Haverhill

Barrett Promises ‘Complete Transparency’ as Probe Begins into Death of Man in Police Custody

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Haverhill Mayor Melinda E. Barrett is calling for calm and promising a full detailing of the facts surrounding the death of a 43-year-old man who died Friday night while being restrained by Haverhill police officers. Barrett, who is the first official to formally release the name of Francis Gigliotti, issued the statement Saturday night as posters on social media compared the manner of Gigliotti’s death to that of George Floyd, whose 2020 death murder while in police custody in Minneapolis was ruled a murder. “I want to offer my condolences to the family of Francis Gigliotti and assure our community that I am closely monitoring the circumstances around his tragic death. The district attorney’s office is investigating. I promise complete transparency to our community and ask that everyone remain patient and calm as this investigation ensues and more information is made available.”

In a joint statement issued earlier Saturday afternoon, Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker and Haverhill Police Chief Robert P. Pistone said Gigliotti “became unresponsive” during, what they described as, “a struggle” with a group of police officers that held him outside of a Winter Street restaurant.

Haverhill

Man Dies in Haverhill After Behaving ‘Erratically’ and in a ‘Belligerent Manner’

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A 43-year-old man is dead after, officials said, he was “behaving erratically” early Friday night on the outskirts of downtown Haverhill and then became unresponsive when police attempted to restrain him. According to a joint statement issued Saturday afternoon by Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker and Haverhill Police Chief Robert P. Pistone, police received a call just before 6:30 p.m., that the as-yet unnamed man had fallen while leaving a building on White Street near the intersection of Winter and Emerson Streets. They said the man then ran “in the middle of the street and that he hit a car with his head then continued down White Street.”

“Video surveillance shows the male weaving in and out of traffic, nearly being struck several times by passing motorists,” the statement reads. Responding police officers report they witnessed the man “behaving in a belligerent manner” and summonsed an ambulance to assess him. Meanwhile, the man took off on foot and attempted to enter Bradford Seafood at 124 Winter St.

Crime

Phony Arrest Scam Leads to Real Arrest of Men Who Swindled Haverhill Couple

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Two men, alleged to have swindled a Haverhill couple by posing as police who held their daughter, were arrested this past Wednesday in Connecticut after Haverhill detectives tracked their whereabouts. Thirty-year-old Harold Perez of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and 33-year-old Victor Irving Francisco Bonilla of Bridgeport, Conn., were arrested by Connecticut State Police and charged with false pretenses, swindle, confidence game and all other larceny and are expected to be extradited to Haverhill to face addition charges of extortion by threat of injury, two counts; larceny over $1,200 by single scheme; attempt to commit a crime; and conspiracy. Haverhill Police said Perez and Bonilla contacted the Haverhill couple while pretending to be police and legal officials and falsely claimed the couple’s daughter was involved in a serious car accident and jailed. The men demanded a large cash payment to secure her release that was sent via a rideshare service they arranged. After collecting the money, the men made a second call asking for more money.

Haverhill

Rare Turtles Prompt Haverhill to Abandon Dutton Airport Business Park Plan

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An active population of endangered Blanding’s turtles has prompted Haverhill city officials to largely abandon plans to develop the old Dutton Airport off Route 110 into a business park. William Pillsbury Jr. said the city received a preliminary report earlier this year prepared by biologists at the state’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species program which describes an active breeding habitat for the turtles in the marshy land on the abandoned private airfield. Pillsbury said the city hoped to develop some 800,000 square feet of commercial and industrial space on the property with the help of the Greater Haverhill Foundation, but the state’s environmental analysis suggests less than half that area would be available for building. Pillsbury told Haverhill city councilors Tuesday that while the owners of the property could still pursue development, the city no longer believes a business park is a viable option. “We really were very serious when we came to you and said we are going to take the environmental aspects of this seriously and we did and we put them all on the table.

Haverhill

New Crop Opportunity at Haverhill’s Whittier Birthplace as it Welcomes Grape Farmers

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Two young wine makers are planning an experimental vineyard at Whittier Birthplace in Haverhill. Eliot Martin and his wife Katie Luczai are preparing to plant 26 varieties of grapes on 1.7 acres of land at Whittier Birthplace next spring. Martin explained the allure of the Haverhill farm. “Our focus is on varieties we think are going to produce excellent wine in our climate and growing conditions that we can’t get our hands on very easily or where it may be cost prohibitive,” Martin said. Martin and Luczai are familiar faces in Haverhill as they have offered their Marzae wines at the Tattersall Farms-to-Taste events for several years.

Community Spotlight

Toddler Time Tuesdays with Stories and Crafts at Whittier Birthplace

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Whittier Birthplace is hosting a series of story and craft times for preschoolers and their caregivers this summer. The free events are Tuesdays from 10 to 11 a.m., through Aug. 19, under a tent on the grass next to the Little Free Library kiosk, at Whittier Birthplace, 305 Whittier Road. Participants are advised to bring blankets and park under the apple trees or on Whittier Road. “Our target is children ages 3 to 5 but older and younger kids are welcome,” Executive Director Kaleigh Pare Shaughnessy said.

Community Spotlight

Expected Rain Forces Cancellation of First ‘Thursday Nights Live’ Concert Tonight

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Tonight’s inaugural “Thursday Nights Live” concert on Bradford Common is postponed because of predictions of foul weather. The first concert was to have featured EJ Ouellette with an opening set of Delta blues by Paul Prue and Peter Chase, but that has been rescheduled to Thursday, Aug. 21. Next Thursday, July 17, will feature, as planned, Frontwoods and the Chase/Campbell Band. The series will still include six concerts on consecutive Thursdays, from 6 to 8 p.m., beginning next Thursday, July 17 if weather permits

Team Haverhill is taking over from Prue who started the series 16 years ago.

Haverhill

Haverhill Council Agrees 3 Amesbury Road Parcels Should Be Zoned Residential

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Single-family homes were deemed the best use for three parcels on Amesbury Road, but despite a zoning change approved by the Haverhill City Council Tuesday night, a commercial use is still possible. City councilors sided with neighbors, voting unanimously to rezone 230, 240 and 250 Amesbury Road “residential medium” from “commercial highway.” However, the owner of the largest parcel, Prescott White, told the Council he plans to pursue a commercial option allowed under a three-year protection clause the law gives property owners after a zoning change. Christine Kwitchoff, representing a group called Citizens to Keep Amesbury Road a Residential Neighborhood, presented a petition signed by 170 residents who argue the zoning change is appropriate and in keeping with the character of the area. “It is a logical request that reflects what exists there today. So, those that signed the petition have the common-sense belief that rezoning will support housing in our community,” Kwitchoff said.