New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
The New Bedford Police Department are voicing some frustration with New Bedford District Judges after yet again, a suspected violent criminal with a lengthy criminal history is released back onto the streets less than 24 hours after being arrested.
Christopher Fernandes, 39 of of 1085 County Street has a history of over 29 adult arraignments and was just arrested for armed robbery. New Bedford Police Officers acted quickly to catch Fernandes after a victim who was apparently robbed at knifepoint flagged down an officer in the south end of New Bedford.
Fernandes has two previous convictions in Bristol County Superior Court for firearms possession for which he was sentenced to 3 years, and then 5 to 7 years respectively.
The New Bedford Police noted in a press release:
“Following his armed robbery arrest on Wednesday night, he was brought to arraignment at New Bedford district court on Thursday morning. During this proceeding, the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office requested that FERNANDES be kept in custody until a dangerousness hearing could be held. Against the wishes of the prosecutor, and in spite of a lengthy criminal history, FERNANDES was released back onto the streets without bail by Judge Robert Ovoian.”
The New Bedford Police Chief, Paul Oliveira had a lot to say on the situation,
“It’s very disheartening to know that your officers are risking life and limb in pursuit of these individuals who are committing serious crimes, only to take them into custody, and then see them released not even 24 hours later by New Bedford District judges.
It’s unfair to the officers who are doing this dangerous work, it’s unfair to the citizens who are paying for these services with their tax dollars, and it’s unfair to the victims. There appears to be a disconnect between what we are doing out in the community and some of the decisions being made once the cases are sent to New Bedford District Court.
The County St. Bar district has been a hotbed of criminal activity that we continually work to suppress. Seeing one of the worst offenders simply released after having committed such a serious offense is outrageous to me and leads me to wonder if Judge Ovoian is even slightly familiar with this neighborhood and its history.
The police have accepted their accountability to the public, and so too should the judges at the district level of our court system.”
Most of the New Bedford Police Department is crooked as can be you have the female detective getting caught in a lie you have the other detective having relations with a C.I. Then you have the detectives lying to get search warrants what is unfair is that you cops are dirty an are suppose to protect an serve but yet you lie under oath which is a crime obviously something was funny about the arrest because he got out without bail an he’s been to prison twice probably another crooked arrest with lies sprinkled in the police ? report Bristol County is the worst county in all of Mass they’ll hold you dangerous for spitting on the sidewalk it’s comical they’ll hold dangerous for domestics so there is no way on Gods Green Earth a person is not being held dangerous for an Armed Robbery at knife point they’ll there is just no way all so there is no way this dude wasnt getting a dangerous hearing with those charges they’ll indict a Ham Samich with no lettuce so these charges most be bull$hit bogus charges something doesn’t add up but im sure the the chief is just a cry baby trying to get brownie points because he’s failing as a qweef/Chief a Leader so he has to cry like a lil bch #defundthepoliceespeciallyNewBedfordCrookedDepartment
If a public servant made an error of this magnitude, they’d be disciplines, possibly fired! What is the process for placing this judge under greater scrutiny and possibly removal from the job he might be ill-equipped to handle. Is he even aware of what happened?
There are cameras that prove that the alleged crime never took place in fact the victim didn’t I’d the suspect at large. There was no harm to the alleged victim. The whole country street is covered with HD cameras. Police id them not the victim. If the crime isn’t true then defamation of the suspects is damaging. They work they pay taxes too. With this type of fake news how can they have due process. The constitutional rights are under the abuse of power. These people in high places did look at the facts of the matter of the case, proven that the suspects did have a high bail.
It’s disgusting the propaganda and the history of their past is the subject not the facts of the case. Dangerous hearings are unconstitutional to be held no bail for 120 days. They have family they have jobs they pay taxes also. Then to attack a judge for being fair is attack against the sovereignty of the judicial system. No kingdom divided cannot stand. What happened to innocent until proven guilty?
the suspects were released on a high bail. Cameras all over County Street proving that there was no knife oh robbery taken place in fact, what happens if the case gets thrown out then the definition of these the character of these individuals based on their prior records which happened almost 10 years ago are being held against them, even though they serve the time, what happened to due process what happened to trusted in the legal system? What happened to sit before proven guilty. These suspects do have jobs do pay the taxes with support the police system. The facts p prove on camera. It was no robbery that took place in fact the alleged victim was high and drunk not realizing the damage he did reporting of false report. If these charges get dropped, read the people demand an apology from both the police chief in the mayor that doesn’t respect the judicial system or trust it very unprofessional for you to attack a sitting judge shame in this on that you brought to the city of New Bedford the fact that they didn’t even know there was a bail posted proves they don’t know nothing about the case and just going on propaganda. Fake news is his Trump card no pun intended.