Haverhill

Wood Not Currently Working as Haverhill Police Officer; No One Will Say Why

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Those who saw Scott W. Wood Jr. sworn in as a Haverhill police officer last year and, again formally this past spring, may be surprised to learn Wood isn’t actively working now. Neither Wood, who is also a longtime Haverhill School Committee member, nor Mayor James J. Fiorentini, who is chairman of the School Committee, answered WHAV’s questions. A limited response to WHAV’s public records request, however, suggests Wood hasn’t worked in many months. Wood was sworn in by City Clerk Linda L. Koutoulas during late October of 2020 in Fiorentini’s office. Wood was listed as eligible on a Civil Service list after an act of the state legislature to overcome the city’s maximum age limit of 34.

Haverhill

DeNaro’s Farewell Cites Proud Moments and Promise to Speak Out on 2018 DPW Investigation

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Retired Haverhill Police Chief Alan R. DeNaro says his proudest achievements over his nearly two decades in Haverhill are the department’s accreditation and addition of a mental health program. DeNaro, however, told city councilors during his farewell last week that he remains willing to address “shocking revelations” discovered during his investigation of the city’s Public Works Department if that report ever becomes public. “If and when the time comes, I don’t care if I’m in Wisconsin, I will come back here and I will discuss the entirety of that report with this Council,” he promised.”

Councilor Timothy J. Jordan asked about the chief’s 83-page report that was prepared during the fall of 2018. “The DPW report. I know there’s been some controversy over that.

WHAV Investigates

WHAV Investigates: Secret Haverhill DPW Report May be Unmasked with Naming of New Police Recruit

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Haverhill is sending 13 new recruits to the police academy and one member of the class may have unwittingly played a role in the city’s refusal in the last year to turn over a secret report on an investigation into the Highway Department. For more than a year, WHAV’s investigative team mounted several challenges to gain release of an 83-page report detailing Haverhill Police’s 2018 investigation of the city’s Public Works Department. After being ordered by the state to turn an unredacted copy over to WHAV, the city won a reprieve last April. The city’s outside counsel, attorney Michelle E. Randazzo, claimed the report was needed to help the city defend itself against a discrimination case brought by a then-unnamed Highway Department employee. “While we believe that this complaint has no merit, we are obligated to defend it and will do so vigorously,” she said, adding the unnamed individual “directly implicates the matters addressed in the requested record.”

Timothy Campbell, one of the city’s new police recruits, told WHAV Wednesday he is dropping the complaint before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.

Crime

WHAV Investigates: How Haverhill Police Reconstruct Accidents, Collaborate with DA to File Charges

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Editor’s Note: The public has expressed skepticism—or worse—about the slow pace of automobile fatality investigations and the roles of police departments and the District Attorney’s office. One case dates back to last Jan. 25 when Charles Burrill was walking from his home on Groveland Street to the downtown bus station when he was struck and killed at White’s Corner. No charges have yet been brought. This story aims to shed light on what’s involved in investigations.

Education

Haverhill Continues to Cover-Up Timeline of Alleged High School Gun Incident

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City officials continue to refuse to release the exact time a 16-year-old summer school student was first spotted with an alleged gun July 29. Information about the time staff observed what was believed to be a gun is a critical piece of determining whether Haverhill Public Schools properly responded to the threat at Haverhill High School. Unconfirmed reports suggest the student was under suspicion for more than an hour before Haverhill Police were notified. The student was arrested almost a mile away, prompting more questions about times. The City of Haverhill yesterday only partially responded to WHAV’s extensive public records requests, but promised to consider providing more information within 25 days.

Crime

Former Haverhill DPW Worker Gets Probation for Role in August 2018 City Hall Drug Deal

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A former Haverhill city employee pleaded guilty Thursday to charges stemming from an August 2018 drug arrest, receiving a one-year probation term from Haverhill District Court Judge Stephen S. Abany. Appearing in court Thursday, Kevin Moriarty saw two drug charges—one count of possession and one count of distribution—continued without a finding. By pleading guilty, Moriarty received one year of probation and was ordered to stay drug- and alcohol-free until April 2020, with random drug screenings. He also must complete court-ordered community service. A third charge, conspiracy to violate drug laws, was dismissed at the request of prosecuting attorney Stephen LaMonica, who called the outcome a “fair resolution to the case.”

Thursday was the sixth time Moriarty and his two codefendants, Erik Frasca and Steven Allen, appeared in court in connection with their August 2018 case.

Education

Latest Child Abuse Claim Sheds Light on School Superintendent’s Long-Term Agenda

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Another state child abuse investigation has led to the suspension of a Haverhill school principal and four others. The latest incident, however, is shedding light not only on student restraint policies but how a new school administration deals with controversy. Haverhill Alternative School Principal John DePolo who has worked in the school system 18 years, was suspended a week ago last Friday. He was followed last week by four staffers who came to his defense. The paid leaves follow a state Department of Children and Families review of allegations surrounding restraint of a child at St.

Haverhill

City Now Refuses to Release DPW Report Because It is Being Sued for Discrimination

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The City of Haverhill has declared a new reason for denying WHAV access to a secret investigation of its Public Works Department: the department is being sued for discrimination. The city’s outside counsel, attorney Michelle E. Randazzo, notified WHAV Monday she would not release the 83-page police investigation as ordered last month by State Supervisor of Records Rebecca S. Murray. WHAV previously appealed the excessive amount of blacked out—or redacted—sections. Randazzo said the city faces a claim filed with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination by a former employee. “While we believe that this complaint has no merit, we are obligated to defend it and will do so vigorously,” she said, adding the unnamed individual “directly implicates the matters addressed in the requested record.”

Randazzo further explained the city will use information from the 83-page “Highway Department Investigation” to “determine its defenses” and “evaluate potential witness testimony.”

Since last November, WHAV has been denied complete access to the report authored by Haverhill Police Chief Alan R. DeNaro.