Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed a detainer in DAUDAH MAYANJA, 37, of Waltham, the man charged with raping a woman in his vehicle on the Esplanade. Additionally, MAYANJA’s bail was increased to $100,000. He is a Ugandan citizen. He remains held by Massachusetts State Police and will be arraigned tomorrow in Boston Municipal Court.

Details on the initial rape report: https://www.newbedfordguide.com/state-police-investigating-alleged-sexual-assault-by-uber-driver-in-boston/2019/03/30

Late this afternoon, Troopers from the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section, assisted by officers from the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, the Massachusetts Department of Parole, and Rhode Island police, located and arrested fugitive vehicular homicide suspect JAMES BENNETT-WERRA, 21.

BENNETT-WERRA has been sought by authorities since March 27, when a car in which he was fleeing crashed into another vehicle in New Bedford and caused the death of a woman in the car and serious injuries to another occupant. At the time of the crash, BENNETT-WERRA was already a fugitive , having cut off his court-ordered electronic monitoring device prior two days to causing the fatality.

Following the fatal crash on March 27, the Massachusetts Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section worked tirelessly for several days to locate BENNETT-WERRA, along with Troopers from the Bristol County State Police Detective Unit and DOC and Parole Officers, and Officers from the Taunton, Easton, New Bedford and Fall River police departments. Investigators eventually developed intelligence that led to an address in Rhode Island.

Today at approximately 5 p.m.MSP Troopers, DOC and Parole Officers, and Rhode Island Police located BENNETT-WERRA at a residence in Pawtucket and took him into custody without incident. He was brought to the Pawtucket Police Department and booked as a fugitive from justice. He will be held pending rendition to Massachusetts.

On the morning of March 27, a Chevrolet Malibu being driven by BENNETT-WERRA struck another vehicle at the intersection of Ashley Boulevard and and Tallman Street in New Bedford. Shortly before the crash, BENNETT-WERRA had fled from Fairhaven Police when they tried to stop the Malibu in their town.

The suspect’s car drove into New Bedford, traveled west on Tallman Street, failed to stop at the stop sign at Ashley Boulevard and collided with a Toyota Corolla. One occupant of the Corolla, Janet Murphy, 68, died as a result of the crash, and another occupant, a male, suffered serious injuries.

BENNETT-WERRA fled from the crash scene on foot. A male passenger in the Malibu with him remained at the scene.

BENNETT-WERRA was previously convicted of assault and battery on a family or household member and carrying a dangerous weapon. After serving time he had been paroled to a family member’s home and ordered to wear a monitoring bracelet. It is believed he cut off the bracelet on March 25. Parole officers immediately began searching for him.

An early morning incident on Storrow Drive in Boston, and a subsequent investigation by Massachusetts State Police, led to the arrest of an Uber driver for a reported rape.

At about 1:15 a.m., State Police received a report that a woman had been sexually assaulted by an Uber driver on Storrow Drive near the Hatch Memorial Shell in Boston.

Preliminary investigation by Trooper Nathan Cinelli of the Boston Barracks, Troop H Detective Trooper Timothy Burns, and Sergeant Joel Balducci of the State Police Detective Unit for Suffolk County led to the arrest of the driver, DAUDAH MAYANJA, 37, of Waltham, on two counts of Rape.

State Police Crime Scene Services personnel and an MSP chemist collected potential evidence for forensic analysis.

MAYANJA was booked at the Brighton Barracks before being transferred to the Boston Barracks and held on $25,000 bail pending his arraignment in Boston Municipal Court on Monday.

The victim in this case, an adult female, was transported to an area hospital for treatment.

This is an update of a previous article about an active police investigation connected with a two-car accident killed an elderly woman and put her passenger in critical condition.

There were two passengers in the vehicle that went through a stop sign causing the accident. One was arrested and one fled the scene.

The second victim of the motor vehicle crash at Ashley Boulevard and Tallman Street in the City of New Bedford on March 27, 2019, has been identified as 28-year-old Kyle Murphy of New Bedford. Mr. Murphy remains in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital.

The second occupant of the Chevy Malibu, and alleged driver of that vehicle, has been identified through police investigation as James Bennet-Werra. Mr. Bennet-Werra has a Superior Court Probation Warrant as well as a Parole Violation Warrant and is currently being sought by police.

This remains an active investigation by the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Bristol District Attorney’s Office and the New Bedford Police Department.

On Sunday, March 24, Wareham Department of Natural Resources Officers were dispatched to 3030 Cranberry Highway, Lakeside Trailer Park, for a report of animal cruelty where a man threw a dog into a dumpster located on the property.

Officers responded to the scene and observed a man removing a small black and white dog out of a commercial type dumpster. Officer McIntosh, first on the scene, approached the visibly upset male subject and learned that the individual was the dog’s owner. He identified an individual named James, who was staying at his house, had thrown the dog into the dumpster.

A second witness also reported seeing a man exit the dog owner’s house while holding the dog, walk over to the dumpster, lift the small dog over his head and heaved the dog into the dumpster.

Officers made contact with 28-year old James M. Balboni of Dover, New Hampshire, and learned that he threw the dog into the dumpster because he was tired, had not slept, and the dog would not stop bothering him.

Mr. Balboni has been charged with cruelty to animals under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 272 Section 77. He is set to be arraigned at the Wareham District Court at a later date.

The dog did not sustain any injuries and is in the possession of the owner.

On Thursday, March 28, 2019, at approximately 12:45 a.m., while conducting a property check of Apponagansett Beach, Dartmouth Police Officer Michael CARREIRO observed a vehicle parked in the lot with two occupants.

As the parking lot has time restrictions, Officer CARREIRO proceeded to identify the two male occupants, at which time he learned that one of them, Angel DEJESUS RODRIGUEZ, 32, of Chancery Street, New Bedford, had an active extraditable warrant out of Suffolk County, New York for dangerous drugs.

Based on the warrant, DEJESUS RODRIGUEZ was arrested and charged with being a fugitive from justice.

A Whitman man was arrested and charged Tuesday in federal court in Boston with sexual exploitation of children.

Matthew Murphy, 22, was charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of children. Murphy appeared in federal court yesterday afternoon and was detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for today at 3:30 p.m.

According to charging documents, the investigation began when Murphy, posing as a teenage girl, used a Snapchat account to extort nude photographs from a Massachusetts middle school boy. Federal agents obtained portions of the Snapchat account Murphy had created in the fake identity and uncovered evidence of similar extortion of other minors in the area.

During the execution of the search warrant at Murphy’s home, Murphy admitted that the fake account was his, and investigators found forensic evidence of the account on some of his electronic devices. Murphy was subsequently arrested.

Law enforcement is actively working to identify additional victims. Members of the public with questions or information about this matter should call 617-748-3274.

The charges of sexual exploitation of children each provide for a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years and no greater than 30 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. The Whitman Police Department provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Paruti, Lelling’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of his Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

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

Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office and New Bedford Police are actively investigating a motor vehicle crash, which occurred in the City of New Bedford earlier today.

At approximately 9:49 am New Bedford Police received 911 calls regarding a motor vehicle crash at Ashley Boulevard and Tallman Street. When police and first responders arrived they located two motor vehicles that had been involved in a collision. Two victims were extricated from a Toyota Corolla.

The driver of the Toyota Corolla, identified as 68-year-old Janet Murphy of New Bedford was pronounced deceased during transport to Rhode Island Hospital. The second victim, a male passenger of the Corolla, is in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital.

It is believed that the second motor vehicle, a Chevy Malibu, contained two occupants at the time of the crash. One occupant was located on scene and the second is believed to have fled. Police are actively searching for the whereabouts of the second occupant.

Initial investigation has revealed that Fairhaven police had attempted to stop the Chevy Malibu in Fairhaven. At that time the Chevy Malibu fled into the City of New Bedford. It appears that the Chevy Malibu was travelling West on Tallman Street, approaching Ashley Boulevard, when the driver failed to stop at the stop sign and collided with the Toyota Corolla.

This investigation is active and ongoing, no further information can be released at this time.

A 24-year-old Taunton man was convicted of a litany of illegal firearm-related offenses last week in Fall River Superior Court and was sentenced to serve three to five years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Frankie Wright pleaded guilty to indictments charging him with two counts of unlawful possession a firearm, seven counts of possessing a large capacity feeding device, and one count each of trafficking cocaine in excess of 18 grams, unlawful possession a firearm with a defaced serial number and unlawful possession of ammunition.

As part of an ongoing narcotics investigation initiated by Braintree Police, police executed a search warrant on the defendant’s Hart Street apartment on June 21, 2018.

Once inside, and while the defendant was present, police found a .40 caliber Glock 22 handgun sticking out of a boot. The Glock contained a 15 round large capacity feeding device and was loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition including one in the chamber ready to fire.

The serial number on the Glock had been scratched off. In the closet, police found a black Glock gun box containing two 15 round large capacity Glock magazines, both loaded with ammunition. In the closet, police also found a Walther gun box containing a 15 round large capacity Walther PPQ magazine and a S&W 9 mm 15 round large capacity magazine. In the same area, police located a Sentry safe, which contained a baggie of cocaine weighing 25.98 grams, numerous boxes of ammunition, a large capacity PMAG 30 magazine, a baggie of ammunition, ½ used green box of sandwich bags, and paperwork.

In the same bedroom under the bed, police located a black bag containing a Palmetto State Armory PA-15 multi semi-automatic rifle, which contained a loaded 30 round large PMAG 30 magazine. The serial number on the rifle was scratched off. Also located under the bed was a backpack containing boxes of ammunition.

In the bedroom, police located an envelope containing receipts, a CR digital scale, and $380 cash. In total, police seized two large capacity firearms that contained large capacity magazines and five additional large capacity feeding devices. ​

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Carolyn Morissette and the state prison sentence was imposed by Judge Renee Dupuis.

“This defendant was in possession of large capacity firearms, ammunition and was dealing drugs. This is a very dangerous combination,” District Attorney Quinn said. “It was critical that this defendant was held from the time of his arrest as a danger to the community, which the facts demonstrate that he clearly is.”

A 50-year-old New Bedford career criminal who stole a vehicle while out on bail for breaking into another vehicle was sentenced last Friday to serve three years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced today.

Michael Furtado pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court to indictments charging him with breaking and entering into a motor vehicle, larceny over $1,200 and receiving a stolen motor vehicle.

The first incident occurred on October 14, 2017, when the defendant broke into a woman’s vehicle near the intersection of Pleasant and William streets. At around 10:15 a.m. on that date, a New Bedford Police Officer on routine patrol was flagged down by the victim’s boyfriend. The officer caught up with the defendant about a block away and found him to be in possession of the victim’s identification, electronics, her checkbook, cash, and other items.

Then, on September 30, 2018, while out on bail from the first arrest, the defendant was arrested for stealing a motor vehicle. On that date, New Bedford Police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle. The car’s Lo-Jack system was activated and it was tracked to Fairhaven where the defendant was apprehended while inside the vehicle.

Due to the fact that the defendant has a 17-page criminal record which included a 15-20 year state prison sentence for a breaking and entering case from 1991, Assistant District Attorney Jeanne Veenstra argued he should be sentenced to serve a seven to 12 year state prison term.

Judge Raffi Yessayan, however, sentenced the defendant to three years in state prison, which will be followed by two years of supervised probation.

“The defendant is a career thief who continues to commit crimes. In this case, he stole a car while out on release, which is particularly irritating. We feel he should have received a longer sentence based on his record,” District Attorney Quinn said.