Latest news with #NewBedfordPolice
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man with extensive criminal history charged with stabbing in New Bedford
A 46-year-old man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a stabbing in downtown New Bedford, police said. New Bedford police were called to the intersection of Elm and Purchase streets on Wednesday for a report of a stabbing victim. Arriving officers found a man with a 'severe laceration' to his arm and two other minor wounds, New Bedford Police said in a statement. A man identified as a suspect had fled the scene by the time officers arrived, police said. The man, identified as Dennis Hart, was found at the Serta Bus Terminal. Hart is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury in connection with the incident. At the time, police say, Hart was on probation out of New Bedford District Court. Hart has a lengthy criminal record including 43 adult arraignments and convictions for strangulation, distribution of a class B substance, assault and battery and malicious destruction of property, police said. Person in critical condition after being shot in head in Chelsea Ex-Harvard morgue manager to plead guilty in stolen body parts case Maryland man accused of coercing Mass. teen to travel for commercial sex ICE arrests Brazilian woman charged with raping child on Cape Cod Marion police arrest boarding school employee accused of exposing himself to students
Boston Globe
11-04-2025
- Boston Globe
Prosecutors toss major trafficking case after New Bedford police accused of misconduct with informant
From left, Steven Ortiz, Jason DaRosa, Tommy Ortiz, and Katherine Espinal-Paredes left the courtroom after the case was dismissed. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff The misconduct cited in the dismissal was first exposed in While she was secretly seeing Lucas, Medeiros alleges, the detective was using information gleaned from her – without her knowledge – to build a drug trafficking case against Ortiz, her fiance. Advertisement In court Friday morning, Bristol County prosecutor Patrick Driscoll told Bristol County Judge Renee P. Dupuis he couldn't 'in good faith go forward' with the case because of the involvement of Medeiros and Lucas. 'Their involvement in the case has tainted the case, they can't be cut out, and it taints the entire investigation and therefore dismissal is the appropriate remedy,' Driscoll said. Bristol County prosecutor Patrick Driscoll. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff Driscoll declined to speak with the Globe following the hearing, and refused to answer several questions as he exited the courthouse. Advertisement The New Bedford Police Department's misuse of informants is the focus of a recent Globe Spotlight series, The state's about-face Friday came after Boston attorney Rosemary Scapicchio, who represented Ortiz, told Dupuis she was prepared to prove extensive misconduct by New Bedford Police -- including that one detective had perjured himself in a previous hearing. 'We were ready to make our case, and we would've made a very strong case, in my opinion, showing the rampant misconduct in that police department,' Scapicchio told the Globe following the hearing. 'The police officers were lying, and they knew we were going to expose their lies. And ultimately the Commonwealth, I think, made a decision that they couldn't go forward based on what had happened.' The investigation into Ortiz, dubbed 'Operation High Stakes,' initially seemed like a big score for local authorities. Spanning a year and involving agents from at least five local, state, and federal agencies, the case came to a dramatic conclusion in June 2017, when Ortiz was arrested. In all, authorities arrested 21 people as part of the probe, and seized about a pound of heroin and fentanyl. At the time, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III called it 'another example of law enforcement agencies working together to investigate drug dealing activity that fuels 'the opiate epidemic.'' But cracks in the case began to emerge several years later, when Medeiros – examining court records – came to believe that she was the confidential informant at the heart of the case. Advertisement In 2022, she contacted the Globe, which detailed her allegations in A New Bedford Police internal affairs investigation – prompted by the Globe's reporting – later confirmed the crux of Medeiros's story: That for years, she'd maintained a sexual relationship with Lucas – even as the detective was using her as a confidential informant. Friday's dismissal marks the second Bristol County drug trafficking case to fall as a result of Lucas's improper relationship with Medeiros. Last June, after the Globe story about the Lucas-Medeiros relationship, charges of heroin dealing against Miguel Martinez of New Bedford were dropped after the judge in the case excoriated Lucas for 'gross misconduct.' In that case, Medeiros testified that she'd been instructed by Lucas and another New Bedford detective, Kevin Barbosa, to plant drugs and cash on Martinez. '[Lucas's] disregard for police department policy regarding informants lacked the very integrity required for the search warrant process to maintain legitimacy,' Judge Renee Dupuis wrote in her decision. Judge Renee P. Dupuis. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff But until Friday, prosecutors had been undeterred in their pursuit of Ortiz. In the nearly eight years since his arrest, authorities have fended off numerous legal challenges aimed at undermining the investigation. Dugan Arnett can be reached at
CBS News
13-03-2025
- CBS News
Massachusetts woman accused of shooting neighbor's dog with pellet gun
A 32-year-old woman was arrested for animal cruelty on Wednesday, New Bedford Police said. Police say they received a report of a dog that was possibly shot with a pellet gun on March 1. Officials said Lynette Ayala was arrested and charged with animal cruelty after an investigation. Captured on surveillance video Surveillance video captured the sound of two bangs, and then one-year-old Zuri, a French Mastiff, is seen limping away in pain, police said. "Upset, not happy," said Zuri's owner Yolanda Todman. "I'm still not over it. I'm not over it, it's probably going to be a long time for me to get over it." The 32-year-old is supposed to be a neighbor living across the family's home. Police haven't said if Zuri was targeted or if Ayala was randomly shooting pellets, but thanks to quick work by animal control officers and detectives, police say they tracked down Ayala. "The sweetest dog" "Why would someone want to hurt her, I mean look at her, she's like the sweetest dog," said Todman. While Zuri is on the mend, the family hopes there will be consequences for harming the innocent animal. "Don't hurt animals," said Todman. "Think before you do things, definitely think before you do things because everything in the dark comes to light." The community has started an online fundraiser to help Zuri with vet bills. "Animal cruelty is a serious offense, and we will not tolerate it in our community," said Chief Paul Oliveira. "Thanks to the swift work of our animal control officers and detectives, we were able to take action in this case. We remain committed to seeking justice for innocent animals and ensuring the safety of all residents."
