Crime

Haverhill Man Pleads Guilty to Loaded Gun and Drug Charges in Federal Court

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A 34-year-old Haverhill man with multiple prior felony convictions, including manslaughter, pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Boston to possessing a loaded firearm and drugs intended for distribution. Ramon Silvelo-Miles pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. U.S. District Court Judge Dennis F. Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for May 9. Silvelo-Miles was charged by criminal complaint in January 2022. According to acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy’s office, in the early morning hours of Sept.

Crime

Philadelphia Woman Gets 8 Days in Jail for Methuen Heroin Delivery

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A 34-year-old Philadelphia woman, who sought to deliver two kilograms of heroin to Methuen, was sentenced last week to eight days in prison for conspiring to distribute kilos of fentanyl and heroin. Elba Pena was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to eight days’ time served and three years of supervised release with one year to be served in home confinement. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin. The U.S. attorney’s office recommended a sentence of 37 months in prison. According to court documents, Pena traveled Nov.

Crime

New York Man to Plead Guilty in Counterfeit Passport Case; Bank Foils North Andover Attempt

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A 40-year-old New York man, who federal prosecutors say tried to steal money from a person’s account at a North Andover bank, recently agreed to plead guilty to using counterfeit U.S. passport cards to withdraw money from three residents’ bank accounts. Jean Andre Bontiffe agreed to plead guilty to three counts of bank fraud, one count of forgery or false use of a passport and one count of aggravated identity theft. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled. He was previously charged by criminal complaint in October 2023. In one case, acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy’s office said, Bontiffe presented a passport and a Discover credit card, both in the name of a Massachusetts resident who had an account at TD Bank and attempted to withdraw $4,500.

Crime

Salem, N.H., Police Arrest Haverhill Woman in Connection with Aug. Death of Methuen Motorcyclist

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A 30-year-old Haverhill woman was arrested last week by Salem, N.H., Police following an investigation into last August’s death of a 24-year-old motorcyclist from Methuen. Salem, N.H., Police said Tuesday Sara Grams of Haverhill was charged with negligent homicide, negligent driving, “hands free” violation and crossing a yellow line. Grams was the driver of a 2018 Jeep on the night of last Aug. 22. Police said she was travelling eastbound on Main Street, Route 97, and crossed the double yellow line into the westbound lane and struck a 2012 Toyota, driven by 65-year-old Lawrence Goddard of Salem, N.H. This collision forced the Toyota off the roadway as the Jeep remained sideways in the westbound lane and struck a 2000 Harley Davidson, driven by Austin Willette of Methuen who had been travelling westbound behind the Toyota.

Crime

Methuen Police Seek Public’s Help Identifying Person Seen on Camera

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The Methuen Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying a person who is alleged to have taken a package last Saturday from the porch of a Methuen home. The person, seen on a still from a resident’s camera, was seen Saturday, Jan. 27, at approximately 7 p.m., in the area of Freeman Drive, Stanley Road and Kimball Road in Methuen. Police said a video shows the person taking a package and leaving in a small, light-colored SUV. Anyone with information is asked to call Methuen police at 978-983-8698.

Crime

Following Court Date, Family Member says She Has Been ‘Fighting for Justice Since 2019’

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After the arraignment last week of a 55-year-old man alleged to have collected more than $70,000 of a late Haverhill man’s state pension, a family member said she has been “fighting for justice since 2019.”

The family member told WHAV former UMass Lowell student Jeffrey Nazarian had been living in his late college professor’s Haverhill home. Nazarian was arraigned in Salem Superior Court last Thursday for allegedly collecting John G. Hamer’s state pension. Nazarian is charged with two counts of forgery, larceny over $1,200 by a single scheme, perjury and uttering. According to a press release, the charges come as a result of a joint investigation by the offices of Inspector General Jeffrey S. Shapiro and Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell. Nazarian was indicted late last month by an Essex County grand jury.

Crime

Methuen Police Seize Loaded Gun, Drugs and Arrest Two Including School Bus Driver

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Methuen police arrested two, including a school bus driver, on drug-related charges this week and seized a loaded 9mm handgun, drugs and $1,700 in cash. Police Chief Scott J. McNamara said in a statement Thursday that his Police Street Narcotics Unit were watching a vehicle was believed to be involved in drug transactions when they saw an alleged drug deal take place between a Honda Fit and Ford Escape in the parking lot of a Broadway business. Thirty-eight-year-old Luis Borrero Rosario of Lawrence was arrested and charged with being an armed career criminal, trafficking a class B substance, carrying a loaded firearm, illegal possession of a firearm, possession of a class a substance with intent to distribute, distribution of a class A substance, possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card, driving with a suspended license, possession of a dangerous weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Similarly, 42-year-old Sandra Baldwin of Methuen was arrested and charged with possession of a class A substance and possession of a class B substance. Police say they later learned she worked as a bus driver for a company providing transportation for Methuen Public Schools.

Crime

Federal Grand Jury Indicts Haverhill Man for Illegally Having Pistol, Ammunition

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A 37-year-old Haverhill man, previously convicted of a felony, was arrested Thursday for illegally having a semiautomatic pistol and ammunition. Rashad Diggs, also known as “Summers,” was indicted by a federal grand jury for being a felon in possession of firearm and ammunition. He made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston and is being held pending a hearing scheduled for today. According to the indictment, in December 2022 in Revere, Diggs possessed a semiautomatic pistol with an obliterated serial number loaded with over 40 rounds of ammunition. Due to a prior felony conviction, Diggs is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.