At 2am on Friday, New Bedford police officers were investigating reports of a person driving drunk.

According to a witness on the scene, the driver hit a light post on Cottage Street fled on foot. Police arrested her a short time later.

A 25-year old Tiffany Rose Demoura of Manchester, New Hampshire was arrested is being charged with operating under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of an accident.

Marion Police Chief John Garcia reports that after receiving multiple reports of a suspicious person walking in a playground at the Sippican Elementary School Friday morning, the person was determined by police to be a 12-year-old boy carrying a toy gun.

At approximately 11:05 a.m. Friday, Marion Police received a call reporting that a male party, wearing a trench coat and fur hat, was carrying what appeared to be a rifle at the playground of the Sippican School, located at 16 Spring St. Parents and children were present at the playground at the time.

It should be noted that Marion Public Schools are currently on April vacation break this week.

When officers arrived, the individual was no longer at the playground. Officers searched the area, with the assistance of members of the Marion Harbormaster’s Office, but were unable to locate a person matching the description given.

While officers were searching the area, a woman walked into the Marion Police station to report the incident and gave police images she took on her cell phone of the individual holding what looked like a firearm.

Through the subsequent investigation, officers were able to quickly identify the person as a 12-year-old boy. Officers went to the boy’s house where they located him and confirmed that the gun was a toy that did not have an orange tip.

Detective Scott Smith spoke with the juvenile’s mother and advised her of the reports the department had received.

Through the investigation, it was determined that there was no threat to public safety, and no crime had been committed.

“I want to commend all of the people who called police to report this suspicious activity,” Chief Garcia said. “Our department takes all reports seriously and I am glad that we were able to quickly determine that there was no threat. It pays to be careful, especially in this day and age.”

At 12:45 pm on Wednesday, a person called New Bedford police and reported that a man exposed himself at the intersection of Elm and County streets in front of the McDonalds.

Police officers responded and located a man near McDonald’s on County St. and placed him under arrest. 28-year old Lex Luger Depina-Cabral is being charged with lewd, wanton and lascivious conduct.

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 272, Section 53, punishes lewd, wanton and lascivious persons in speech and behavior with imprisonment in the House of Corrections for up to 6 months, and a fine of up to $200.

This Bristol County District attorney’s office released details on the three overdose deaths that occurred in New Bedford on Wednesday.

At 6 am, the fishing vessel Capt. Porter, based out of North Carolina, advised the U.S. Coast Guard that it had a deceased crew member on board. The vessel docked at the Port of New Bedford. In the victim’s bunk, police found a burnt spoon, hypodermic needles, and unmarked prescription bottles. The victim is a 30-year-old man from New Bern, North Carolina. No trauma to the body or suspicion of foul play at this time. It is considered a suspected fatal drug overdose. Investigation ongoing and toxicology pending.

A 53 year old New Bedford man found deceased at the Whaler’s Inn and Suites yesterday morning shortly before 8 a.m. by the victim’s girlfriend in the room they were sharing. She woke up to the victim making gurgling sounds, attempted CPR and called 911. The deceased had been drinking, smoking crack and potentially snorting heroin until around 4 a.m. Inside the room, police found several crack pipes, numerous torn baggies with white residue on them and rolled up dollar bills. This is an apparent fatal drug overdose.

At 8:47 a.m. yesterday, New Bedford police received a 911 call from hotel staff at the Fairfield Inn after they found the deceased on the floor of his room. The deceased is a 36 year old man from Knoxville, TN. When police arrived they found a brown powdery substance on the desk, along with rolled up dollar bills, oxycodone pills, and other prescription pills. This is an apparent fatal drug overdose. The medical examiner report is pending.

Twelve individuals were charged in federal court in Boston as a result of a federal sweep targeting offenders of document and benefit fraud. The defendants have allegedly used the identities of U.S. Citizens from Puerto Rico as their own. Ten of the 12 individuals charged today are unlawfully present in the United States, and six have criminal records in the names of the victims whose identities they have stolen.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigation’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF), a specialized field investigative group comprised of personnel from various local, state, and federal agencies with expertise in detecting, deterring, and disrupting organizations and individuals involved in various types of document, identity, and benefit fraud schemes.

The DBFTF is currently investigating suspected aliens who are believed to have obtained stolen identities of United States citizens born in Puerto Rico. Many of the individuals used the identities to obtain public benefits, which they would not otherwise be eligible to receive, including Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles identity documents, Social Security numbers, and Medicaid, and to engage in suspicious financial transactions, including transferring funds.

With the exception of one defendant, the following individuals have each been charged with aggravated identity theft and false representation of a Social Security number:

– David Alexander Arias Arias, 31, a Dominican national currently serving a 41-month sentence in federal prison in Pennsylvania. In 2017, Arias Arias was caught on a court-authorized wiretap dealing fentanyl under his stolen identity; he was subsequently charged in federal court in New Hampshire. At the time of his arrest, Arias Arias was known to reside in Lawrence.
– Jose Miguel Baez, 43, a Dominican national residing in Lawrence. Baez has received more than $8400 in unemployment benefits in his victim’s name.
– Rafael Emilio Cruz Ciprian, 26, a Dominican national residing in Lawrence. Cruz Ciprian was arrested in Lowell on Aug. 4, 2018, on various charges, including giving false name/information to an officer and distribution of a Class A substance. During the arrest, Cruz Ciprian provided law enforcement with the identity of the victim whose identity was stolen.
– Alejandro Yoel Diaz Diaz, 28, a Dominican national residing in Lawrence. Diaz Diaz has been arrested twice for drug dealing; on both occasions he provided his victim’s identity to law enforcement as his own.
– Lilian Fana Martinez, 28, a Dominican national residing in Methuen, who, during multiple arrests, has presented the victim’s stolen identity to law enforcement as her own.
Mirtha Magdalenny Lara Lara, 31, a Dominican national living in Lawrence with lawful permanent residence status.
– Elluz Yelitza Penalo Aguasvivas, 30, a Venezuelan national residing in Lawrence.
– Ismael Robles Tejeda, 29, a Dominican national residing in Lawrence.
– Francisco Antonio Sanchez Bernabe, 48, a Dominican national residing in Methuen. Sanchez Bernabe has been arrested/and or charged three times in Massachusetts: in May 2015, for possession and distribution of heroin; in April 2017, for possession to distribute a Class A substance; and in August 2017, for failure to stop for a police officer. During each of these arrests, Sanchez Bernabe provided the victim’s identity to the police as his own.
– Damarys Sanchez Sanchez, 44, a Dominican national residing in Lawrence, was charged only with misuse of a Social Security number.
– Santo Pascual Soto Diaz, 38, a Dominican national residing in Lawrence.
– Freddy Tejada-Diaz, a/k/a Freddy Tejada Zapata; a/k/a Freddy Tejadadia; a/k/a Fredy Zapata; a/k/a Fredy Antonio Zapata-Soto, 52, a Dominican national residing in Lawrence. Tejada-Diaz was ordered deported in 1996 by a judge in New York, though Tejada-Diaz failed to appear on the court date the judge ordered him removed. Tejada-Diaz never left; instead, he assumed a new identity and was eventually arrested for shoplifting in New Hampshire under his victim’s name.

“This case is part of our ongoing effort to target federal crime in the Lawrence area,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling, “and we will keep up the pressure for as long as necessary. The 12 men and women charged allegedly stole and used the identities of U.S. citizens to live illegally in the United States, receive government benefits in the names of their victims, and even commit crimes in the names of those victims. This is a rampant problem, and my office is committed to helping those whose identities have been compromised to regain control over their lives.”

“The identity theft committed in these cases is a disrespect to our immigration laws,” said Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations in Boston. “Today’s arrests are the culmination of months of intensive investigative interagency work by our Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force and partner agencies. We appreciate the U.S. Attorney’s commitment to prosecuting those arrested today. We are confident that facts in these cases will show that those who allegedly participated in these criminally fraudulent actions have committed not only identity theft crimes but also associated benefit fraud and financial crimes.”

“My Office and our partners take document benefit fraud very seriously,” said Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division. “Those who misuse Social Security numbers affect the integrity of the entire Social Security system.”

“Document and identity fraud are serious crimes with far reaching and significant consequences for the individual victims, and which carry the potential for a broader threat to public safety and homeland security,” said Colonel Kerry Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police. “We were pleased to be able to work with our law enforcement partners on this important operation.”

In July 2018, a DBFTF led investigation resulted in the arrests of 25 individuals on charges of identity theft and Social Security fraud.

The charge of aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year sentence that must run consecutively to any other sentence imposed, up to one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. False representation of a Social Security number provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; HSI SAC Fitzhugh; SSA OIG SAC Antolik; and Colonel Gilpin made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General; the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Regional Office; the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations; the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and the Lawrence, Methuen, and Boston Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sandra Bower, Lindsey Weinstein, and David Tobin of Lelling’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the cases.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

UPDATE: The Bristol County DA’s office confirmed there were three likely overdose deaths in New Bedford on Wednesday; one on a fishing boat and two in hotel rooms. https://www.newbedfordguide.com/das-office-confirm-three-overdose-deaths-in-new-bedford-on-wednesday/2019/04/18

New Bedford police logs report three possible overdose deaths and a fourth overdose in New Bedford on Wednesday.

At 7:51 am, one death was reported at the Whaler’s Inn at 500 Hathaway Road in one of the apartments. A second death was reported at 8:45 am, in one of the rooms at the Marriot Fairfield Inn at 185 MacArthur Drive. At 11:48 am, an overdose was reported on Chancery Street in New Bedford and the victim was revived and transported to the hospital. A third possible overdose death was reported at 5:46 pm on the State Pier in New Bedford.

Yesterday, the Fairhaven Police Department posted the following public service announcement:

“There is likely a potent batch of heroin or fentanyl mixed substances in this community right now. There were several overdoses reported in our neighboring city. We suggest users not be alone and have Narcan available. Reach out to local outreach teams for services and help!”

Do you know this man or woman?

Troopers assigned to the State Police barracks in South Boston are seeking the public’s help to identify these two who are wanted for questioning into the theft of an iPhone yesterday at Castle Island in South Boston.

Anyone with any information may contact Trooper Stephen Taylor at 617-740-7710.

On Tuesday, while on regular patrol duty at 4:00 p.m. Officer Corner was alerted by members of the Detective division to be on the lookout for Alando Santos, 47, of East Wareham. It was reported that Mr. Santos would be in the Onset center area, had a suspended driver’s license, and a warrant for his arrest.

At about 4:30 p.m. Officer Corner observed Mr. Santos driving a vehicle in the area of Onset Avenue and East Boulevard, stopped him, and placed him under arrest. He was transported to police headquarters where he was held without bail.

The warrant from Plymouth Superior Court was related to an incident on October 3, 2016, in which a pedestrian was struck and killed in Wareham, and Mr. Santos had been charged with leaving the scene of that accident.

Over the last two weeks, Wareham Police Detectives having been conducting extra surveillance in the area of West Central Avenue, in Onset, amid multiple citizen complaints of ongoing illegal drug activity.

On Tuesday, April 16, at about 6:00 p.m. a detective sat in Onset Center making observations of the area, noticed a male acting suspiciously and watched as he entered a car. The detective followed the car and continued to make further observations.

At about 6:20 p.m. the detective contacted Officers Christopher Corner and Kyle Gomes to initiate a motor vehicle stop on the vehicle near Depot Auto. As the officers approached the car, they observed the passenger trying to hide something. Officers ordered him out of the car and the detective noticed a 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun fully loaded on his hip. The firearm was secured and the male was immediately placed under arrest. The female driver and a juvenile passenger were allowed to leave after speaking with the officers.

Upon being transported to the police station officers located 62 grams of suspected Fentanyl, 22 grams of suspected cocaine, multiple pills, as well as $785 cash on the male. Devyn Nickerson, 25, of no certain address is facing multiple charges and is being held on $20,000 cash bail. He is due in Wareham District Court on Wednesday morning. His charges are as follows;

• Carrying a loaded firearm without a license.
• Trafficking in more than 10 grams of Fentanyl.
• Trafficking in cocaine.
• Possession of a class “E” drug.
• Possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card.

Acting Police Chief John Walcek said, “This arrest is a direct result of citizen complaints of suspected drug dealing. The detective and patrol officers did an outstanding job in safely taking this man into custody.” He added, “I cannot stress enough that the Wareham Police Department is here to improve the quality of life for this community by taking dangerous drugs and the people who deal them off of our streets.”

On April 16 at 2:23 pm, New Bedford police officers arrested 73-year old Bernabe Yulfo of 186 Rockway Street, Apartment C at his apartment for trafficking in cocaine and fentanyl. Narcotics units sized over 34 grams of fentanyl, 65 grams of cocaine, over 7 grams of crack cocaine, and $695 in cash. This is his second offense for dealing a class B drug.

At 7:56 pm, New Bedford police officers arrested 45-year old Tracie Silva of 4 Washington Street, Apartment #2 for dealing fentanyl. She is being charged with distribution of fentanyl, conspiracy to violate drug laws and for an outstanding warrant.