Latest news with #StatePolice
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
The guy helping to ‘bring hell' to Boston? He's from Boston.
Over the past weeks, many Americans have taken to the streets to protest the deportation of coworkers, family, schoolmates, and neighbors — and in some cases to protest the existence of ICE. At the same time, Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up For Lyons, the mission remains simple: enforce immigration law. Advertisement While criminals are the priority, 'everything's on the table,' he told me in a conference room at ICE headquarters in Washington, D.C., this week. And it appears he means it. From The agency is acting more broadly than it did under President Joe Biden, who banned collateral arrests — detaining illegal immigrants who were found while in pursuit of migrants with criminal records. 'If more agencies had just turned people over in a confined setting [law enforcement custody], we wouldn't be out in the community. We're going to bump into more people. We can't walk away from them,' Lyons said. That was the same justification ICE used last month when its agents Advertisement Trump officials have zeroed in on progressive-led places like Boston and Massachusetts in an effort that partially feels like political retribution for sanctuary policies. The president's border czar, Tom Homan, threatened to But Lyons, who worked in immigration enforcement in Boston for four years, sees the pressure less as political, and more as self-inflicted. Massachusetts often releases immigrants charged or convicted with serious crimes instead of handing them over to ICE, authorities often But that isn't Lyons' only gripe. 'Lunn just says you can't hold anybody on our detainers,' he said. 'But that doesn't mean the Mass. State Police can't pick up the phone and say, 'Hey, we got this guy on the side of the road.'' Advertisement He claimed that some of the state's political leaders obstruct this cooperation. But sometimes police unofficially give ICE their support. He gave an example from Joint Base Cape Cod, which served as a temporary migrant shelter. Lyons said that a State Police official claimed they found a 'guy that's wanted for murder in Venezuela,' but that they weren't allowed to turn him over to ICE. But a law enforcement official told him: 'If you magically show up at the front gate, we'll give him to you.' Other local police departments have quietly reached out for help, he says, leaving ICE to take the heat when they detain people. That is what Lyons told me happened during Martha's Vineyard has six different police departments, and doesn't have one police chief. The county sheriff Robert Ogden told me that he didn't have any prior knowledge of the recent operation. I reached out to Lyons after the interview and was told that some police departments on the Vineyard 'cooperate, a few don't.' The ability to cooperate with local officials to track down criminals is personal for Lyons. He says he lost a family member some years back to a fentanyl overdose. When investigators tried to pinpoint the source, it was 'tracked to a Dominican drug dealer that had been previously deported from my office,' he said. 'Night after night after night, Lawrence PD, Lowell PD, Methuen, Boston, have [custody of] these fentanyl dealers, three or four times,' Lyons contends, and many of them have reentered the country after deportation. Advertisement Can this system that both parties claim to hate be fixed? Any ICE director 'would say we are totally open to congressional rewrites of the law,' he said, and that streamlining would make it easier to focus on criminals. Too many Biden-era migrants were promised a chance at asylum – which he called a 'false hope' because many are in a state of legal limbo. A better system would allow some migrants to apply for asylum from their home country rather than making the dangerous trek to the US, then waiting years in immigration court. But until reform comes, Lyons is sticking to the law. He gave an example from his time as a police officer in Florida: Stopping a dad on the way to work with a busted taillight only to find he also had a warrant on him for being delinquent on child support payments. 'You feel bad for that person, but it's still a law,' he told me. 'That's kind of the predicament I'm in.' Carine Hajjar is a Globe Opinion writer. She can be reached at
Fox News
5 hours ago
- Fox News
Michael Proctor laughs at Karen Read corruption allegations as he fights to get job back
Former Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor laughed at the notion that he tried to frame Karen Read in 2022 when John O'Keefe died, he said in a recent television interview. In the interview which aired on Thursday night, Proctor responded to accusations that he's corrupt and deliberately tried to frame Read in the death of her boyfriend, who was a Boston Police Department officer. "I laugh because it's such a ridiculous accusation," Proctor said on NBC's "Dateline." "There's not one piece of evidence or fact to support that, because it did not happen. I would never do something like that." When asked if he cracked the taillight on Read's Lexus, Proctor responded "absolutely not." Proctor, who was the lead investigator in Read's case, shared "derogatory texts" regarding the suspect, in addition to sharing "sensitive or confidential information," an internal review found. The review found Proctor called Read a "wack job," a "babe… with no a--" and a "c---." He also wrote that he wished Read would kill herself in addition to joking about looking for nude selfies on Read's phone. Proctor told "Dateline" that he should get his job back. "I've never had a single complaint. I've never been the subject of any disciplinary actions. All my employee evaluations are either outstanding or excellent. And I still love the job. I still want to be a trooper. And I'm fighting for it. You know, I'm going to the appeals process now," Proctor said. The former Massachusetts State Trooper also responded to accusations that his text messages about Read were inappropriate. "What's in your private phone, your personal phone?" Proctor asked. " Have you ever had a moment of...A poor lapse of judgment, when you're just airing stuff out on your personal phone, you have an expectation of privacy in that little device." Proctor also told ABC's "20/20" he allowed his emotions to get too involved when he sent those texts. "I expressed those emotions in a negative way, which I shouldn't have. I shouldn't have been texting my friends anyhow," he said. "They are what they are. They don't define me as a person. They're regrettable. In a statement posted to X, Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble said new policies have been implemented following Read's case. "The events of the last three years have challenged our Department to thoroughly review our actions and take concrete steps to deliver advanced investigative training, ensure appropriate oversight, and enhance accountability. Under my direction as Colonel, the State Police has, and will continue to, improve in these regards. Our focus remains on delivering excellent police services that reflect the value ofprofessionalism and maintain public trust," Noble said. GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB Jurors on Wednesday found Read not guilty of second-degree murder, but found her guilty of operating a vehicle while under the influence with a blood-alcohol level of .08% or greater. Following the verdict, special prosecutor Hank Brennan requested Read undergo 1 year of probation in addition to a 24D outpatient program, which is routine for the first drunken driving offense. The verdict came following 30 days of testimony and four days of jury deliberation. Prosecutors initially alleged Read killed her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe on Jan. 29, 2022 while she was driving her car drunk during a blizzard. SIGN UP TO GET THE TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER O'Keefe was found during the early morning hours of Jan. 29, 2022, with his body lying in the snow. Kerry Roberts and Jennifer McCabe both testified against her, telling jurors that Read was panicked when she called them on the morning of Jan. 29, 2022 saying O'Keefe was missing. McCabe alleged that Read repeated the phrase "I hit him" on the morning he went missing. Timothy Nuttall, a paramedic, also said in court that he heard Read saying "I hit him" three times. Witnesses testified that Read and O'Keefe were drinking with friends, which included McCabe, in Canton and were invited to an after-party at Brian Albert's house, but the couple didn't attend. Read's defense team, however, maintained that Read never hit O'Keefe. Her lawyers blamed O'Keefe's injuries on a dog attack as well as an altercation with men at the after-party. According to witnesses who testified in court, while Read's car was outside Albert's house, she and O'Keefe weren't seen at the after-party. Read told reporters that she saw O'Keefe enter the house prior to her driving away.
Boston Globe
8 hours ago
- Boston Globe
After Karen Read debacle, Michael Proctor's work in other murder cases faces scrutiny
They have asked judges to grant them access to Proctor's work and personal cellphones, his work iCloud account, and disciplinary records for him and some State Police colleagues and supervisors in the office of Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey, court records show. Proctor did not testify in the retrial of Read, who was acquitted Wednesday of any responsibility in the 2022 death of O'Keefe, after a mistrial last year. But his role in the initial Read investigation could tarnish his other work. Advertisement 'I believe that the district attorney's office is going to find it harder and harder to run away from Proctor in the other cases that Proctor was involved in,' said attorney Rosemary Scapicchio, who represents three men being prosecuted for murder in cases investigated by Proctor. In cases that prosecutors do distance themselves from Proctor, she added, defense attorneys should be able to inform the jury and ask, 'Why do you think that is?' Advertisement As recently as Tuesday, a judge granted access to some records from Proctor's work and personal cellphones to Scapicchio and other defense lawyers in two pending murder cases, court records show. The identical rulings also ordered Proctor to provide his personal cellphone as well as carrier information to prosecutors and preserve the device and its data. In his orders, Norfolk Superior Court Judge Michael P. Doolin wrote that he had reviewed an independent report about data pulled from Proctor's work phone that found communications that 'support the defense theory that police bias played a role' in the cases. The communications do not 'specifically address' the defendants, Doolin wrote, but they 'demonstrate a pattern of bias and misconduct by Proctor in conducting investigations that fairly suggests there may have been similar impropriety in this case that casts doubt on his credibility as an investigator generally.' He didn't elaborate. Proctor, who has State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble, who took the helm of the force last year, Doolin's ruling involved prosecutions stemming from two fatal shootings that Proctor handled as a lead investigator. Advertisement Shawn Johnson and Jovani Delossantos are charged with murder stemming from the fatal shooting of Ivanildo Cabral, 29, outside of Mojitos Country Club in Randolph on July 4, 2022. King, Johnson, and Delossantos have pleaded not guilty. Proctor was also the lead investigator in the death of Ana Walshe, 39, who prosecutors allege was killed by her husband, Brian, on New Year's Day following a gathering at the couple's Cohasset home. Morrissey's office has said it doesn't plan to call Proctor to testify at that trial. Brian Walshe has pleaded not guilty. But Walshe's lawyers sought a copy of all data extracted from Proctor's work cellphone and iCloud account as well as disciplinary files for him and other troopers assigned to Morrissey's office, and records from a separate federal investigation examining the death of O'Keefe. Norfolk Superior Court Judge Diane C. Freniere declined to grant Walshe's lawyers access to the full scope of records they've sought, though she allowed some requests. 'Simply alleging that there was demonstrated bias by Trooper Proctor against a particular defendant in a different case does not entitle the defendant to access to confidential internal affairs records in order to search for other potential impeachment evidence,' Freniere wrote in the decision. Since then, the prosecution and defense have reached agreements on protective orders governing access to Proctor's internal affairs records, an independent report of data extracted from his work cellphone and iCloud account, and text messages he sent about Read, court records show. Walshe has also asked a judge to toss some of the evidence against him, and a hearing is scheduled for next month to consider his request to dismiss the murder charge, court records show. Advertisement Attorney Larry Tipton, a lawyer for Walshe, declined to comment Thursday. Proctor is also being scrutinized for his role in an investigation that began before he was assigned to Morrissey's office. In 2017, Proctor was the first officer to arrive at the scene of a fatal shooting on Interstate 93 that claimed the life of Scott Stevens Jr., 32, as he drove a motorcycle through Boston, court records show. Scapicchio, who represents Holloman, has pending requests in that case for a range of records concerning Proctor, court records show. Chris Dearborn, a professor at Suffolk University Law School, said Proctor's widely publicized misconduct in Read's case made him vulnerable to challenges to his work in other investigations. 'There's a compelling argument that if you acted that inappropriately and unprofessionally in one case, arguably compromising and infecting that investigation, it stands to reason that he might have acted similarly in other investigations,' Dearborn said. Yet how much of Proctor's work will be turned over to the defense in those prosecutions, and whether juries get to hear it are unclear, he said. 'Judges are going to have to make case by case determinations,' he said. Laura Crimaldi can be reached at
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
3 Connecticut State Police cruisers struck in 2-day span
CONNECTICUT (WTNH) — State police say three of their troopers' cruisers were struck while responding to calls in the span of two days. They're reminding drivers to stay alert and give plenty of space to emergency responders. Aka, 'slow down and move over.' State trooper has minor injuries after cruiser was hit in Meriden Two incidents happened on Saturday, June 14. In Danbury, a cruiser was struck head-on while trying to stop a wrong-way driver on Route 7 South. On the same day in Meriden, state police said a cruiser was rear-ended while the trooper was doing motor vehicle enforcement on Interstate 91 North. State trooper injured after cruiser struck by vehicle on I-84 in Waterbury And in Waterbury the next day, a cruiser was side-swiped while the trooper investigated a separate crash on Interstate 84 West. All the troopers involved sustained minor injuries, according to state police. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
CT man accused of operating drug factory after crash on Route 9 leads to discovery of illegal drugs
A three-car rollover crash on Route 9 in New Britain on Wednesday led to state troopers finding enough illegal drugs in a man's vehicle and home to charge him with operating a drug factory. The collision was reported at 1:17 p.m. on the northbound side of the highway in the area of Exit 37B where two of the vehicles rolled over, injuring one of the drivers, according to Connecticut State Police. The driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital. The other two drivers did not report any injuries, according to state police. As wreckers were called to the scene to tow the vehicles, state police alleged that they found that one of the uninjured drivers, who was found to be at fault for the crash, had a 'significant quantity of controlled substances, packaging equipment and narcotics-related paraphernalia.' He was identified as 30-year-old Frank Mitchell of Hamden. According to state police, Mitchell allegedly admitted that he produces chocolate bars and gummies containing mushrooms. He was arrested and transported to the Troop H barracks before authorities obtained a search warrant for his residence. During the search, troopers allegedly found additional narcotics, drug paraphernalia, drug equipment and a large-capacity magazine. Mitchell faces two counts each of possession with intent to sell/dispense a hallucinogenic substance, use of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance and a single count of operation of a drug factory, reckless driving, failure to drive in the proper lane on a limited access highway and illegal possession of a large-capacity magazine. He was held on a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court on Friday.
