Pelham News : police

Pelham Police adopt new texting tip system

Salem Editor — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:24:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Residents can let local law enforcement know at the push of a button if they’ve seen a crime, thanks to an anonymous text message tip system.

Tip411 is the newest feature of Citizen Observer, a Web-based community alert program the Pelham Police Department adopted last fall, said Chief Joseph Roark. Now residents can report suspicious activity by texting the department rather than making a call, he said.

“We’ve had people in the past create fictitious e-mails to send us tips, and we’re excited to give people an option to send it in really quickly and directly,” Roark said. “It comes right into our dispatch center, and it looks like an instant messaging screen. The tip comes in, and they’ll look at the tip and distribute this to the appropriate division.”

Though the messages are received anonymously, the department can use the program to get back in contact with tipsters to follow up even without knowing who they are, Roark said.

The program also allows two-way communication.

Local police can now broadcast emergency information to cell phones to use all those extra eyes and ears to help find missing persons or solve crimes.

Tip411 comes at no additional cost, said Roark, other than the $2,500 annually the department already spends for Citizen Observer.

The company first offered a text message tip service about two years ago, said Dan Zell, Tip411’s national program manager. Law enforcement agencies in 45 states are now enrolled, ranging from major metropolitan departments like Detroit to small towns like Pelham, he said.

“It’s a smaller agency that has access to resources that typically only large communities and agencies would have access to,” Zell said. “With their use of it, they’re kind of leveraging a loop of communication that engages citizens … as well as enabling the community to engage them.”

Turning to residents to help solve or prevent crimes isn’t a new idea in police work, said Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police in Washington, D.C. “All you’re really doing is using one of the oldest concepts in policing: knowing your neighborhood and letting your neighbors know you,” Pasco said. “That goes back to the cop walking the beat and taking that concept, which is tried and true, and applying new technology in communications. It’s the next logical step.”

Police departments adapt to the times, he said. A quick exchange of information is crucial in the first hour after a crime is committed and doubly so in a hostage or abduction scenario, Pasco said.

Roark said he hopes the program will make it more comfortable for members of the “text-friendly” generation to reach out to police. Since rolling out Citizen Observer, the department has had 350 residents sign up for e-mail alerts. Getting information out to the public has helped solve crimes and fosters a working relationship with residents, he said.

That’s something Roark would like to see continue. “It’s a way to reach people in a society that’s instantaneous. We have to adapt,” Roark said. “We can’t (mail) newsletters like we used to do. People want their information very quickly and very easy to digest. It’s been outstanding and worked very well.”

To begin using Tip411, text “PELHAM” to 847411 to register for alerts. The department recommends users store the number on their phone for quick access. Anyone can submit a tip online at www.pelham police.com, sign up for e-mail alerts or learn more about the program.

Tip411 should never be used in an emergency and is not a replacement for 911, the department says. All life- or property-threatening emergencies should be reported by calling 911.

Pelham resident stabbed during burglary

Salem Editor — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:43:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

A Derry man has been arrested and charged in connection with an attempted burglary that ended in a physical altercation with a Vassar Drive homeowner on Aug. 26.

Now facing first-degree assault and burglary charges, 37-year-old Anthony Richardson was located in Methuen, Mass., and taken into custody by Pelham detectives working alongside local authorities at about 8:45 p.m. that night.

According to police, evidence recovered at the crime scene identified Richardson as the suspect in the attempted breakin and a warrant for his arrest was put out after the homeowner positively identified Richardson in a photo line-up.

At about 10:15 a.m. that morning, the homeowner – listed as Dennis Viger by Vision Appraisal’s online assessors database – arrived at his 3 Vassar Drive residence to find a vehicle parked in his driveway with the trunk open. As the homeowner took down the license plate number of the dark-colored four-door Saturn, Richardson allegedly exited the residence carrying a computer.

Placing the computer in the trunk, Richardson then confronted the homeowner, using a screwdriver as a weapon and sparking a scuffle that left the homeowner with a broken wrist and stab wound to his left bicep, according to authorities. Though the home-owner was able to eventually wrestle the screwdriver away from Richardson and stab him between the ribs with the tool, Richardson was able to flee the scene.

At the time, Lt. Brian McCarthy said that while the homeowner’s encounter with Richardson had not ended badly, the department’s policy was to discourage witnesses to a crime from getting involved.

Officers at the scene said Richardson was unknown to the homeowner, who initially thought the strange vehicle in his driveway may have belonged to a contractor doing work on the residence. Richardson will be held in Massachusetts on fugitive of justice charges until he is remanded to authorities in New Hampshire, police said.

Theft of wall safe on Ledge Road is third Pelham burglary in a week

Salem Editor — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:16:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

The burglary of a Ledge Road home on Aug. 1 was the third in a string of residential break-ins reported in the span of a single week, according to local authorities.

Police said one or more suspects entered the Ledge Road residence sometime between 8:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. and removed a safe from a wall containing a large amount of money and sentimental family photographs. According to authorities, the homeowner was not home at the time, and another member of the family discovered the crime after returning to the residence.

Though police recovered evidence left by the suspects at the crime scene, Sgt. Michael Pickles said the department does not have any solid leads at this time.

According to Pickles, officers investigating the burglary have no reason to connect the latest break-in with the burglary of two other local homes late last week.

On Friday, July 31, a Burns Road homeowner reported that he had arrived home to find the front door of his home kicked in. Two wooden boxes containing an undisclosed amount of jewelry had been stolen from the master bedroom of the residence, according to police. Officers arriving at the scene found no one inside the home, but determined the door had been forced open.

The night before authorities received a report at about 9 p.m. that the front door to a Nashua Road residence had been forced open. According to police, prescription medications had been stolen from the home sometime after 5 p.m.

While the three burglaries may be unrelated, Pickles believes that the economy could be playing a role in the rash of break-ins and other incidents, including the theft of $200 from a farm stand at about 3:16 p.m. on Saturday, reported in the past few weeks.

With many struggling to make ends meet through the recession, people may be taking more drastic measures, Pickles said.

“The only thing that is across the board is that the economy is playing a role in these things,” he said. “People are hard up for cash because of the economy.”

For the time being, authorities are urging residents to report any suspicious people or vehicles in their neighborhoods.

Police are advising anyone who believes their home may have been burglarized to stay out of the residence and contact the department immediately at 635-2411. Individuals with information regarding the burglaries or any other suspicious activities are also asked to contact the police department and speak with either Lt. Brian McCarthy or Sgt. Anne T. Perriello.

New Pelham police fleet should save town money

Salem Editor — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:17:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

After trading in their Ford Crown Victorias for a fleet of leased Chevrolet Impalas late last month, police officers are taking to the streets with a new look.

Lt. Brian McCarthy said switching to Chevrolet made good financial sense for the department after last summer’s high gas prices and news that the Ford Motor Company is planning to discontinue the Crown Victoria police package in 2011.

That left the department with a choice between the Chevrolet Impala and the Dodge Charger police packages going forward, according to McCarthy.

“Police departments are going to have to find something else to drive,” he said. “We took the hard look at both, and ultimately, after researching them both, we felt that the Chevy Impala was the most cost effective way to change over our fleet as opposed to the Dodge Chargers.”

In the past, the department has spent $60,000 a year to purchase and outfit two new Crown Victoria police interceptor models to replace older cruisers in the fleet. For roughly the same price, the department leased seven of the Impalas this year and traded in their older vehicles to cover the expense of outfitting the new cruisers. At the end of the three-year lease, McCarthy said the town can purchase the cruisers for use as administrative vehicles With front wheel drive, a 6-cylinder engine, good gas mileage and better handling in winter weather, McCarthy said the Imapala fit the bill for what the department wanted in an economical new police cruiser, but the five-year, 100,000-mile warranty that came with the leases sealed the deal. Between replacing the town’s aging police cruisers with seven new vehicles and the bumper to bumper warranties, McCarthy expects the department’s maintenance costs to be cut by a third over the next three years.

“We were running our Crown Vics up to 110,000 miles and those cars’ maintenance costs are outrageous. It doesn’t pay to hang on to these cars,” McCarthy said. “We’re optimistic that we’re going to have about 70,000 miles on these (Impalas) by the time we turn them over. If we can keep the cars in that window, that’s where we think the savings is going to be.”

The department has had to make some sacrifices since deploying the new Impalas shortly before Memorial Day weekend.

According to McCarthy, the Impalas have about an inch less of head room and less trunk space than the Crown Victoria model.

“We miss the big trunk. We carry a lot of big gear and that trunk is full,” he said. “Again, you pick up the front wheel drive and we’re hopeful that this will be a better vehicle in the snow for us. Even though it’s a 6-cylinder, its got significant horsepower and it can get up and go when it needs to.”

Despite the lack of space, McCarthy said he has received a lot of positive feedback and no complaints from the officers in his department so far. “The guys seem to like them a lot,” he said. “Cops don’t like to change. They get used to things and they’re the hardest sells. I think they like them, which is good.”

Sgt. Glen Chase, who has been with the department for 10 years, said that even with the size and weight difference with the Crown Victorias, the Impalas make a competent police package in his book.

“It’s becoming more popular with gas and fuel prices,” Chase said. “It’s got a little bit more modern flare, but again it’s not a Crown Vic. That’s the historic police department car.”

Pelham students discover consequences of drunk driving

Salem Editor — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:44:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

Nick Peters was “drunk” when the vehicle he was driving knocked over an orange safety cone.

He hadn’t really been drinking. Rather, the goggles he was wearing had impaired his vision as if his blood alcohol content level was .15 – beyond the state’s legal limit.

Just hours before their attending their prom, Peters and other Pelham High students wore vision impairing goggles while driving golf carts to experience the effects of drinking on their driving ability.

During the Friday, May 8, exercise, held on school grounds, local police officers urged students to make responsible decisions when driving.

“When you guys are out and about, and have a lot of pressures and decisions to make, we’re hoping you’ll … really think twice about drinking and driving, driving without your seatbelts,” Lt. Brian McCarthy told them.

One pair of Drunk Busters impairment goggles simulated a BAC level of .08, the state’s legal limit, while the other simulated a BAC level of .15.

Each driver had to zigzag a cart through a line of cones, each cone about 5 feet apart. Next, they had to back up the cart while turning it, into a space between two lines of cones.

“It’s pretty hard,” said student Wayne Parisi. “It’s really blurry. You see double of everything.”

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in America, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Speeding, drinking, not wearing seatbelts and distractions, such as cell phone use, are among the contributing factors.

Local rescue workers typically stage a mock accident at the school the morning of the prom. This year, police tried a new technique with the golf carts and goggles.

By providing something interactive to the students, McCarthy said, they are more likely to retain what they’ve learned.

McCarthy, a former state trooper, has seen crash scenes where alcohol was a contributing factor, he told the students.

“It’s a reality – booze and cars kill people,” he said. And he’s seen fatal crashes where death could have been avoided had people been wearing seatbelts, he said.

“The fact of the matter is, seatbelts save lives,” said McCarthy. “I’ve seen it firsthand.”

McCarthy reminded the students that earlier in the week, an 18-year-old Salem man died when the car he was driving slammed into a tree in Atkinson. His passenger, a 16-year-old Derry girl, later died. Neither wore seatbelts and investigators believe speed was a factor.

The students rode the carts with a police officer seated next to them. Frequently, they struck a cone or failed to drive between all the spaces between cones.

“Oh, that person’s dead,” a girl remarked when another student hit a cone.

Page Maloney, 18, a senior, said the goggles made her vision blurry.

“I could never drive like that,” said Maloney after she stepped off a cart. “I’d get a DUI and get hurt.”

“It feels like my eyes are going crazy,” said Sophia Hur, another 18-year-old senior, who had trouble maneuvering her cart around a cone.

“It does feel like you’re intoxicated. If I really was drunk, that’s how’d I feel.”

Will the exercise make a difference in how students behave during prom night? Absolutely, said junior Bryan Toupin, 17, junior.

“It puts it into perspective,” he said.

The “drunk goggles” exercise was part of two days of pre-prom activities, sponsored by the school’s Peer Outreach group, to promote responsible decision-making.

As they do every year, Peer Outreach presented Grim Reaper Day the day before the prom to demonstrate the dire consequences of drug and alcohol use.

Every 15 minutes, the Grim Reaper picked a student “victim.” Each “victim” was outfitted in a black T-shirt and had their face whitened to indicate they had died. The story of how a victim “died” appeared on the victim’s locker.

One boy had been cramming for finals with friends when the group decided to drink shots of Tequila to relieve stress. He and a friend were killed when the friend drove into a bridge. A girl who survived lost her right eye and suffered brain damage.

“All of our families are devastated,” his message read. “I wish we had not gotten into that car or not even drank at all.”

Peer Outreach also arranged for Joshua Burns of Teen Challenge of New England in Manchester, a residential drug recovery program, to speak to all the students in the school’s gymnasium on the day of the prom.

Burns talked about the importance of making good decisions and how one moment can define a person’s entire life.

Pelham homeowner gets burglar to put stuff back

Salem Editor — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:49:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Police are looking for an alleged burglar who apologized to the homeowner he was attempting to rob after being caught in the act.

According to authorities, the homeowner found the burglar walking out of the rear of his residence with jewelry boxes and electronic devices after arriving home at about 12:45 p.m. on Friday, April 10.

Police said the the burglar began apologizing after he was confronted by the victim and returned all of the items he had taken after the homeowner requested he do so.

Though the homeowner continued to talk to the burglar, attempting to befriend him and keep him on the premises, the suspect eventually fled on foot heading west on Dutton Road before officers arrived, police said.

A search of the area did not turn up the suspect, authorities said.

Police are describing the suspect as a white male, in his mid-20’s, 6 feet tall with a medium build.

At the time of the attempted burglary, he was wearing a baseball cap, T-shirt and jogging pants.

According to authorities, the homeowner was able to obtain a possible name and address through his conversations with the suspect.

An investigation is ongoing, and police are asking anyone with information to contact the Pelham criminal department at 635-2411.

Police ID suspect by missing fingers

Salem Editor — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:57:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

A closer look at a photograph of a man wielding a gun during an armed robbery in Dracut, Mass., helped Pelham police identify a man who allegedly committed a series of crimes in the area.

According to Lt. Brian Mc- Carthy, officers noticed that the robber – gloved at the time – had his middle finger on the trigger of the weapon while two other fingers, the ring and pinky, stood out straight.

That led officers to Robert Gleason, 25, of Pelham, who is missing both of those fingers on his right hand and who police said owns a car similar to the vehicle used in the Dracut hold-up. Gleason – identified by Sgt. Anne Perriello, who has dealt with him in the past – was taken into custody at about 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25, on a string of unrelated charges in Pelham.

According to McCarthy, three weeks ago Gleason had stolen several checks from his father, forged his name and cashed them, giving authorities an opportunity to hold him while police on both sides of the border investigated his connection to robberies in Dracut and Methuen, Mass., as well as the robbery of a Salem Luk Oil last week.

Gleason was arraigned in Derry on Thursday, March 26, and is being held on $100,000 cash bail as authorities investigate a possible connection to three other cases.

Pelham officer solves Mass. hit and run

Salem Editor — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:22:00 GMT

A Salem man was arrested for a Massachusetts hit-and-run crash after a Pelham traffic officer noticed heavy damage to the front of the man’s car.

Traffic officer Matt Keenliside was helping the Pelham Fire Department direct traffic on Windham Road when he observed a car attempting to turn into the Pelham Terrace. The car appeared to have fresh heavy front-end damage.

Upon conducting a license check, the driver was identified as John P. Flanagan Jr., 54, of Salem, and he was arrested after his license was determined to be suspended.

When asked about the damage to the front of his vehicle, Flanagan said his car had been stolen earlier in the day. He said it was involved in a crash and he recovered the car himself.

Police sent a message to surrounding police departments regarding the fresh damage and the possibility that Flanagan may have been involved in a hit-and-run accident.

Massachusetts State Police contacted Pelham, saying the car fit the description of a hit-and-run that took place on I-93 north in the area of Exit 45. Flanagan was subsequently charged with operating to endanger and leaving the scene of an accident.

According to police, Flanagan seemed to be under the influence of drugs during the arrest process. While being evaluated, Flanagan admitted to have snorted heroin prior to getting into the accident. He was charged with operating after suspension and driving under the influence of drugs.

Flanagan is scheduled to appear in the Salem District Court on Feb. 9.

Pelham police cruisers may be replaced all at once

Salem Editor — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:27:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Police Chief Joseph Roark is hoping to update and replace his existing fleet of police cruisers with the lease of seven new Chevrolet Impalas next year.

While the police department typically makes an annual purchase of two Ford Crown Victorias to replace older vehicles with higher mileage that are phased out of service, Roark is hoping to save money on maintenance in the long term by starting from scratch with a new fleet of low mileage vehicles.

“The idea behind it is ultimately to lower my maintenance and repair bills while at the same time lowering my initial capital outlay,” Roark said. “For less money in terms of maintenance and capital outlay and repair, I can lease seven new cruisers for what I normally do purchasing two new vehicles.”

In contrast to the more spacious, eight-cylinder engine, rear-wheel drive Crown Victoria, the Chevrolet Impala runs on a six-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive. Despite the smaller engine, Roark said the Chevrolet will be more gas efficient, boast better handling during winter weather conditions and will last longer under warranty.

Roark estimates that the switch will save him as much as 12.5 percent on his annual maintenance and repair costs, which does not include the anticipated fuel savings for the six-cylinder cruiser.

“I should actually be outlaying less money a year (by buying a new fleet) than purchasing the two. It’s a fiscally promising program,” Roark said.

Departments in Londonderry and Derry have begun leasing vehicles, as has the neighboring town of Windham, which made the switch to Chevrolet Impalas last spring with the leasing of two of the vehicles. Now the Windham police department has four of the marked Impalas and two more that are being used as administrative vehicles. Windham Chief Gerald Lewis said he has been pleased with their performance so far.

“Essentially, we did what Pelham does: buy a couple cars a year to replace several cars of high mileage that were prone to breaking down or prone to more maintenance,” Lewis said. “We saw this as an opportunity to update our fleet more universally and have a more mechanically sound, efficient fleet.”

Lewis warned that it was still too early to tell for sure if Windham would make the transition to Chevy Impalas permanent or not. With the vehicles all under three-year leases, Lewis said the town and the department would review their performance when the time came.

“We have to see how the Chevy holds up to the rigors of police work, which is they get a little bit more use, more stop and go, harder turns, harder breaking, and things of those nature. Alternators and batteries, they’re all impacted by the type of service they perform,” he said. “We’ll evaluate that over the next few years.”

Roark is now waiting for selectmen to decide if the money allocated for the leasing of the new vehicles should come out of the town’s operating budget, or through a warrant article at the next town meeting. He said the idea had received positive reviews from selectmen and the Budget Committee, though he would prefer the leases to go into the operating budget in order to replace the line item for the purchase of two new Crown Victorias.

“When you’re only purchasing two vehicles at a time, and I have seven marked vehicles in my fleet, you’re only replacing a portion of the fleet – a third at a time,” Roark said. “By leasing, if I replace my whole fleet I can turn those over in three years when they’re around 80,000 miles and still under warranty so I can save significantly under expenses.”

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.

Special ops called in on Pelham mental health case

Salem Editor — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:10:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

Pelham police called in the region’s special operations unit to negotiate with a 31-year-old man after they heard what they at first believed to be a gunshot coming from inside a home on Victoria Circle and could not get the man to come to the door.

While the Southern New Hampshire Special Operations Unit was surrounding the home and making attempts to contact the man, Pelham officers working an outer perimeter found the man walking by the intersection of Bridge and Old Bridge streets, less than a half mile away.

What police initially thought was the sound of a gunshot they now believe was actually the back door of the home slamming, said Pelham police Lt. Gary Fisher, who added no firearms were found in the home.

The man, whose name cannot be released, had called 911 on Wednesday, Aug. 20, and requested mental health assistance. The 911 operator lost the connection with him, and Pelham police responded to the home just before 8:30 p.m.

When they heard the loud bang, officers retreated from house and began to set up a perimeter. They tried to make contact with him using a loud speaker, and then called in the SOU.

The man had been consuming alcohol, Fisher said, but was not heavily intoxicated when the Pelham officers found him. The man was taken to Parkland Medical Center and eventually released.

Fisher said anyone suffering from mental or emotional issues should not be afraid contact police for help.

“Don’t ever hesitate to contact us. We can put (people) in touch with outside agencies to assist them. We’re a valuable resource when it comes to that stuff,” said Fisher.

Pelham Police say OxyContin use on rise

Salem Editor — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:00:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

Police arrested an 18-year-old Pelham man as part of an ongoing effort to halt the use and sale of prescription drugs, particularly OxyContin, in the community.

Krystopher Draper, 18, of Pelham was pulled over on Sherburne Road on Thursday, July 17, at around 2 p.m. by detectives investigating several individuals believed to be consuming and selling the drug, said Pelham police Sgt. Gary Fisher.

Draper, who also had a warrant out for stealing a check and cashing it in Pelham, has been charged with possession of OxyContin and possession of forged writings, both Class A felonies, and a misdemeanor count of drug possession in a motor vehicle.

Fisher said Draper had one OxyContin tablet on him at the time of his arrest. He added detectives watched Draper enter his vehicle and drive away before pulling him over, and already knew who he was. He could not say whether Draper was leaving his home.

According to Fisher, Draper stole a check from a Nashua business in November 2007 and cashed it at a Citizens Bank in Pelham. Officers investigating that case were able to get a photo of him, leading them to look into the OxyContin use.

Fisher said Draper’s arrest marks the third in a lengthy investigation into the drug’s continually growing use in the community. He added there would be more arrests forthcoming as the investigation reveals new individuals who may be involved with the drug. Police do not suspect a drug ring at this point, Fisher said.

“It’s a very prevalent drug. It’s easily obtained, and it’s highly abused,” Fisher said. “I think it’s becoming a drug of choice.”

OxyContin, often referred to as “the poor man’s heroine,” is a member of the opioid group of prescription drugs, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

OxyContin is a time-released form of the narcotic oxycodone, and is generally prescribed as a last resort for patients who are in severe pain every day. It is meant to be ingested as a whole tablet to get the time-released effect, but abusers of the drug typically chew up the tablet. Many also crush it up and snort it, or dissolve the powder in water and inject it.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, those who take OxyContin according to their doctor’s orders do not usually get any euphoric affect out of it, and can avoid becoming addicted to it because their pain absorbs most of that effect.

However, those who chew, snort, or mainline the drug to release the narcotic quicker and who have no pain to cure can become very addicted to the drug in a short amount of time.

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.