With the full support of the Board of Selectmen, the Marblehead Police Department added a new full-time captain to the force Wednesday night. During their meeting at Abbot Hall, board members unanimously approved a request from Marblehead Police Chief Robert Picariello to promote Lt. Matthew Freeman to the rank of captain. Freeman, who has been a member of the department since 1995, has been serving as a temporary captain ever since Capt. Mark Mills retired in July. "Matthew has an unblemished record and has proven to be an asset to the department in countless ways," Picariello said. "I …
A Peabody man accused of raping a Marblehead woman on Washington Street Sunday evening denied charges associated with the alleged attack in court Thursday morning. Alex H. McMaster, 38, of 8 Walnut St., Peabody, pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of rape and assault and battery. Judge Ellen Flately set his bail at $1,000 cash and ordered that he stay away from and have no contact with the alleged victim. Flately opted to continue McMaster's case Wednesday afternoon after the alleged victim and McMaster each had a chance to testify. The victim, who said she was drunk at the time of the …
The case against a Peabody man accused of raping a Marblehead woman in a Washington Street apartment building Sunday evening came into focus in court Wednesday. The victim, who said she was drunk at the time of the attack, has made rape allegations against the man twice before, only to drop them. The case will continue in Lynn District Court on Thursday. Alex McMaster, 38, of 8 Walnut St., Peabody, was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in Lynn District Court on a single count of rape. Although the alleged victim was able to complete her testimony in roughly an hour Wednesday, Judge Ellen Flately …
A Marblehead teen accused of selling marijuana to an undercover cop near Veterans Middle School denied drug charges in court Monday afternoon. Nathaniel Mattson, 19, of 191 Pleasant St., Marblehead, pleaded not guilty Monday in Lynn District Court to a charge of possessing a class D substance (marijuana) with intent to distribute and committing a drug violation in a school zone. On Dec. 10, Marblehead police Sgt. Sean Sweeney and Sgt. Sean Brady, along with the help of a member of the Salem Police Department, made arrangements to make a marijuana purchase on Vine Street. Mattson reportedly …
A Marblehead man accused of possessing 13 unregistered guns, three packages of marijuana and child pornography in his home on Puritan Road earlier this year had his case continued last week in Lynn District Court. At his arraignment in August, Raymond Depaula, 39, of 23 Puritan Road, Marblehead, pleaded not guilty to to charges of possessing child pornography, possessing a class D substance (marijuana), 8 counts of improperly storing a firearm and 13 counts of possessing a firearm without a firearms identification card. Judge Stacey J. Fortes-White ordered Depaula held on $20,000 cash bail - …
A Marblehead man accused of nearly chopping his roommate's hand off with a rusty axe Thursday night was ordered held Friday afternoon following his arraignment on assault charges. Michael Kelley, 52, of 296 Washington St., Marblehead, pleaded not guilty Friday in Lynn District Court to charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (axe), assault with a dangerous weapon (cutting instrument), aggravated assault and battery and domestic assault and battery. At 9:40 p.m., local police officers responded to 296 Washington St. for a report of a fight in a first-floor apartment and were …
A Marblehead man arrested for allegedly offering to perform sexual acts for a fee in the parking lot of Devereux Beach Friday morning was arraigned in court Tuesday afternoon. Benjamin M. Walsh, 26, of 57 Maverick St., Marblehead, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Lynn District Court to a charge of offering to engage in sexual conduct for a fee. On Nov.29, while perusing Craigslist personal ads for criminal activity, Marblehead Detective Sgt. Sean Sweeney came across an ad placed by a Marblehead man who was offering to perform oral sex for money, according to court documents. After replying to …
A Marblehead man accused of fleeing the scene of an alleged drunk driving accident that split a utility pole on Orne Street Saturday night was arraigned in court on Monday. James Wade, 22, of 33 Birch St., Marblehead, pleaded not guilty Monday in Lynn District Court to charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, second offense; operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs (Prazosin), second offense; negligent operation of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident with property damage and resisting arrest. At 9:12 p.m., police responded to…
A Beverly woman who was arrested Friday night for allegedly crashing into another vehicle while driving drunk near the annual Tree Lighting ceremony denied charges in court Monday morning. Mary K. Champlain, 46, of 140 Essex St., Beverly, pleaded not guilty Monday in Lynn District Court to a charge of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. At 7 p.m., a police officer driving near the intersection of Essex and Spring streets reportedly witnessed Champlain's Chrysler Sebring slam into another vehicle that was backing out into the roadway, according to court documents. …
A Marblehead man was arrested for his second drunken driving offense Saturday night following a crash on Orne Street that snapped a utility pole. James Hampton Wade, 22, of 33 Birch St., Marblehead, was arrested on charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, second offense; operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs, second offense; negligent operation of a motor vehicle; leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident with property damage and resisting arrest. At 9:12 p.m., local police and fire units responded to Orne Street for a report of a …
A local man was arrested at Devereux Beach Friday morning for allegedly soliciting prostitution as the result of a Craigslist sting arranged by the Marblehead Police Department. At 11:04 a.m., police responded to the Ocean Avenue beach and arrested Benjamin M. Walsh, 26, of 57 Maverick St., Marblehead, on a charge of offering to engage in sexual conduct for a fee. Walsh is expected to be arraigned in Lynn District Court Monday morning. Marblehead Patch will be posting additional information as it becomes available. Want Marblehead Patch to arrive in your inbox? Click Here to sign up for our …
A local woman was arrested on her third OUI charge Tuesday after allegedly rear-ending a vehicle on Atlantic Avenue while driving with marijuana and unmarked pills in her car. Sharry E. Mann, 52, of 14 May St., Marblehead, pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Lynn District Court to charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs, third offense, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and possession of a class C substance (Lorazepam). At 11:10 a.m., local police officers responded to a reported of a minor motor vehicle accident near the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and …
An Andover man was arrested on Intrepid Circle Sunday night after a local woman told police she found him passed out in her home with stolen jewelry in his pocket. Colin McQuade, 43, of 9 Golden Oaks Lane, Andover, pleaded innocent Monday in Lynn District Court to charges of larceny over $250 and larceny of a drug (Temazetam). At 8:42 p.m., an Intrepid Circle woman called police to report that she was feeling threatened by someone who was inside her house. When officers arrived, the woman told police that she found McQuade, who she met in rehab, passed out upstairs at her home with assorted …
If you've attended Marblehead's Fourth of July Fireworks Display, the annual downtown Tree Lighting Ceremony or Santa's Arrival by Lobster Boat, you've probably noticed the swarm of street vendors who show up to sell balloons, toys and fluorescent necklaces out of shopping carts to children in the crowd. In the hopes of keeping unauthorized peddlers, hawkers, or whatever you choose to call them from showing up at this year's events, organizers have asked Police Chief Robert Picariello to instruct officers to keep an eye out for them. At their meeting at Abbot Hall Wednesday night, Marblehead…
One of the Marblehead Police Department's surveillance vehicles was reportedly damaged Thursday night when a pair of alleged heroin dealers attempted to flee the scene of a controlled drug buy on Putnam Street in Salem. On Thursday, Salem Police Department detectives were granted an arrest warrant for Paul Iudice, 29, of 26 Elizabeth Lane, Peabody, after he reportedly sold heroin to an undercover police officer on three separate occasions. Around 9 p.m. Thursday, Salem detectives arranged to make a controlled buy of heroin near the intersection of Varney and Putnam streets and Iudice …
A Marblehead man was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder in Salem Superior Court Thursday afternoon and was sentenced to serve two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. After a three-and-a-half-week trial, Peter Ronchi, 48, of Marblehead, was found guilty in the stabbing death of his girlfriend, Yulyia Galperina, who was nine months pregnant with their child when she was killed. As a result of the guilty verdict, Judge David Lowy imposed two mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole to be served consecutively. On the evening of May 16, …
Marblehead police have identified the Lynn man who was struck and injured while crossing Pleasant Street between Starbucks and Memorial Park Monday afternoon. At 3:26 p.m., police and fire units responded to the area of Starbucks Coffee after receiving word that a man had been struck while using the crosswalk to get across Pleasant Street. Abraham Mercado, 41, of 109 Newhall St., Lynn, was reportedly transported to Salem Hospital to be treated for injuries sustained in the accident. The white Mercury Sable believed to have struck him was reportedly driven by Ian P. Finn, of 15 Wagner Road, …
A pedestrian crossing Pleasant Street in front of the Marblehead Starbucks Monday afternoon was reportedly injured and taken to the hospital by ambulance. Shortly after 3 p.m., local police officers and firefighters responded to the busy intersection after receiving word that a pedestrian had been struck near the crosswalk leading from Starbucks to Memorial Park. The intersection was still closed to traffic at about 3:45 p.m., and photographs were being taken of a white Mercury Sable believed to have been involved in the accident. Police have not yet released any additional information. …
A Lynn man accused of inappropriately grabbing a young girl while she walked with her mother on Atlantic Avenue Sunday night was ordered held on $2,500 cash bail Monday. James A. Murphy, 29, of 47 Lexington St., Lynn, pleaded not guilty Monday afternoon in Lynn District Court to a charge of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. At 7:20 p.m., local police received word that a heavy-set drunk bald man had just fled from the area of CVS after allegedly grabbing a young girl inappropriately while she was walking near The Fen Yang House on Atlantic Avenue with her mother. Responding …
A local woman arrested for her second drunken driving offense Friday night denied charges at her arraignment in court Monday morning. Constance J. Nielson, 54, of 38 Birch St., Marblehead, pleaded not guilty Monday in Lynn District Court to a charge of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, second offense. At 8:33 p.m., a resident reportedly called the police station to report that he had just seen a drunk woman walk out of Village Liquors, get into a Subaru Impreza and drive outbound on Pleasant Street. Local police officers reportedly caught up with Nielson's …
