the crime scene and Pelham obtaining and executing the search warrant for Hogan’s home, which turned up not only the remnants of the briefcase but also about 400 prescription painkillers and a half-pound of marijuana.

The $6,000 that was inside the briefcase when it was taken had not been recovered as of Monday, May 19, according to Pelham police Lt. Gary Fisher.

Just before 9:30 a.m. on Friday, May 9, Dracut police responded to Brother’s Pizza on the armed robbery call. The owner had heard a knock on the back door, and thinking it was a delivery person, opened it to two masked men who entered and proceeded to assault him with a wooden stick, then took the briefcase with them.

Dracut schools in the area were put on lockdown for a short period of time, according to a statement from Dracut police Deputy Chief David Chartrand, until it was determined that the robbers had fled the scene.

The owner told police at the time that he believed he knew one of the masked men to be Hogan, who had worked at Brother’s Pizza for a few weeks and had recently stopped showing up for work, Fisher said.

After obtaining a search warrant through Salem District Court Judge John Korbey, Pelham police searched Hogan’s home. Hogan was not present at the time, Fisher said.

As Fisher waited for the warrant to be approved, he sat in an unmarked police car at the bottom of the driveway close to the home, a car containing Hayes, Beauregard and the Dracut juvenile pulled into the driveway.

“Once they were up that driveway, they were committed,” Fisher said. Pelham police charged Hayes with possession of a prescription drug, a misdemeanor, and Beauregard with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and felony possession of Vicodin.

The drugs found in Hogan’s home during the search led Pelham police to charge him with two counts of possession of prescription drugs, felony possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and receiving stolen property.

Dracut police charged Hogan and the juvenile with armed robbery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, both felonies. Hayes was charged with being an accessory after the fact.

After being arraigned in Lowell District Court on Tuesday, May 13, both Hogan and Hayes have pretrial sessions scheduled in Lowell District Court for Wednesday, July 9. Both of them, along with Beauregard, will answer to their Pelham drug charges in Salem District Court on Monday, June 9.

Charity scam leads to arrest in Pelham

Salem Editor — Wed, 21 May 2008 18:06:00 GMT

BY JIM DEVINE

A Massachusetts man was arrested Wednesday, May 14, after falsely telling Hannaford Supermarket employees he was soliciting contributions for a nonprofit athletic group.

Jamie Simard, 32, of Lowell, Mass., was arrested on charges of attempted theft by deception, possession of controlled drugs and giving false information to an officer after he allegedly lied to store employees, saying he was collecting donations for the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States.

Police said Simard approached the store on Tuesday, May 13, representing himself as a member of the group looking for donations.

Suspicious of the request, store employees asked Simard to return the following day. Meanwhile, they contacted Pelham police to confirm if he was connected to the AAU.

Upon contacting the organization, police learned Simard was not an employee, nor was he authorized to collect money for them.

When Simard returned the following day, the store called police, who then confronted and arrested him for misdemeanor attempted theft by deception.

When Simard asked for belongings in his car after he was arrested, police removed a backpack in the car containing several needles of what is believed to be heroin.

Police added misdemeanor false information charges to the felony drug charge after they found out that Simard had lied about his identity.

Teens charged with arson in Pelham

Salem Editor — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:37:00 GMT

BY JIM DEVINE

Police have charged three teens and a juvenile with arson related to the fire that damaged and closed the skate park early this month.

Thomas Kostarellas, 17, of Dracut, Mass., and Marc Patenaude, 18, of Pelham, were charged with arson and attempted arson on Monday, May 12.

Jason Lamy, 17, of Pelham, was arrested for arson as well as two counts of attempted arson after he allegedly tried to explode an aerosol can prior to the fire.

On May 2, police responded to the skate park at Lyons Memorial Park behind the Sherburne Hall building to put out a fire that the teens allegedly started on one of the skate ramps. Several officers put the fire out with a fire extinguisher.

Lt. Gary Fisher said police recognized a vehicle leaving the skate park at the time of the fire and interviewed the driver, who said he saw the suspects start the fire.

The skate park sustained $1,900 in damages and has since been closed. The town is expected to pay $1,000 as an insurance deductible.

Recreation director Brian Johnson said the park won’t be opened until full repairs are completed, but said he has already put the project out to bid and is waiting for the town’s insurance claim to be processed.

“I’d like to have it opened up as soon as possible,” he said.

The skate park, which has been at Lyons Memorial Park for three years, hasn’t been a regular site of trouble, but there had been a similar call to the skate park a week before the fire.

“There was a report of some kids burning a T-shirt, but we didn’t find anything on that,” Fisher said.

Fisher said a 15-year-old juvenile has not yet been arrested, but is expected to appear in Salem District Court on arson charges. All three teens were released on $5,000 personal recognizance bail. An arraignment was set for June 9 at Salem District Court.

Pelham man arrested for hosting underage party

Salem Editor — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:38:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

A 40-year-old Pelham man was arrested for holding a drinking party that minors attended at his home after he advertised the gathering on MySpace.com.

Marco Rivera of 53 Simpson Mill Road posted the party on the social networking site, charging $5 a person for admission.

A 911 call came into the dispatch center, but it was disconnected.

Upon returning the call, according to a police statement, the caller told police the call was accidental and hung up when asked for his location. Police headed out to the area to check out the call.

When Pelham police responded to the home on Sunday, April 20, at 12:30 a.m., they found about 100 people, including many under the age of 21, drinking in the basement.

Salem and Windham police were called to the scene to handle the crowd and check on the conditions of the partygoers.

According to police, 25 minors from Nashua, Hampton and several towns in Massachusetts attended the party, all of whom were released to parents or other adults.

One of them, a 14-yearold girl, had been listed as a runaway from Lowell, Mass., according to police Lt. Gary Fisher.

No one was taken to the hospital, and no one was arrested except for Rivera.

Fisher said the police have never had any real trouble with Rivera, but that officers responded to his home about a week prior to this incident for a small gathering involving alcohol.

“It was nothing like this,” Fisher said.

Police did not find any drugs in the home, Fisher said, and Rivera was cooperative during the arrest.

“There were no problems. He was taken in without incident,” Fisher said.

Rivera will appear in Salem District Court on Monday, May 5, to be arraigned.

Charged with facilitating an underage alcohol house party, Rivera could face a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.

“The catcher on this one is that he advertised it on MySpace and charged an admission fee, so that’s why we’re going forward with the charges,” Fisher said.

Fisher added he’s never encountered a case like this one involving social networking sites, but that the department recognizes the heavy use such sites get from high school students in particular.

“They’re using MySpace for everything under the sun nowadays,” Fisher said. “We’re definitely going to keep an eye on this guy’s MySpace account.”

Police find man wanted in crash that killed Pelham man

Salem Editor — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:51:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

A Massachusetts man accused of helping an accomplice steal an exotic bird from a Salem pet store in September has been indicted on charges that he caused the crash that claimed the life of a Pelham motorcyclist shortly after the theft occurred.

Jason Connolly, 34, of 136 Andover St., Andover, Mass., was recently indicted on charges of negligent homicide and manslaughter by a grand jury at Hillsborough County Superior Court in Nashua.

The indictments charge Connolly with driving a Ford Taurus with defective brakes and being under the influence of alcohol, cocaine and marijuana when he crossed a double yellow line on Route 38 in Pelham and struck a Harley Davidson motorcycle that Pelham resident John Sweren was riding.

The motorcycle then collided with another car. The collisions occurred Sept. 18. Sweren, who was 54, died at a Boston hospital. Connolly, who is being held in a county jail, was already facing a charge that he helped Joseph Murabito steal the $1,900 macaw from Sea World Pet Center in Salem. The fatal crash occurred about a half hour after Connolly drove Murabito, who allegedly stole the bird, from the store.

Police had been looking for Murabito, who lived in Lawrence, Mass., since the theft and crash. In early March, he was apprehended in Maryland after being stopped there by police. Police discovered he was wanted by authorities in Salem because an arrest warrant for Murabito had been entered in the National Crime Information Center, according to Salem Deputy Police Chief William Ganley.

Murabito was transported to New Hampshire by a Rockingham County warrant unit.

Murabito, who was arraigned on a felony shoplifting charge, is being held on $5,000 personal recognizance bail and $15,000 cash/surety bail.

He was scheduled to appear at a probable cause hearing on Wednesday, April 2, in Salem District Court.

Pelham police recently interviewed Murabito about the crash. Lt. Gary Fisher said Murabito was cooperative and provided some information that might be useful in their case. Murabito does not face charges in connection with the crash, Fisher said.