Crime

Police Find Missing Lawrence Woman, 37, Dead in Haverhill; Lawrence Man Under Arrest

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A Lawrence woman, missing since Saturday, was found dead in Haverhill Tuesday night following a search and a 35-year-old man is under arrest. Thirty-seven-year-old Carol Flaz-Burgos was last seen leaving her Lawrence Broadway home Saturday morning at 9. During a press conference Tuesday night, Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker said police searched her apartment and building and were later joined by Massachusetts State Police detectives. “Unfortunately, we have a sad ending to report. The body of Carol Flaz was discovered this evening, early this evening, in Haverhill.

Crime

Federal Judge Sends Haverhill Man, 34, to Prison 10 Years for Being a Felon With Loaded Gun and Drugs

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A 34-year-old Haverhill man with multiple prior felony convictions, including manslaughter, was sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday in federal court in Boston for possessing a loaded firearm and drugs intended for distribution. Ramon Silvelo-Miles was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 10 years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. In February of 2024, 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. According to Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy, Silvelo-Miles was stopped by police in the early morning hours of Sept. 20, 2021, for driving erratically on Route 24 in West Bridgewater.

Crime

Hospital Shooter Bought Gun by Concealing Hospital Commitment

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by Annmarie Timmins, New Hampshire Bulletin
August 22, 2024

This story has been updated. The man who fatally shot security officer Bradley Haas in the state hospital lobby in November was prohibited under federal law from purchasing a gun because he had been committed to a psychiatric facility in 2016. Mental health concerns also led the police to confiscate guns he had at the time. But John Madore, 33, told the Barrington gun dealer who sold him the pistol he used to kill Haas that he’d never had such a commitment, according to a report released Thursday by the Attorney General’s Office. And the dealer had no other way to know because New Hampshire does not require commitment records to be submitted to the background database.

Crime

Feds Charge Three Men with Alleged Jewelry Store Holdup Last December

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Three men were formally charged Wednesday for their roles last December during an armed robbery of a jewelry store in Lawrence when they allegedly stole more than $500,000 worth of jewelry and precious metals. A criminal complaint was unsealed charging 26-year-old Eric Rosario, also known as “Maniactico;” Rosnel Polanco, also 26; and 29-year-old Robert Santana, also known as “Amaury Perez” or “Piccarine,” all of Lawrence. They were each charged with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery. Santana was arrested Wednesday, while Rosario and Polanco were previously arrested on related state charges and remain in jail. They will appear at a later date in federal court in Boston.

Crime

Plaistow Police Investigate Theft of $50K of Cell Phones as Police in Conn. Make Two Related Arrests

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Plaistow, N.H., Police are investigating the theft of about $50,000 worth of electronics, other property and cash early Friday morning from a Route 125 store. Many of the stolen cell telephones were recovered Monday by Connecticut State Police, which stopped a vehicle and arrested two people involved with the burglary at the AT&T store, 18 Plaistow Road. Plaistow Police said it dispatched officers to the store after receiving a call for a commercial burglary Friday, just before 3 a.m.

Officers met with store representatives and also collected witness statements and forensic evidence. The case remains under active investigation by members of the Plaistow Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Massachusetts law enforcement agencies. Anyone who may have information is asked to contact Detective Tony Simone at 603-382-1200.

Crime

Man Faces Assault to Rape and Kidnapping Charges After Alleged Uber Ride Assault in Haverhill

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A 47-year-old Boston man, working for one of the leading rideshare companies, was charged this past weekend with assault with intent to rape and kidnapping after allegedly assaulting and restraining his paid rideshare passenger who was traveling to Haverhill. Roberto C. Serpas Canales was arraigned in Haverhill District Court Monday after being arrested Saturday afternoon for the alleged daytime assault on his passenger a week ago Monday. The victim, a 40-year-old woman, came to the Haverhill police station late Friday afternoon to report being physically and sexually assaulted. According to police reports, the woman said she ordered a rideshare from Uber Monday, July 29, and was picked up at 12:50 p.m. in Beverly from a man identified as “Roberto” on the company’s app. The car was later identified as a 2017 black Toyota Camry.

Crime

Third Man Pleads Guilty in Federal Court to Vandalizing Journalists’ and Family’s Homes

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A 46-year-old New Hampshire man pleaded guilty this week in federal court in Boston for his role in two conspiracies to harass and intimidate two journalists employed by New Hampshire Public Radio. The harassment and intimidation of the victims included the vandalism—on five separate occasions—of the victims’ homes and the home of one of the victims’ parents with bricks, large rocks and red spray paint. Eric Labarge of Nashua, N.H., pleaded guilty to a five-count later indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit stalking through interstate travel and using a facility of interstate commerce; conspiracy to commit stalking using a facility of interstate commerce; stalking using a facility of interstate commerce and aiding and abetting; and two counts of stalking through interstate travel and aiding and abetting. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for Oct. 18.

Crime

Judge Orders Prison Sentence for Former US Rep Candidate ‘Beej’ Das Over Election Donations

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Former congressional candidate Abhijit “Beej” Das was sentenced to a 21-month prison term and fined $25,000 for violating the Federal Election Campaign Act and making false statements. The North Andover Democrat who ran in the 2018 primary for Massachusetts’ 3rd Congressional District was convicted by a federal jury last October in Boston. As WHAV reported, the FBI alleged “Das solicited his friends and family for at least $125,000 in illegal campaign contributions, used that money for his own business expenses, debts and a 100-foot super yacht, and then lied about it.”

Das was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns. The prison sentence will be followed by one year of supervised release. “Campaign finance laws exist to protect the rights of voters to transparency and accountability.