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Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
School board member Aguiar claims police chief alleged a coverup of school sex misconduct
(This story has been updated to correct an inaccuracy.) FALL RIVER — School Committee member Kevin Aguiar submitted a letter to the school board at its May 12 meeting, alleging that new Police Chief Kelly Furtado had made comments several years ago, when she was a school resource officer, that Mayor Paul Coogan and former B.M.C. Durfee High School administrators covered up 'sexually inappropriate situations with students.' Aguiar's letter, which was read during public input, said the matter was spoken about with 'high-ranking' officials serving on the Fall River Police Department, and that he had shared additional details with Superintendent Tracy Curley and school board members. Aguiar's letter read, 'I am now formally requesting an independent investigation to ensure all matters of sexual harassment, past and present, are handled appropriately and transparently.' Coogan, chairman of the Fall River School Committee, and who was assistant principal at Durfee High at the time, called the claim of sexual misconduct coverup "outrageous slander." Furtado gets the gig: Fall River appoints Kelly Furtado, first female police chief in history. What to know. Coogan said he anticipates receiving follow-up reports stemming from official police reports and other law enforcement agencies. He said the Department of Children and Families ought to have been contacted about this matter. Coogan said he assumed Aguiar, as a mandated reporter, would have cooperated with reporting the alleged incidents so as 'not to jeopardize anything in his future.' Aguiar struck back, saying he knew of no 'specific case' and no students have been identified, but saying his concerns lay with an alleged coverup. According to an email Furtado sent to Coogan, Furtado admitted having made a facetious remark at the time of planning for the construction of the new Durfee building on Elsbree Street. In the email, Furtado wrote that she had joked 'two rapes a day' were likely if builders used an 'open bathroom' concept in the new building. In a Herald News interview May 14, Coogan explained that the open bathroom concept featured more isolated, private spaces with no entryway doors between gendered bathrooms, where students could enter the bathrooms and turn right or left. Defending Gauvin: Aguiar: Fall River ex-police chief victim of 'smearing'; father's guns found in locker In an interview May 15, Furtado said her remarks about the bathrooms were made to former Police Chief Paul Gauvin's wife at a police department gala. Coogan acknowledged the remarks and said Furtado had been looking at the building design through the eyes of a school resource officer, with student safety front of mind. Regarding the rumors being brought to the School Committee, Furtado said "I'm appalled," but "not shocked at this behavior." Furtado said she has, in part, dedicated her career to "championing children's safety," and said even the suggestion that she would allow a criminal offense, such as rape, to occur "is demonstrably false." Aguiar claimed Furtado reported sexual misconduct coverup allegations to Gauvin during the time Gauvin was captain and to Deputy Chief J.T. Hoar and Deputy Chief Barden Castro. Coogan said Gauvin shared Furtado's remarks with him shortly after he was first elected mayor, when Furtado was "up for a promotion." Coogan remembered Gauvin had mentioned the remarks in line with discussing her candidacy for a new role within the department. Gauvin, when contacted, said he believed the gala when Furtado's remarks were heard was in 2018. "I attempted to step in when this was going on," Gauvin said. He maintained that he alerted Coogan to the matter: 'I can't tell you how many times, but it was a lot. He was well-informed,' Gauvin said. 'Nobody that I've talked to about this matter since 2018 has ever mentioned they thought it was a joke. No one has ever mentioned anything about bathrooms,' he said. Tensions have been high between Gauvin and Furtado, who took over the chief's position on an interim basis in October 2024 shortly after both the patrolmen's and officers' unions took votes of no confidence in Gauvin's leadership. Gauvin was fired in early April after an investigation found Gauvin left a "threatening" note to Furtado in her desk and improperly stored three weapons not owned by him in his locker. On April 11, Aguiar revealed he or someone in his family had given those guns to Gauvin and that they had been owned by his father, Daniel Aguiar. At the meeting, Aguiar called for an outside investigation to audit past and present instances of sexual harassment and violence where students were victims. In an interview, Coogan said he has a record of instances of sexual misdemeanors at Durfee High during the years in question, and the number of incidents is far fewer than what Furtado's alleged remarks claimed. Nearly all of them occurred between students, Coogan said. In every case, Coogan said, the incident was reported to the appropriate authorities; in some escalated situations, he said, the incident prompted him to notify police immediately. "I want the parents to know and I want the children to know: There were no two rapes a week at Durfee High School. It's outrageous," Coogan said at the board's meeting. Coogan called Aguiar's insinuations of a coverup 'a travesty.' 'He sent this letter to the attorney,' Coogan said, citing Bruce Assad, the attorney who represents the school board. 'This School Committee can vote to investigate a situation,' Aguiar said. 'Let's do an outside investigation if no one has anything to hide.' Coogan said if the allegations were true, and two rapes had occurred on a weekly basis — incorrectly stating Furtado's remarks of two rapes a day — and were covered up, 'that would be 70 rapes a year,' Coogan said. 'It's outrageous.' Coogan said Aguiar was slandering students, teachers and staff, and what he was doing was 'hurtful' to parents and the school system at large. If an investigation is conducted, 'He will find out that none of this is true,' Coogan said, assuming Aguiar heard the allegations secondhand. In terse exchanges with Aguiar, Coogan asked that if Gauvin and other police deputies had known about any incidents, why was nothing done about them? School Committee member Thomas Khoury recalled his time as a school adjustment councilor at the time Coogan served as the assistant principal, and said on many occasions Coogan and Khoury's work 'saved so many kids, kids who were in crisis.' 'I heard absolutely nothing,' Khoury said, about incidents that rose to the severity of rape. School Committee member Mimi Larrivee expressed concerns that using kids as pawns in political rumors was 'gross.' In an interview May 15, Aguiar claimed to have alerted school board members to the old rumors for months. School Committee member Bobby Bailey called for a consistent protocol to investigate criminal-level incidents. Bruce Assad clarified that the School Committee does not have any power to conduct its own investigation, and that as committee members, they are mandated reporters, and ought to report "any credible evidence" to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. Coogan said he welcomes an investigation by the city's police department. 'My position is this never went on. ... The only one writing about this is you,' he told Aguiar. "[Gauvin's] comments are from 2018," he said. This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Fall River to investigate old rumors of sexual misconduct at Durfee
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Top stories: Fall River appoints Kelly Furtado as city's first female police chief
As we kick off a new week, let's take a look back at the week that was. Top stories this past week included: School Committee member Kevin Aguiar submitted a letter to the school board at its May 12 meeting, alleging that new Police Chief Kelly Furtado had made comments several years ago, when she was a school resource officer, that Mayor Paul Coogan and former B.M.C. Durfee High School administrators covered up 'sexually inappropriate situations with students.' An investigation conducted by the Fall River Police Department will occur, Coogan said. What we know, as of this writing. Residents who have been unsatisfied with the MBTA's South Coast Rail service can take their complaints right to the top when MBTA General Manager Phil Eng hosts a meeting in Fall River on May 22. A Fall River man has been convicted of murder, assault and battery with a firearm and other firearms offenses for the October 2019 homicide of 17-year-old Paul Collazo-Ruiz in New Bedford, which also paralyzed a second victim. What we know, as of this writing. Hannah Santos, a former Joseph Case High School track star, excelled in her freshman year at Stonehill College, breaking the school high jump record. The much-anticipated transformation of Fall River's historic carousel and pavilion is almost complete, and it won't be long before the unveiling. Here's when you can take a spin. Looking for some things to do this weekend? Here are some events happening around the SouthCoast. The Durfee High School Alumni Association will host its annual meeting and awards program on May 22. The Fall River Arts and Culture Coalition, in partnership with the Pocasset Tribe of the Wampanoag Nation, presents "Echoes of the Pocasset & the Falling River," a multi-location cultural and recreational project that follows the forgotten route of the Quequechan River. The public unveiling was this weekend. Learn more about the project, here. Art, music, and more: What to see at the Narrows Center this June. Greater Fall River Re-Creation's fourth annual Community Block Party has been postponed. Here's when it will be. Take a wine tour this summer: Top SouthCoast spots to visit. Pier 52 in Fall River will soon be opening for the 2025 season. A Swansea store sold a winning $1M Powerball ticket. These were the winning numbers. Empire Ford will host its seventh annual Mustangs & More Car Show on June 21 at Bristol Community College. Swansea resident Karen Koutsogiannis's first wedding anniversary after the death of her husband brought her a touching surprise. Walgreens is closing two stores in Greater Fall River. How to transfer your prescriptions. The Children's Museum of Greater Fall River, which has operated since 1999, has a new executive director in Ellen Lough, and she's working to make the museum more accessible to every member of the community. The latest Greater Fall River real estate report, featuring a custom Cape Cod-style home in Freetown that sold for $815,000. The home on County Road was built in 1930, and it boasts a gourmet chef's kitchen with a walk-in pantry, a spacious living room with a stone fireplace, a handsome library, and a luxurious primary suite. Check out this property, as well as other recent top-sellers. These were the most read stories of the week on The city's interim Police Chief Kelly Furtado has been appointed as permanent chief with a one-year contract, following a 5-4 vote from city councilors taken at the May 13 City Council meeting. She is Fall River's first female police chief. Herald News Reporter Emily Scherny has the story. First female police chief: Fall River appoints Kelly Furtado, first female police chief in history. What to know. MBTA commuter rail trains are parked at the Weaver's Cove Layover station in Fall River overnight. Neighbors of the station say vibrations and noise from the trains happens at night and early morning, disrupting sleep. The MBTA and Keolis, the private company contracted to run the commuter rail system, have been made aware of the complaints and are scheduling a public meeting May 22 to address them. Here's what the station's neighbors are saying. Seeking resolution: Rumbling train noise at Fall River MBTA station is keeping neighbors awake all night Undocumented Azoreans living in Greater Fall River who overstayed on their tourist visas are now planning to return to the Azores. Anywhere between 15 and 20 families have already "self-deported." Helena DaSilva Hughes, president of the nonprofit Immigrants' Assistance Center at 58 Crapo St. in New Bedford, said about 1,000 undocumented families living in Greater Fall River who visited the United States and overstayed their tourist visas — while putting down roots deep enough to run businesses, purchase homes and start families — are now planning to return to Western Portugal and the Azores Islands, where they still have family and community connections. What we know, as of this writing. 'No way to live': Portuguese families 'living under fear' are leaving US, returning to Azores. Here's why. A 45-year-old Fall River woman was sentenced May 12 in federal court in Boston for stealing nearly $90,000 of her child's Social Security benefits over the course of six years. Nancy Taylor was sentenced Monday to 10 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $86,994 in restitution, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts. This is what we know, as of this writing. Sentencing: Fall River woman sentenced for stealing $87K of her child's Social Security benefits Ice 'N' Roll, 4263 N. Main St., Fall River, will be taking its photo-worthy ice cream creations to a new location. The popular Fall River stop will be moving to the Dartmouth Towne Center on State Road, with a projected opening date sometime in mid-summer. This is what's planned for their next chapter. Ice cream shop moving: Popular ice cream shop rolling out of Fall River. See what's next for Ice 'N' Roll. This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Top stories: Fall River appoints Furtado as first female police chief
