Shortly after 8 a.m. today, Troopers from the Massachusetts State Police C3 Policing Team, along with other State Police units and Holyoke and Springfield Police, executed two simultaneous warrants and arrested a Holyoke man for large-scale Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) fraud.

Today’s arrest of JOSE A. BAEZ, 55, followed a nearly year-long investigation by State Police and the Department of Transitional Assistance into the defendant’s fraudulent scheme.

Specifically, surveillance by Troopers and additional investigative actions determined that BAEZ was purchasing large quantities of food products on an almost daily basis at two Springfield food distributors, 90 Meat Outlet and Sweet Life Foods Company (also known as Cash and Carry), both located on Avocado Street in Springfield. Evidence collected by Troopers and investigators indicates BAEZ was making the food purchases with multiple fraudulently-obtained EBT cards, in violation of legitimate use of the EBT program.

The investigation determined that after purchasing the food, BAEZ would take the products to a restaurant owned by his wife, El Rincon Boricua Restaurant, 216 Lyman St., Holyoke. The EBT-acquired food products were allegedly used in preparation of meals served at the restaurant.

Troopers and officers executed today’s warrants at that restaurant and at BAEZ’s Homestead Avenue home. Troopers took BAEZ into custody at the restaurant this morning and transported him to the State Police-Springfield Barracks for booking. He will be brought to Springfield District Court for arraignment. The case will be prosecuted by the office of Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gullini.

In all, the investigation suggests BAEZ used the fraudulently-obtained cards to purchase tens of thousands of dollars of food supplies. The exact total of the theft remains part of the ongoing investigation. The investigation is continuing and further law enforcement action is possible.

Agencies and units that participated in the investigation and arrests were the Massachusetts State Police C3 Policing Team, MSP Troop B Headquarters, MSP Detective Unit for Hampden County, MSP Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section, MSP Crime Scene Services Section, Holyoke Police, Springfield Police, the Hampden District Attorney’s Office, and the Department of Transitional Assistance.

Shortly after 8 a.m. today, Troopers from the Massachusetts State Police C3 Policing Team, along with other State Police units and Holyoke and Springfield Police, executed two simultaneous warrants and arrested a Holyoke man for large-scale Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) fraud.

Today’s arrest of JOSE A. BAEZ, 55, followed a nearly year-long investigation by State Police and the Department of Transitional Assistance into the defendant’s fraudulent scheme.

Specifically, surveillance by Troopers and additional investigative actions determined that BAEZ was purchasing large quantities of food products on an almost daily basis at two Springfield food distributors, 90 Meat Outlet and Sweet Life Foods Company (also known as Cash and Carry), both located on Avocado Street in Springfield. Evidence collected by Troopers and investigators indicates BAEZ was making the food purchases with multiple fraudulently-obtained EBT cards, in violation of legitimate use of the EBT program.

The investigation determined that after purchasing the food, BAEZ would take the products to a restaurant owned by his wife, El Rincon Boricua Restaurant, 216 Lyman St., Holyoke. The EBT-acquired food products were allegedly used in preparation of meals served at the restaurant.

Troopers and officers executed today’s warrants at that restaurant and at BAEZ’s Homestead Avenue home. Troopers took BAEZ into custody at the restaurant this morning and transported him to the State Police-Springfield Barracks for booking. He will be brought to Springfield District Court for arraignment. The case will be prosecuted by the office of Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gullini.

In all, the investigation suggests BAEZ used the fraudulently-obtained cards to purchase tens of thousands of dollars of food supplies. The exact total of the theft remains part of the ongoing investigation. The investigation is continuing and further law enforcement action is possible.

Agencies and units that participated in the investigation and arrests were the Massachusetts State Police C3 Policing Team, MSP Troop B Headquarters, MSP Detective Unit for Hampden County, MSP Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section, MSP Crime Scene Services Section, Holyoke Police, Springfield Police, the Hampden District Attorney’s Office, and the Department of Transitional Assistance.

On Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at approximately 4:57 p.m., Dartmouth Police Detective Sergeant Frank OLIVEIRA, while off-duty, observed Miguel BRASIL, the same man wanted for a purse snatching that occurred yesterday at Citizens Bank in Dartmouth, commit a purse snatching on a seventy-two (72) year old Dartmouth woman at the Rite Aid, located at #676 Dartmouth Street, Dartmouth.

After committing the purse snatching, BRASIL entered the same vehicle in which he fled yesterday (a silver Toyota Corolla).

While fleeing north on Dartmouth Street, Officer Ryan REIS attempted to stop BRASIL, at which time he failed to stop.

After police officers from both the Dartmouth Police Department and the City of New Bedford Police Department saturated the area, an off-duty Dartmouth detective observed BRASIL driving on Grape Street in New Bedford.

After notifying responding police units of BRASIL’s location, Sergeant Scott STANTON observed BRASIL illegally passing vehicle’s on Grape Street, while also operating at a high rate of speed. As BRASIL was attempting to pass one of the aforementioned vehicles, he struck Sergeant STANTON’s cruiser, causing substantial damage.

Subsequent to this, BRASIL resisted arrest, but was ultimately taken into custody.

As a result of injuries sustained during the crash, BRASIL was transported to St. Luke’s Hospital to be evaluated and/or treated.

Sergeant STANTON was not injured as a result of the crash.

BRASIL faces numerous charges in connection with both yesterday and today’s incident.

According to Dartmouth Chief of Police, Brian P. LEVESQUE, “This is an outstanding example of this department’s commitment to making sure that this rogue and dangerous individual was quickly taken off the street for the egregious crimes that he committed. I would also like to thank the public for their assistance in helping us identify BRASIL yesterday. Because of their help, my detectives were able to secure an arrest warrant by this morning, and quickly disseminate information about BRASIL to both law enforcement agencies and the public alike.”

Massachusetts State Police Troopers and federal agents assigned to a regional gang task force, along with Lawrence Police, yesterday arrested a suspected drug trafficker after they found him hiding in a bedroom in a Lawrence apartment yesterday afternoon.

When troopers and agents observed HECTOR RIVERA, 39, he was hiding his right hand behind a door. Concerned for their safety, the troopers and agents, assigned to the North Shore Gang Task Force took measures to secure the suspect through the threshold of the door and detained him after a brief struggle. Afterward they discovered a large sheathed kitchen knife on the floor behind the door, where RIVERA had been hiding his right hand.

Task force officers went to the apartment 237 Jackson St. after learning that RIVERA, whom they were seeking to speak to regarding a previous drug trafficking investigation, was there. They were given consent to enter the apartment, where RIVERA was an unwanted guest. After discovering the knife and detaining RIVERA, an MSP sergeant conducted a pat frisk and found, concealed in pockets in the suspect’s pants, plastic baggies containing fentanyl and cocaine. The sergeant then located, in the suspect’s sweatshirt pocket, a sock containing multiple baggies of suspected fentanyl.

In total, police discovered RIVERA to be in possession of approximately 50 grams of suspected fentanyl, approximately half a gram of suspected cocaine, and another twist of an unknown brown substance. Task force officers then placed RIVERA under arrest and transported him to the Lawrence Police Department for booking. Prior to his being transported, RIVERA, speaking in Spanish, asked another person at the scene to “take care of my stuff for me,” a statement heard by a Lawrence Police detective who speaks Spanish.

Based on observations made at the scene, task force officers and members of the Lawrence Police narcotics unit obtained and executed a search warrant of the bedroom. There they discovered additional baggies containing suspected fentanyl, another of suspected cocaine, cell phones, and $604 cash. Also located in the bedroom and documented was the sheathed kitchen knife and a machete.

As a result of the initial arrest and subsequent warrant, a total of approximately 311 grams of fentanyl was seized. RIVERA was charged with trafficking in fentanyl over 10 grams; possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and a default warrant from Dorchester District Court.

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is many times more powerful than heroin.

The North Shore Gang Task Force is a partnership between the Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit, Lawrence Police and other local officers, and federal agents that works on the front lines of the battle against gang violence and drug trafficking.

A road rage incident on Route 93 in Andover tonight resulted in one man being transported to the hospital for treatment.

Preliminary investigation by Trooper Kenneth Quigley indicates that at about 5:20 p.m., State Police received numerous reports of a “fist fight” between two men in the breakdown lane of Route 93 Southbound, north of Exit 42, in Andover. Upon arrival, troopers determined that the two combatants had left the area.

A short time later, Tewksbury Police reported that they had located one of the men on Shawsheen Street at East Street in Tewksbury. That man, age 36 from Billerica, who had been injured during the incident, was treated on scene by Tewskbury EMS and then transported to Lowell Memorial Hospital (Saint’s Campus) in Lowell for further treatment of minor injuries.

The investigation into the identity of the other combatant is ongoing. He is described as a white male, wearing a blue shirt, khaki cargo pants, and construction boots. He was believed to be driving a blue or black Mazda CX-5 at the time of the incident.

Anyone with any information regarding this incident is asked to contact the State Police Barracks in Andover at 978-475-3800.

We would like to remind the public that if someone is acting aggressively towards you on the roadway, move away from the aggressor and slow down. This will often times be enough to diffuse the situation. If they continue to act aggressively towards you, please dial 911 and report the incident. Most importantly, never get out of your vehicle to confront an aggressive driver.

A 49-year-old Taunton man who secretly recorded a young family member in the shower and was found in possession of dozens of images of child pornography was sentenced to serve three to five years in state prison last week, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn IIII announced.

Darin McNeil pleaded guilty to indictments charging him with two counts of possessing child pornography and one count of posing or exhibiting a child in the nude.

On May 18, 2018, the Foxboro Police Department in Norfolk County received a report from workers at The Learning Experience, a daycare center in Foxboro. An employee there found a device appearing to be an ink pen containing a video and audio recorder that was hidden in an employee bathroom. Through their investigation, officers learned that the recorder contained a video of the defendant allegedly placing it in the bathroom to secretly videotape women in the bathroom. Officers also learned that the defendant worked at the daycare center that day as an electrical subcontractor. The defendant is currently being prosecuted in Norfolk County in regards to this incident.

The recording devices were examined on May 23, 2018 pursuant to a search warrant. On one of the recorders, investigators found a video from a residential bathroom showing a naked, young girl emerging from the shower.

On May 24, 2018, Detective Randy Demello and Detective Lynne Pina of the Taunton Police Department obtained and executed a search warrant for defendant’s home in East Taunton. There they found several empty boxes for spy pen camera, assorted computer equipment, and several thumb drives. On two thumb drives, police found a total of 63 pornographic images of nude children. They also found a fire pit in the defendant’s back yard, where assorted computer components were found burned. Investigators could not retrieve data from the burned components.

Through their investigation, detectives were able to identify the victim who was recorded exiting the shower.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jose Vazquez and the state prison sentence was imposed by Judge Raffi Yessayan. Based on the heinous, predatory nature of the defendant’s conduct, Assistant District Attorney Vazquez argued for a harsher five to seven year state prison term.

Upon his release from prison, the defendant will be placed on supervised probation with GPS monitoring for three years. The conditions of probation include registering as a sex offender, attending sex offender treatment upon his release, staying away and having no contact with the victim, not living with or having any unsupervised contact with any children under the age of 16, not to volunteer or work any job that involves contact with anyone under 16, not to enter any daycare centers, and to have GPS monitoring with a curfew from 7 pm to 7 am.

“The defendant engaged in perverted and very disturbing behavior which is difficult to comprehend. I would like to commend the Taunton police department for their efforts in this case which resulted in a state prison sentence that was well deserved,” District Attorney Quinn said.

On Monday, April 8, at approximately 9:51 a.m., an unknown male suspect pushed a 76-year old woman to the ground as she exited Citizens Bank, located at 606 Dartmouth Street.

After stealing the woman’s pocketbook, the male suspect fled the scene in a silver Toyota Corolla.

The suspect was described as a white male, approximately 5’10” with a stocky build, wearing a stocking cap, dark glasses, and a dark jacket.

The female victim received only minor injuries, and was evaluated at the scene by EMS personnel.

The incident currently remains under investigation by Dartmouth Police detectives.

If anyone has information leading to the identification of the suspect, please contact the Dartmouth Police Detective Division at (508) 910-1775.

If you prefer to do so, you can also send us a message through our Facebook page or leave a message on the Dartmouth Police Department Anonymous Tip Line at 508-997-9900.

Two individuals have been placed under arrest by Wareham Police detectives for two armed robberies which occurred recently in Wareham.

On Monday, March 4, at about 9:30 p.m., Pepin’s Liquors was held up by a masked gunman, with another person acting as a lookout, and yet another driving the getaway car. After an intensive investigation by members of the Detective Division, assisted by Bourne detectives, Krystopher Lopes-Rattigan, 30, of no certain address, is believed to be the suspect who actually committed the robbery and Eric Wroten, 38, of 296 Court Street, Plymouth, was the operator of the car that the suspects fled in. The third suspect, who acted as the lookout, overdosed the next day in another community and later died as a result of that overdose.

The second armed robbery occurred on Friday, March 15, at about 9:45 p.m.at the Wareham Country Market. In this incident detectives compiled a substantial amount of evidence tying both Lopes-Rattigan and Wroten to that robbery and a third suspect that has yet to be identified.

After the investigation and subsequent identification of the suspects, detectives obtained arrest warrants for the two and began a search to locate them. On Tuesday, March 26, a Wareham Police detective assisted by Plymouth Police arrested Wroten at his residence in Plymouth. On Friday, April 5, at 4:45 a.m., a Wareham Police detective along with members of the State and Boston Police arrested Lopes- Rattigan in an apartment at 977 Canterbury Street in Boston.

Eric Wroten is being charged with two counts of armed robbery with a firearm and two counts of armed robbery while being masked. He is being held on $10,000 cash bail at the Plymouth House of Correction.

Krystopher Lopes-Rattigan is charged with two counts of armed robbery with a firearm and two counts of armed robbery while masked (subsequent offense). He was ordered held without bail pending a further court appearance.

Acting Police Chief John Walcek said, “The dogged efforts of the detectives resulted in arrests being made in these serious crimes. While one suspect remains outstanding, I am confident that he will be brought to justice.”

A 40-year-old New Bedford man who has a lengthy history of dealing drugs in the SouthCoast was sentenced to serve six to eight years in state prison last week after being convicted of trafficking large quantities of heroin, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

After a three-day jury trial in Fall River Superior Court, a jury of his peers last week convicted Richard Ribeiro of trafficking in excess of 36 grams of heroin, unlawful possession of Percocets, and unlawful possession of Tramadol.

On February 25, 2016, Detective Sasha Vicente of the New Bedford Police Department’s Organized Crime Intelligence Bureau completed an investigation into a heroin distribution service and obtained a lawful Search Warrant for 190 Davis Street Apt 2N located in the City of New Bedford. As detectives were arriving at 190 Davis Street, in preparation to make entry into the apartment, the defendant was observed leaving his residence and walking in a westerly direction on Davis Street.

The defendant was approached and secured by detectives. A search of the apartment, specifically the defendant’s bedroom, was conducted and police recovered a bag containing five individual plastic bags of heroin with a total weight of 37.27 grams; a grinder with 3 Percocet tabs in it; a prescription bottle w/ 64 tabs of Tramadol; a cutting agent; packaging materials including cut corner baggies, a digital scale w/ a 100 gram weight, and $1,370.00 in US Currency believed to be drug proceeds. From the person of the defendant, police also recovered $1,988, and keys to the apartment.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Steve Butts and the state prison sentence was imposed by Judge Joseph Leighton. In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Leighton also placed the defendant on probation for one additional year after his eventual release.

“I am very pleased with the jury’s verdict convicting the defendant of drug trafficking. The defendant has made a career out of selling drugs and profiting off of other people’s addiction and misery. The sentence was well deserved,” District Attorney Quinn said.

Just before midnight last night Trooper Terence Kent, of the State Police Charlton Barracks, was traveling home from his assigned evening shift on Route 93 northbound in Canton. While in that area Trooper Kent noticed a speeding black Lexus sedan with Rhode Island temporary license plates. He then pulled behind the vehicle and clocked it at speeds well in excess of the posted speed limit subsequently effecting a motor vehicle stop.

Upon stopping the vehicle Trooper Kent approached the passenger side and identified the operator as BOLIVAR TORRES, 36 of Jamaica Plain. Through subsequent investigation on scene, Trooper Kent was able to determine the temporary license plate was fraudulent. TORRES was then placed under arrest and a tow for the vehicle was requested.

Prior to the vehicle being removed from the scene, a tow inventory was conducted. While inventorying the trunk, Trooper Kent observed a large black plastic bag containing approximately $35,000 in cash bundled together in a suspicious manner.

The vehicle was then towed to the Milton Barracks and Trooper Kent requested the assistance of State Police K-9 for a search. Trooper Daniel Purtell with K-9 Neko responded to the barracks and began a search of the exterior and interior of the vehicle. Upon completion of the search, the troopers located approximately 100 grams of heroin packaged in a brick form hidden in the vehicle.

TORRES was transported to the Milton Barracks for booking where bail was set at $200,000. He was arraigned today at Stoughton District Court on the following charges:

– Forging a Fraudulent RMV Document;
– Trafficking in Heroin;
– Speeding; and
– Operating an Unregistered Motor Vehicle.