Police, Fire & Courts

Update on Hawthorne Country Club fire

A May 7 fire that destroyed the Hawthorne Country Club is believed to have been “intentionally set,” said Massachusetts fire officials. Investigators are seeking information about the fire and ask witnesses to contact Dartmouth Police or the State...

Bouley of Fire District 2 is officially presented with recall

After months of discussion, a petition calling for the resignation or removal of Fire District 2 Prudential Committee member Bob Bouley was officially presented to him at a special meeting of the committee on May 22. Bouley was present at the...
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Man charged with three drug-related charges in Dartmouth

A New Bedford man has been charged with three drug-related charges, according to Dartmouth police. Carl Taylor, 27, was arrested on Thursday, May 11 for suspected possession of fentanyl, MDMA (commonly referred to as “ecstasy’’) and with suspected...

Woman arrested for OUI after striking a utility pole in Dartmouth

An East Freetown woman was arrested Saturday night after her vehicle crashed into a utility pole Saturday near 410 Old Westport Road, Dartmouth police said. Mari McGinn, 21, of East Freetown, was placed under arrest and charged with operating under...

Dartmouth man, 60, injured when struck by car near Tucker, State roads

A 60-year-old Dartmouth man was transported to St. Luke’s Hospital with head trauma after being struck by a vehicle while walking in the area of State and Tucker roads Saturday, May 13, Dartmouth Police reported. The operator of the involved vehicle...

Dartmouth man charged with killing girlfriend in Chelsea

A North Dartmouth man was ordered held without bail May 9 in Chelsea District Court after being charged with the stabbing death of a Chelsea woman at an apartment in that city the day before, on Monday, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden...

To raise or not to raise: Fire District 2 annual meeting

Salaries and stipends were all the buzz at the Fire District 2 annual meeting on Monday, May 8, with voters generally agreeing to boost pay for some Fire District employees. The primary discussion at the meeting regarded paying the Fire District 2...

Hawthorne Country Club ‘total loss’ after fire

Updated The public’s help is being sought as Dartmouth Fire District 2, Dartmouth Police and the State Fire Marshal investigate the cause of the Sunday, May 7 fire that totally destroyed the Hawthorne Country Club, 970...

A look inside the GB housing unit after destructive incident

Two weeks after inmates caused an hours-long disturbance at the Bristol County House of Corrections, the smell of rotting fruit still lingers in the GB housing unit. The odor emanated from illegal “hooch,’’ which uses fermenting fruit to make...

Dartmouth woman charged with cocaine possession

A Dartmouth woman was arrested on cocaine charges following a shots fired investigation in New Bedford, according to New Bedford Police. Stephanie Conigo, 35, of Dartmouth was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession...

Old police station slated to be demolished

A wrecking ball will soon take a swing at the site of the former Dartmouth Police Station at 249 Russells Mills Road. The town has put out a call for contractors to demolish the 2 ½-story building, which is listed at 21,000 square feet, and has two...

Fire District 1 has quiet, non-contested election

DARTMOUTH — Unlike the lively Fire District 2 elections, there were no contested races in the annual election for Dartmouth Fire District 1, which was held Monday, April 24 at the Engine House, 10 Bridge St. One hundred forty registered voters cast...

Letter cites actions being questioned in Fire District 2

One year after furious controversy erupted over Fire District 2’s leadership, this week brought two new developments in the saga. In Monday’s district election, John Sousa ousted incumbent Prudential Committee member William Coutu by a 235-6 margin...

UPDATE: Incident ‘seconds’ away from hostage situation, sheriff says

The tense situation at the Bristol County House of Corrections Friday, April 21 came within seconds of becoming a hostage situation, Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux said Monday, April 24. He credited the quick thinking of correctional officers...

Update: One unit secured, work continues on another

Update 4:11 p.m. One unit at the Bristol County House of Correction is under control, with no injuries reported in the operation, according to the latest update from the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office as of 4:11 p.m. Work is ongoing on an adjacent...

Dartmouth Dunkin franchise cited for child labor law violations

The owners of a Dunkin’ Donuts franchise at 465 Faunce Corner Road in Dartmouth violated state child labor laws more than 1,000 times, leading to a $150,000 citation, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell’s office has announced. Four citations were...

Public’s help sought to identify hate crime suspect

DARTMOUTH __ Police are looking for the public’s help in identifying who might be involved in spraying a derogatory term on a dumpster at the Burgo Basketball Association facility, 101 Slocum Road. Police responded to the location at about 5 p.m...

Bed design creates hazards for potential inmate suicide, report states

DARTMOUTH — All seven recent suicides at the Bristol County House of Correction in Dartmouth involved metal beds that “contained numerous hazards and protrusions that were conducive to suicide by hanging,’’ according to a report released Thursday,...

Charges pending after vacant car found engulfed in flames

Charges are pending against the driver of a vehicle that was located unoccupied and engulfed in flames early Wednesday, April 12 on the New Bedford Country Club golf course on Route 6. The female driver was later located at a local motel. Her name...

UMass Dartmouth freshman killed by vehicle, second student death in week

This story has been updated. UMass Dartmouth freshman Frank A. Petillo Jr. was struck and killed by a vehicle on campus Thursday, April 6, according to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office. Campus police received a call at about...

Training to be expanded for corrections officers, sheriff says

Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux has extended the training academy for new corrections officers from eight weeks to nine weeks to add classes focused on topics he said will better prepare them. Classes will be added in de-escalation, dealing with...

Person found dead in park IDed as missing woman out of Dartmouth

A woman reported missing April 3 in Dartmouth has been identified as the individual found deceased April 5 in Buttonwood Park in New Bedford, according to the Bristol County District Attorney’s office. Janet Roderiques, 66, was officially identified...

Alleged illegal asbestos work in Dartmouth draws charges

BOSTON — An environmental services company and its owners have been indicted on 98 counts in connection with worker safety violations and illegal asbestos work conducted in Dartmouth and seven other communities, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell...

Public’s help sought to locate missing woman

Dartmouth Police have issued an alert for the public’s help in finding Janet Roderiques, 66, who was last seen Sunday, April 2 afternoon walking near Dartmouth Manor, 70 State Road, Route 6. Roderiques is described as about four feet, eight inches...

Dartmouth police arrest man, woman in stolen vehicle

DARTMOUTH — Dartmouth Police arrested a Fall River woman and a Dorchester man on theft and drug charges after they were found Thursday, March 30 in a stolen vehicle in the parking lot of Walgreens on Route 6, police said. At about 6:10 p.m,...

Investigation by Dartmouth detective, other agencies leads to guilty plea of New Bedford woman

A New Bedford woman who was involved in a fentanyl drug trafficking organization that was investigated by a Dartmouth police detective and other law enforcement agencies has pleaded guilty to trafficking and conspiracy, according to Bristol County...

Man sentenced to prison after death of Dartmouth man

A 31-year-old New Bedford man has pleaded guilty to motor vehicle manslaughter following a reported drunk driving crash in 2018 that killed David Dos Santos, 39, of Dartmouth. Justin Castro was sentenced March 27 in Fall River Superior Court to...

Dash cameras offer fresh perspective on incidents

About a year after Dartmouth police began wearing body cameras, additional technology has been added to the department’s cruisers to record incidents in real time. Dashboard cameras are now installed in the department’s 18 front-line cruisers, which...

Police help effort to provide clothing to homeless

DARTMOUTH — Socks and underwear rank in the top five items requested by the homeless. An effort being supported by Dartmouth Police is underway to help fill that need. The police have a donation bin at the station at 1390 Tucker Road through April...

Dartmouth man arrested on drug, ghost gun charges

DARTMOUTH — Derrick Paine, 41, of 1 Fenton St., Dartmouth, was arrested Sunday, March 12 and charged with two counts of felony possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card, trafficking of Fentanyl,...

Dartmouth police help with investigation leading to drug conviction

One of the top lieutenants in the Orlando Badillo Fentanyl Drug Trafficking Organization, which was dismantled in 2019 as a result of a year-long multi-agency investigation involving Dartmouth Police and led by Bristol County District Attorney...

Suicide prevention expert begins study at Bristol County House of Corrections

DARTMOUTH — A nationally recognized expert on suicide prevention in correctional facilities has started an assessment of the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office, according to information provided by the sheriff’s office. L indsay M. Hayes, who headed...

Man accused of two stabbings at Dartmouth motel

A New Bedford man was arrested by Dartmouth police on Monday, Feb. 27 in connection to two stabbings that occurred at a Route 6 motel. Police said officers were called to the Dartmouth Motor Inn at around 9:05 p.m. for a reported disturbance. Upon...

Select Board appoints four new police officers

Four new officers have been added to the Dartmouth Police Department’s ranks. At its Feb. 27 meeting, the Select Board voted unanimously to extend conditional job offers to Matthew Desrosiers, Ethan Sherman, Brandon McNeil, and Alex Tisdelle. “We up...

Five graduate from Bristol County Correction Officers Academy

The Bristol County Sheriff’s Office welcomed its five newest corrections officers at its recent academy graduation. This latest group of officers are Paul Beaudion, Taylor Carreiro, Isaac Falade, Nicolas Lysius and Semiu Sanni. Over the past few...

Motorist rear-ends school bus

A motorist is expected to get a citation after rear-ending a school bus on Slocum Road Wednesday morning. According to Dartmouth police, the crash was reported at around 7:30 a.m. near Dartmouth Middle School. No injuries were reported among any...

District 2 residents seek to recall Bouley from Prudential Committee

After months of contentious meetings, angry letters, and heated debate over the future of the department, residents of Dartmouth’s Fire District 2 submitted a petition on Monday to recall Prudential Committee Chair Bob Bouley. The petition, which...

Sheriff hires expert to study jail suicides

A nationally-recognized expert on preventing suicides in jails has will begin looking into ways to reduce death in facilities in Dartmouth and New Bedford beginning next month, the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office announced Feb. 2. Lindsay M. Hayes,...

Suspected ‘Conch shell killer’ sentenced to prison for unrelated tire-iron assault

Former Dartmouth resident David Reed, 54, who is suspected to have murdered his half sister with a conch shell and other household items in 2001 , has now been sentenced to prison for a separate attack on a New Bedford woman in 2003. Reed pleaded...

Heroux rounding up state support for possible Ash Street closure

A little more than a week after announcing a $10 million plan to close New Bedford’s Ash Street jail and retrofit Dartmouth’s former immigration detention facility for inmate housing , Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux is hoping to refurbish a...

Police request middle school parents stage on Hawthorne Street

The police department’s traffic safety division is asking parents dropping their kids off at Dartmouth Middle Schools to no longer stage on Slocum Road south of Hawthorne Street. The request comes as police say traffic supervisors have been dealing...

Firefighters test their identification skills, efficiency at training session

When tackling a blaze inside of a building, the ability to identify the length of a lug along a coupling on a fire hose could mean the difference of heading toward safety or further into a fire for first responders. “You always want to make sure you...

Dartmouth Mall murderer granted parole

A man sentenced to life in prison for the 1991 murder at the Dartmouth Mall parking lot will be released next year, according to a Jan. 18 decision from the Massachusetts Parole Board. Charles Chase III was convicted in 1993 for second degree murder...

District 3 seeks call firefighters

Interested in becoming a firefighter? Dartmouth Fire District No. 3 is now accepting applications for call firefighter positions. All applicants must be at least 18 years of age with a valid driver’s license and must live within District 3...

Heroux announces plan to close Ash Street jail, transfer inmates to former ICE facility

Nearly two years after its closure by the federal government, the former immigration detention facility at the Bristol County House of Correction could house inmates again in the coming years. On Wednesday, Jan. 18, Sheriff Paul Heroux announced...

Utility pole crash briefly shuts down State Road

A portion of Route 6 was temporarily shut down Sunday morning after a car crashed into a utility pole. Dartmouth Police said emergency crews were called at 8:28 a.m. for a report of a vehicle crashing into a pole on State Road near Maine Avenue...

Fire districts awarded grants for education programs

Dartmouth Fire Districts 1 and 3 have received nearly $8,000 in state grant funding grant funding to support fire safety and education programs for both children and seniors. District 1 received $3,444 — with $2,309 going toward the Student...

Popular TikToker escorted from Dartmouth Mall

Attention shoppers: playing a saxophone through a traffic cone at the Dartmouth Mall is not allowed. This was the lesson TikTok star and New York-based musician Wenzl McGowen learned after being escorted out of the mall on Friday, Jan. 6. The...

Prudential Committee signals desire to lower payroll budget

The deputy fire chief and fire inspector at Dartmouth’s Fire District 2 will keep their jobs and pay levels, at least for now. That was the decision of the district’s Prudential Committee at its meeting on Jan. 9, where members questioned the...

Inmate suicide points to ‘blind spot’ in procedures, sheriff says

Newly-inaugurated Sheriff Paul Heroux said the recent suicide at the Dartmouth jail likely reveals a “blind spot” in department procedures — something he said he intends to fix. In an interview with the New Bedford Light, Heroux said that while the...

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