October 2009 Archives

This last one was one of the most random, scary, and awful stories I've covered in a while.

A trick-or-treater, just 10-years-old, was walking along a quiet, beautiful cul-de-sac in a rural part of Pelham Saturday night when a roughly 50-foot birch tree fell, struck him, and killed him.

A photo Julia Malakie got of the tree is below.

There isn't much to say about this one. Neighbors didn't want to talk, understandably, but police said the boy was with several other children when this happened.

I'm sure all those children could use some prayers, as can this boy's family.

The boy was rushed to Saints Medical Center in Lowell, where he was pronounced dead.

While I was at the robbery call in Lowell I heard Lowell Police broadcast that a Pelham Ambulance was coming down Bridge Street at high speed with a patient on board who was critical.

Now I know why the ambulance was in such a hurry on a night like tonight.

Police said it appears wind blew the tree down. The National Weather Service reported gusts of up to 50 mph at a few places in Massachusetts tonight, and forecast 30 mph gusts for Lowell.

When it comes to incidents that just boggle your mind, this one is right up there with the 5-year-old who was killed in Lowell earlier this year.

The tree fell on Fairview Circle, a short cul-de-sac off Diamond Hill Road in Pelham. It is in a development full of big and very nice homes, many of which were decorated for Halloween.

A neighbor who said he wasn't home when this incident occurred said there are lots of trick-or-treaters in the neighborhood. He had a big blue bucket inside his door that had been full of candy.

When I was there there was just a few candy bars and a lollipop left. He said his wife had given all the candy out.

As I was speeding to what turned out to be a scary but fairly minor pedestrian accident on Westford Street tonight, where a mother was struck by a moped as she led two children across the street, police got a report that the Dunkin Donuts at Dutton and Fletcher had just been robbed.

It was about 7:15 p.m.

The woman on Westford Street had minor injuries.

The armed robber at Dunkins displayed a shotgun and escaped.

He was described as a heavyset white male, wearing a black hoodie, brown pants and white shoes.

Within minutes, police found a heavyset white guy in a black hoodie on Western Avenue, and soon found a black, pistol-gripped shotgun in the bushes on the same street right across from the artist studios.

Turns out the guy on Western Avenue was wearing jeans and brown boots, though. He was eventually cut loose.

Police recovered the shotgun, which is pictured above just as it was found.

Very nice of someone to leave it there like that on Halloween, when there were thousands of kids out and about on the streets.

That would have made one hell of a bad addition to a costume had some kid picked it up instead of police.

It should be noted this suspect fits the description of a guy who also held up the Country Farms Store on Branch Street, near Wilder Street, on Wednesday night.

Anyone with information is asked to call Lowell police at (978) 937-3200 or Crimestoppers at (978) 459-TIPS (8477). Callers may remain anonymous, but can receive up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.

By a guy police tell me sort of looked like a firefighter.

Halloween related? Who knows.

He didn't have any fire department logos or anything on his clothes, or a helmet, but police say Robert Levesque, 39, of 33 Fourth Ave., was wearing dress pants, a white shirt and a sweater, much like a deputy chief would when he was arrested Saturday night.

Police got a call that the Crown Victoria, formerly used by a deputy chief, was missing from the Fire Prevention Bureau at 93 Mammoth Road, about 9:30 p.m.

Before long firefighters spotted it nearby and followed it while police caught up.

The driver initially refused to stop for police, police said.

Officers finally got him stopped at Dracut Street and Sixth Avenue, according to police.

Levesque is charged with larceny of a motor vehicle, and will probably face charges for not pulling over right away too, police said.

It is unlikely he will face charges of trying to impersonate a firefighter, since he didn't drive the thing to a fire or anything quite that ridiculous.

It's worth noting that in 2005, Levesque was accused of stealing a car, breaking into a CVS in Tewksbury to steal pills, and then leading police on a 90 mph chase up I-93 and I-495 in the stolen car.

I can't find out tonight if he was ever convicted in that case, but it sounds like things could have turned out worse tonight.

Happy Halloween, all hell broke loose around here tonight.

I'll start with the least weird of the night's incidents, a third-floor window on Central Street, near the intersection with Merrimack, that mysteriously blew out tonight, showering glass down onto Central Street across from the Old Court.

Police said it doesn't appear to be vandalism, and may have just been due to pressure that built up with last night's high winds.

No one got hurt, but as you can see here the sidewalk on Central Street downtown really got showered with glass.

I'm glad I wasn't standing there at the time.

I initially thought Halloween hijinks, but apparently there was no evidence of that, plus the window is three floors up, and it would have taken one heck of a throw to do this.

Considering what else happened tonight, I didn't have much time to pursue this.

Police are looking for a heavyset guy, over 200 pounds, who held up a Branch Street convenience store with a rifle or a long-barrelled BB gun tonight, police said.

Officers went to Country Farms, at 268 Branch St., at 9:37 p.m., but soon learned the robbery had about 5 minutes on it.

The suspect pulled what appeared to be a rifle and fled across Middlesex Street toward Wilder Street and Columbus Avenue.

He's described as a heavyset, white male, over 200 pounds, wearing a dark blue or black jacket with gray lining, a dark sweatshirt with writing across the front, gray sweatpants with a band around the ankles, and a baseball cap with an insignia on it.

Anyone with information is asked to call Lowell police at (978) 937-3200 or Crimestoppers at (978) 459-TIPS (8477). Callers may remain anonymous, but can receive up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.

Still no updates on the investigation from either Lowell Police or the DA's office. I've been checking more than daily.

I have a theory on this one, but I'm not in the business of sharing theories. People shouldn't mistake a failure to comment for a failure to make progress, though.

I'm still waiting for word of arrests or other developments.

The FBI is now on the case of the guy who held up the Lowell Five Cent Savings Bank at Stadium Plaza last week, and they say he has hit at least two other banks as well.

The FBI says the same man is suspected of holding up the Merrimack Valley Credit Union on Osgood Street in North Andover on Aug. 17.

Here is a picture of him from that heist.

The FBI also suspects the same man held up Citizen's Bank on Main Street in Sharon on September 1.

Here is a picture of him in that bank.

The robbery in Tewksbury was a week ago on the 19th. He passed a note to a teller demanding money from several drawers, and then escaped on foot.

Here are the two pictures Tewksbury PD put out from the bank.

This one is from the bank lobby.

The guy in the photos is described as a whilte male, in his late 20's to early 30's, between 6'0 and 6'3, with a heavy build.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the FBI at (617) 742-5533.

It was a tough week in Pawtucketville.

In addition to the double-murder, two women on White Street, not far at all from the murder scene, were robbed at gunpoint about 8:30 Thursday night.

Two guys pulled up in a car as the women were walking, one pointed a gun at the women, slid back the slide to load it, and demanded their purses. Both women handed over their bags with cash and credit cards inside.

The women were apparently composed enough to get the car's license plate as it drove off, though. No small feat when you've just come face to face with the barrel of a gun.

Police then spotted the car at Rock and Fletcher streets Friday morning about 2:20 a.m., and arrested Ariel Hernandez, 21, of 9 Phillips St., second floor, and Giovanni Hill, 20, of 70 Agawam St.

Both are charged with armed robbery while masked.

Hernandez is additionally charged with carrying a firearm without a license, unlawful possession of ammunition, possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, and failure to stop for a stop sign.

Hernandez has been accused of this sort of thing before.

In early December, 2006, he was arrested along with Juan Ramirez, then 18, of 293 Pawtucket Blvd., after someone spotted both of them hiding in the bushes outside a pizza shop with masks on their faces and what appeared to be a handgun.

Police gave chase and ended up catching them. It turned out Hernandez had a BB gun in that instance.

In that case, both men were charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery while masked and disorderly conduct. Hernandez was also charged with resisting arrest and assault with a dangerous weapon (BB gun).

I couldn't find any old stories about whether he was ever convicted, though, so for all I know he could have been cleared of those charges. There's just no way to check that sort of thing late on a Saturday night.

I point out in my story on this today that it seems a bit odd that there have been three double-murders in Lowell this decade, and all three involved brothers being killed.

The Donovan brothers murder in 2002, the Lincoln Street killing of Moises Cotto and John Tejada in 2004, and now the murder of the Delgado brothers, Luis and Hector.

Luis, who most folks called Tony, was well-known downtown, and a face most folks who spend time there have probably seen.

Nick Petrakos, who owns the Shamrock, was crushed. He and Tony went way back because Tony used to work as a concierge at the the Doubletree, and would bring hotel guests over to the Shamrock for a bite to eat or a few drinks.

They were very close friends.

Tony and Hector both had kids, Tony's son is 11 or 12, Hector's son is about 2. Both were doting fathers.

I've heard nothing bad about either of these guys. Even Kathleen Marcin, president of the Downtown Lowell Neighborhood Association said Tony was a good guy that she never heard a bad thing about.

Hopefully investigators are making some progress. They were very very tight-lipped about the whole thing tonight.

I'll post updates as I hear about them, but I got very little from police sources tonight.

Lowell Police was one of the agencies credited in the press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in connection with the terrorism-related arrest of a Sudbury man today, but have no fear, neither the man nor the plot had serious Lowell connections.

Lowell PD got the credit because one of the department's officers is a member of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which investigated the case.

Lowell Police caught up with a suspect in the bank robbery at Sovereign Bank last night at Motel 6 in Tewksbury.

I would have updated sooner but they hadn't charged him as of midnight when my shift ended.

Today Stanley Wood, 29, of 72 Cambridge St., Worcester, was charged with the robbery.

Still no arrests in the Tewksbury robbery at the Lowell Five Cent Savings Bank in Stadium Plaza. Review the surveillance photos from that one by following the link above or scrolling down a bit.

Billerica is at the scene of a 2-alarm fire at the Faulkner Mill, 67 Faulkner St., where it sounds like there is a fire in the roof.

Firefighters have it contained in a portion of the roof, according to radio broadcasts.

I went to the scene but couldn't really see anything since the fire appears to have been on the Concord River side of the building.

The fire was knocked down by 7:30 p.m., and under control by about 7:50 p.m., according to fire department radio broadcasts.

No immediate reports of injuries and no word on a cause so far. All the commanders were inside the building while I was there so I couldn't find anyone to talk to for more specifics.

Police say the guy pictured below held up the Lowell Five Cent Savings Bank in Stadium Plaza this morning about 10:45 a.m., when he walked into the bank and passed a note demanding cash from three of the tellers.

He got an undisclosed amount of cash, and then fled on foot toward Clark Road. The bank is located at 10 Main St., in Stadium Plaza. Here he is as he left the bank's lobby.

He is described as a white male, 25 to 30-years-old, with brown hair. He wore a black sweatshirt, gray pants, and carried a black brief case. He did not display a weapon.

If anyone has information on his identity or whereabouts Tewksbury police ask that you call them at (978) 851-7373 extension 239 or 225, or just email tewksburypd@tewksbury-ma.gov.

About two hours later, Lowell Police got a call for a robbery at Sovereign Bank, 170 Merrimack St.

That suspect was described as a white male, about 5'10, 120 pounds. He was clean-shaven and wore charcoal colored pants and a white sweatshirt with a Red Sox symbol on it.

No one can say at this point if the two are connected, but it's under investigation.

Anyone with info on the Lowell heist should call Lowell police at (978) 937-3200 or Crimestoppers at (978) 459-TIPS (8477). Callers may remain anonymous, but can receive up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.

Hopefully everyone has heard about the arrest in the case of graveyard desecration that I wrote about earlier this month.

Also, the baby that was found unresponsive on Friday in an apartment on Market Street in Lowell has died.

Police say there are no signs of foul play, though. The death appears to be medical in nature and is not suspicious, according to Superintendent Lavallee.

Also, three Lowell guys were pretty badly hurt in this crash on I-84 in Connecticut. One of them is dead, according to someone I talked to in the ICU at Hartford Hospital.

I got to Rite Aide on Wood Street as fast as I could tonight but the poor guy who got locked inside at closing time had already made his escape.

Police got the call about 9:40 p.m., from a 45-year-old man who was locked inside when the store closed.

An officer was right around the corner and got there in seconds, only to find that the man had pushed open the sliding glass doors and then pushed up the large, metal security gate at the front door to free himself.
(Apparently the employee who closed it didn't lock it).

An officer got the trapped man's information and searched him to make sure he hadn't taken anything, and sure enough he hadn't.

This was "extremely accidental," the officer said in radio broadcasts.

It turns out the man was a would-be customer who went into the store to get some medication for his wife. Music was still playing over the loudspeakers and an employee was inside.

The man went to the back of the store looking for medication, and when he went to leave he discovered the store was empty and that he had been locked in.

Police stayed at the scene until someone from Rite Aide showed up to confirm that nothing was taken, and to turn off the alarm system which the man had activated while making his escape from the drug store prison.

"You can't make this stuff up," said the officer at the scene.

Firefighters were in quite a hurry tonight after they got a call for a car fire at the VFW Hall on Plain Street, across from the new Target store.

Firefighters got the call about 8, after a white, Chevrolet van caught fire while parked right next to the entrance of the VFW. Within a minute or two, the van was fully engulfed, and burning hot enough to melt some siding above the door of the veteran's club.

A one alarm fire was declared as a precaution, but Engine 1 soon got to the scene and put out the fire before further damage was done.

The van, which was full of equipment from a cleaning business, was a smoldering wreck at the scene, but it appeared a little melted siding was the only damage suffered to the VFW Hall.

Firefighters said there was no immediately obvious cause.

Plain Street was closed in front of the VFW while screws put out the fire and cleaned up.

Almost a month after a Chelmsford police officer shot a woman while investigating a domestic assault in the town center, the district attorney's office has ruled that the shooting was justified.

Chelmsford Police Chief James Murphy confirmed for me that his department has already made a similar finding, and that the officer, Timothy Bourke, a 12-year veteran, has been back on unrestricted duty since Sept. 21.

Murphy said he put Bourke back on duty after a preliminary investigation determined no rules were broken.

The complete investigation was completed recently, but Murphy had to wait for the DA to finish investigating before releasing anything.

The statement from the DA's office contains the most detail we've gotten so far, and can be downloaded by clicking You can download the full statement from the DA's office this link.

The paper has given quite a bit of press to Police Superintendent Kenneth Lavallee's focus on cracking down on illegal liquor sales around the city, which have even seen Lavallee go after the License Commission a bit for what he thought were lenient decisions.

Are store owners aware that he is serious about this? You would think so.

But then I got a report from Lavallee today that blew my mind just a little.

He says that M&B and Sons Liquors, 36 Concord St., which used to be called Belvedere Wine Co., and which is pictured below, managed to rack up three violations in the course of just four hours late last month.

I went to the store in search of its owner today, but he wasn't there. There were three stickers on the door, though, and a roughly 3-foot placard above the cash register warning that those trying to buy booze will be carded.

Interesting considering what police say happened last month.

Lavallee said police changed their strategy a bit. Instead of sending a cooperating minor into a liquor store to try to buy booze, vice detectives instead watched several liquor stores around the city and stopped those who appeared to be minors leaving with booze to ask for ID.

On Friday, Sept. 25, detectives arrested three patrons of M&B in the course of about four hours.

To make matters even more interesting, police went into the store after two of the arrests to identify the clerk and let him know they had just caught him selling to a minor.

The first arrest was about 5:15 p.m., when police say they stopped and arrested an 18-year-old Tewksbury boy who had just bought two bottles of vodka and a bottle of rum at M&B without getting carded.

Officers identified the clerk who sold the booze. He said he was busy, but thought he had carded the boy, police say.

At 6:30 p.m., detectives stopped and arrested a 17-year-old boy who had just bought a case of Miller High Life and a bottle of rum from M&B, police say.

At 9:30 p.m., detectives stopped and arrested a 20-year-old Lowell man who had just bought a bottle of Hennessy at M&B, according to reports.

None of the boys were alone. Each was in a car with other minors, or met other minors nearby before police approached, including some kids from as far away as Pepperell.

All three alleged violations have been sent to the License Commission.

Lavallee is upset because some of the kids were from as far away as Pepperell, and he's just not sure why a Pepperell teen would pass dozens of liquor stores en route to Lowell, only to end up getting booze from a small liquor store on a side street.

He said he thinks M&B might have a bit of a reputation among local youth.

The store has already been taken before the License Commission twice for failing compliance checks in 2008 and 2009, Lavallee said.

To give you an idea of how the superintendent feels about this, I'll end with a bit of what he said to me tonight on the telephone.

"They are basically laughing at the City of Lowell. They're thumbing their nose at us. They could care less and it just smacks of arrogance and complete disregard for the law."

This one could be interesting once it reaches the License Commission. A hearing on the allegations will likely be scheduled soon.

No arrests were made at any of the other stores police were watching.

Don't worry Centralville residents, I'm one of you and I love my neighborhood so I'm not talking smack, but right now police are off with a rollover accident on Route 110, and an unrelated two-car crash at 855 Bridge St.

No injuries reported in either crash, but traffic is getting pretty ugly as of 5 p.m.

Police are waiting for tows on all the vehicle's involved, I think three on 110, near 333 First Street Blvd., and two on Bridge Street.

I'd avoid the roads in that part of town for the next half hour or so at least.

I spent the early part of my shift today wandering through the Hildreth Cemetery on Hildreth Street in Lowell, where some total idiot, or idiots, vandalized roughly 150 gravestones sometime this week.

The damage, which includes toppled and broken stones, some of which were nearly 200 years old, was discovered Sunday morning by Officer Corey Erickson, who noticed a headstone was toppled as he patrolled past the cemetery.

Catherine Goodwin, of Chelmsford, who has written a book about the Lowell Cemetery and given tours there, tells me the Hildreth Cemetery is one of the oldest in the area.

The even more historic private cemetery just behind the Hildreth Cemetery, where Civil War generals Benjamin Butler and Adelbert Ames are buried was untouched. That cemetery was untouched.

Here's some video which shows a lot more of the damage.

Police have canvassed the area but no neighbors reported seeing or hearing anything suspicious. A full-blown investigation is underway.

The cemetery is actually maintained by Dracut since it has been there since before that part of town was annexed into Lowell. I couldn't reach the Dracut cemetery commissioner tonight, but I did speak briefly to Town Manager Dennis Piendak who said the cemetery budget is fairly small, so fixing this will not be easy.

Lowell Police are asking anyone with information to call them at (978) 937-3200 or to call Crimestoppers at (978) 459-TIPS (8477). Callers may remain anonymous, but can receive up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.

I didn't get down by the river until after dark tonight, so I missed it, but my boss tells me there's a roughly 15-foot boat with the name "Capri" on it stuck in the Pawtucket Falls.

I'm interested, but it appears neither police nor fire have taken a report on the boat.

Is it just debris that's floated downstream?

I'll be checking around a few more places on Sunday, but I got nowhere with my inquiries tonight.

Other than that it's been very quiet. I went to an accident at University Avenue and Pawtucket Boulevard about 8:45 p.m., but it was very minor.

Checked out a very brief foot chase from Appleton to Gorham Street about an hour earlier, but that was a simple drug possession arrest that Officer Chad Collins brough to a very quick conclusion.

I guess a car drove into a swamp up in Pelham too, but the driver walked away and was only wanted for a well-being check.