Crime

Police Arrest 4 Out of 5 Men Alleged to Have Robbed North Andover Jewelry Store

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Four of the five masked men, alleged to have taken part in an armed robbery Thursday morning at a North Andover jewelry store, are in custody after being arrested following a car chase. In a statement, North Andover police credited “astounding collaboration” among town police resources and area law enforcement agencies for the quick action. Police were alerted to the robbery just before 10:30 a.m. at Milos Joyeria, 563 Chickering Road, by emergency 911 callers. A North Andover police officer working a detail quickly noticed a vehicle fitting the description of one used by the men and alerted another officer in a cruiser, according to a press release. That officer followed the car into a restaurant parking lot where the men escaped in another car that appears to have been “staged” there.

Crime

Judge Sends Haverhill Man, 29, to Prison 3.5 Years Following Drug and Gun Conviction

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A 29-year-old Haverhill man was sentenced Monday to three and a half years in prison for trafficking cocaine and illegal firearms in and around the Boston area. After serving time, Cordell Miller also faces three years of supervised release after being sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young. As WHAV reported at the time, Miller pleaded guilty last February to distribution of, and possession with intent to distribute, cocaine; aiding and abetting; and trafficking in firearms and conspiracy to do so. Miller was arrested and charged in November 2023 along with Malcolm Desir and Alan Robinson. Miller was identified as a firearms and ammunition trafficker in the metro Boston area.

Crime

Harmony Montgomery’s Grandfather Mounts Search for Murdered Child’s Remains; Seeks Help

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The grandfather of a five-year-old with Haverhill ties who disappeared in 2019 is mounting a search to locate her remains. Harmony Montgomery was formally declared dead in March of 2024. Her remains were never found. Her father, Adam Montgomery, was found guilty of killing the child and disposing of her body in February 2024. He was subsequently sentenced to 45 years to life in state prison.

Crime

Trial of Haverhill School Board Member Ferguson Gets Underway

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A jury of five women and two men were seated for the trial of Cheryl A. Ferguson, the Haverhill School Committee member charged last fall with alleged indecent assault on a person over 14. The criminal trial got underway at Haverhill District Court Tuesday and it set to continue Wednesday with First Justice Cesar A. Archilla presiding. The teen who lodged the complaint was identified in court but WHAV is not releasing the name because he was a minor at the time. Ferguson, 59, who represents Ward 3 on the School Committee, was arrested last Oct. 29 after the teenager’s mother told police Ferguson approached her son twice as he was standing outside the 7-Eleven on Dudley Street wearing a Mike Myers costume and mask in celebration of Halloween.

Crime

Judge Orders Man Evaluated for Dangerousness After Bank Robbery in Haverhill

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A 36-year-old Methuen, man charged with robbing a Haverhill bank of $10,000 after commandeering a car in Lawrence, is being held at the Middleton House of Corrections pending a dangerousness hearing. Ryan Messina, of 20 Calumet Road in Methuen, was arraigned in Haverhill District Count Wednesday, on four charges— assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, receiving a stolen motor vehicle, resisting arrest and unarmed robbery. Haverhill District Court Judge Cesar A. Archilla scheduled the dangerousness hearing for Wednesday, June 18. According to Essex County Assistant District Attorney Olivia Brooks, Messina is alleged to have ordered a person out of a white Honda CRV in Lawrence shortly after noon on Monday. He then is alleged to have driven to the Pentucket Bank at 395 Lowell Ave.

Crime

Police Arrest Methuen Man, 36, in Connection with Bank Robbery in Haverhill

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A 36-year-old Methuen man was arrested Tuesday afternoon and charged in connection with the robbery of a Pentucket Bank branch in Haverhill early Monday afternoon. Ryan Messina was arrested around 3 p.m. on Merrimack Street in Methuen and charged with unarmed bank robbery and receiving a stolen motor vehicle, second offense. He is expected to be arraigned Wednesday in Haverhill District Court. Haverhill Police detectives with help from Massachusetts State Police, Methuen Police and the FBI took Messina into custody. Haverhill Police said Messina allegedly handed a teller a note demanding money and then fled with an undisclosed amount of cash Monday, around 12:45 p.m., at 395 Lowell Ave., near the intersection of River Street and Interstate 495.

Crime

Haverhill Police Ask For Public’s Help Finding Bank Robbery Suspect

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Police are looking for a white, relatively short man with a skinny build and light facial hair who robbed the Haverhill Westgate branch of Pentucket Bank early Monday afternoon. Haverhill Police said the man, estimated to be five foot seven to five foot nine inches tall, handed a teller a note demanding money and then fled with an undisclosed amount of cash around 12:45 p.m., at 395 Lowell Ave., near the intersection of River Street and Interstate 495. No injuries were reported. The branch temporarily closed after the incident, while Haverhill Police investigated with State Police and the FBI. Anyone with any information is asked to call Haverhill Detective John Orsillo at 978-373-1212, ext.

Crime

Imprisoned Salvadoran Man, Who Once Lived in Methuen, Receives Second Sentence

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A 57-year-old Salvadoran man, formerly living in Methuen, who was already serving a 20-25-year Massachusetts prison sentence for rape of child, was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation. Agustin Landaverde-Romero was sentenced by U.S.  District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 21 months in prison to be served simultaneously with his state sentence. He is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In July 2020, Landaverde-Romero was arrested and charged with rape of child and rape of child by force in Essex County Superior Court. He was convicted and, in May 2023, was sentenced to 20-25 years in state prison.