Latest news with #EricShears
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
Police rescue 7-year-old Mass. boy lost in swamp
Merrimac and Amesbury first responders rescued a 7-year-old boy who became lost in a swamp over a mile away from his home Friday evening. Merrimac police and firefighters received a report about a 7-year-old boy who was missing from a home on East Main Street shortly before 7:40 p.m., authorities said in a press release. Several on and off-duty officers responded, including one K-9 officer and an Amesbury officer who offered to use a drone to aid in the search. After an intensive search, they found the boy 1.3 miles away from his home, authorities said. He was waist-deep in a swamp and unable to move. The officers freed the child and were led out of the woods with the help of some drones, authorities said. Merrimac firefighters treated the boy at the scene, but he was taken to a local hospital as a precaution. Merrimac Police Chief Eric Shears spoke with the boy's mother Saturday morning, authorities said. She said her son is doing well and that she is 'extremely grateful for everyone who helped out, and all the officers and everyone involved were absolutely amazing.' 'I have never been prouder of the department, our mutual aid partners and our community,' Shears said in the release. ' ... Had this child not been located this quickly, I fear our community might have faced a tragic outcome. The professionalism, dedication and overall excellence of the team led to the best possible result in a very difficult situation.' Springfield approves new 5,000-gallon tank to allow Peter Pan Bus to fuel vehicles Springfield men indicted on drug trafficking charges in Vermont Former President Biden diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer Cape Cod high school senior killed in car crash Man chased victim, assaulted them with hatchet in Boston road rage incident Read the original article on MassLive.
CBS News
18-05-2025
- CBS News
Missing boy rescued from Massachusetts swamp by police, K9 named "Meatball"
Police officers and a K9 named Meatball helped track down a missing boy who was stuck in a Massachusetts swamp Friday night. The 7-year-old was reported missing from his Merrimac home on East Main Street just after 7:30 p.m., and that's when an "intensive search" began involving first responders from Merrimac and Amesbury, police said. Police said three officers and K9 Meatball found the boy 1.3 miles away from home "in a swampy marsh, waist-deep in water and unable to move out of the mud," authorities said. The officers were able to pull him out of the mud, and made their way out of the woods with the help of drone units. "Had this child not been located this quickly, I fear our community might have faced a tragic outcome," Merrimac Police Chief Eric Shears said in a statement. The boy was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and released, and his mother said he is doing well now. K9 Meatball helps track down missing Merrimac boy Amesbury Police Chief Craig Bailey praised the first responders and the K9 team for finding the boy quickly. "We train together for moments such as this hoping we would never need to answer this type of call," Bailey said. "Ultimately, Officer Nichols' track with K-9 Meatball and the support during the track by Officer Hewey and Officer Ryan DeVaney led to this positive outcome." K9 Meatball, who is partnered with officer Tommy Nichols, turned 5 years old in January. He joined the force in 2022 and is the offspring of Amesbury patrol K9 Achilles. On behalf of Chief Craig Bailey and the entire APD team, please help us in congratulating Officer Thomas Nichols and K-9... Posted by Amesbury Police Department (OFFICIAL) on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 Chief Bailey previously told The Newburyport News that it was Nichols' family that gave Meatball his unique name. "When we learned his name, it was a hit," Bailey told the newspaper. Last month, a police K9 in Milford jumped into a stream to rescue a missing 8-year-old boy who was found clinging to a tree.
