Dennis Dockham of Dracut charged with indecent assault

Dennis Dockham, of 7 Third St., was arrested Tuesday night and charged with two counts of indecent assault and battery of a child under 14 and one count of posing a child under 14 for pornographic photographs.The Dracut Police have charged Mr. Dockham with “Posing children for sexual battery” and “Assault and battery on two minors.”  They report that the charges do not involve any Carlisle children. Chief Sullivan and Carlisle Superintendent Marie H. Doyle met with the cafeteria staff this afternoon. They witnessed no cases of inappropriate behavior while working with Mr. Dockham who has been employed by our school system since September 2005.

Police are monitoring the school to instruct the press that they are not allowed on campus while school is in session.  The staff will also be visible and available to protect the privacy of our children and support them through this difficult time.

The 43-year-old Dracut man faces charges of indecent assault for allegedly forcing an 11-year-old girl to pose nude and engage in sexual activity with two underaged relatives. Read the rest of this entry »

Ex-Dracut Cop Accused of Property Destruction

Attorney Michael Najjar, representing 57-year-old Gerard Dauphinais, filed a motion in Lowell District Court asking to dismiss the case or remand it for a clerk’s hearing, but Judge Allen Jarasitis continued the case until Feb. 24.

In his motion, Najjar says two other men, not his client, were in the driveway of a Hillcrest Road home owned by Philip Cote of Dracut on Dec. 8. According to Najjar, James Desmarais, who lives nearby on Lakeshore Drive, recently submitted a written statement to police saying that he threw the log and Dauphinais was not present. A second man, identified as Kevin Lamarre, was also at the scene, according to Najjar’s motion. Lamarre was trying to get Desmarais to leave. Read the rest of this entry »

Dracut Bomb and Bank Robbery

Police in Dracut, are on the lookout for a man who robbed a bank Friday afternoon.

The robbery took place around 4:45 p.m. at the MassBank at 45 Broadway in Dracut.

Police said the man left a bag behind with either a weapon or some kind of explosive device. Several neighboring buildings, including a dance studio, were evacuated as a precaution.

No one was injured and it’s unclear if the man got away with any cash.

The man fled on foot and was wearing a black coat and military-style hat.

The FBI is involved in the investigation.

Dracut’s Marc Dechenes to Open Indoor Baseball Facility

They have both spent time on Major League Baseball diamonds and now they want to share their knowledge with future stars.

Marc Dechenes of Dracut and Mike Glavine of Billerica have applied for a special permit to open an indoor baseball-softball instructional facility in Dracut. The pair has an agreement with the Tucard LLC to lease space on the second floor of a old mill building on Pleasant Street to house Future Stars, a 12-000 square-foot facility. Deschenes, who was acquired by the Boston Red Sox in July 2004 and has played for the organization’s Triple A team in Pawtucket, R.I., told selectmen this week that the facility would be used to by children of all skill levels. Read the rest of this entry »

Charges Dropped for Susan Anctil Dracut Kindergarten Teacher

he Middlesex District Attorney’s Office has dropped an assault charge against Susan Anctil, a former 29-year veteran Dracut kindergarten teacher who was charged in September with squeezing a 5-year-old boy’s arms so hard she left bruises.

Emily LaGrassa, spokeswoman for the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, confirmed that a charge of assault and battery against Anctil, 65, of 60M Myrtle St., Methuen, was dropped on Wednesday “in the interest of justice.”

On June 8, Sherry Arcand, of Trudel Avenue, Dracut, brought her son to the Dracut Police Station alleging the bruises on his arms were caused by his kindergarten teacher grabbing him by the arms and directing him to go back to his seat. The incident allegedly took place at the end of the 2004-05 school year.

Police confirmed they took Arcand’s assault-and-battery complaint in June and filed a report that was forwarded to the clerk magistrate. A hearing found there was sufficient evidence to warrant Anctil being charged.

Reached for comment yesterday, Arcand said she was reluctant to have her son, now 6, testify, so she agreed to drop the charge against the now-retired Parker Avenue School teacher.

Personally I think the Mother realized that her son might have been out of hand and the teacher was doing her job in keeping her son inline.

Peggy Ogonowski Speaks Out About 9/11

The federal government has largely failed to implement anti-terrorism upgrades recommended by the 9/11 Commission more than a year ago, according to a report released yesterday by the panel’s members.

Unveiling a “report card” that featured a litany of D’s and F’s, members of the former panel warned that the slow response has left the United States unprepared for another major attack.

Dracut resident Peggy Ogonowski, whose husband, John Ogonowski, captained American Airlines Flight 11 before terrorists slammed it into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York, said the panel’s report card reveals that the attacks are slipping from the minds of Americans.

“That makes us very ripe for another attack,” she said.
Read the rest of this entry »

Middlesex Sheriff’s Office Graduate 41 Officers

After nineteen weeks of Basic Training, forty-one new corrections officers/deputy sheriffs- including Dracut residents John Paul Efstathiou and Mark Fantasia- begin their careers at the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office. The 32nd Basic Training Academy graduation ceremony was held at the Nashoba Valley Technical High School’s Performing Arts Center and was attended by over 450 family, friends and well-wishers.

The cadets endured the academy’s grueling physical and mental requirements and will now report to either the Cambridge Jail or the Billerica House of Correction. With the memories of rigorous physical requirements and the over 600 classroom hours still fresh in their heads the newest deputy sheriffs are excited by the future and the many opportunities that await them in their work to rehabilitate the lives of those sentenced to serve time.

Sheriff James V. DiPaola, who revamped and increased the training academy when he took over as sheriff in 1997, stated in his keynote address, “To wear this uniform without proper training would be foolhardy and dangerous- that is why it is so important that we educate our officers and to encourage them to further educate themselves at every opportunity.”

As one cadet stated, “The Warrant apprehension unit, the community counseling centers, the special operations unit and the unique regionalized partnerships with other law enforcement agencies are just a few of the doors that open to us as we move forward in our careers.” For the time being however they will represent the Sheriff’s office in the one-on-one dynamic of corrections. They will work up close and personal with the detainees and inmates adding structure and discipline to their daily lives.

“Today’s correctional officer must be multi-dimensional. They walk the tiers and interact with the inmates on a daily basis. I know that the correctional officer is called upon to play psychiatrist, doctor, lawyer, judge, juror, priest, counselor, mediator and referee. Because of this they must be experts in interpersonal communication, possess intimate knowledge of counseling and crisis intervention strategies, and be able to defuse potentially volatile situations at a moment’s notice - it is not an easy job. Being a correctional officer and deputy sheriff is a difficult and complex career.”

The Middlesex Sheriff’s Office represents the 54 cities and towns that comprise Middlesex County and perform a wide variety of community services and programs aimed at reducing recidivism and rehabilitating the lives of those in their custody. The careers of the forty-one graduating officers will have a direct impact on all the citizens of Middlesex County. From human services to tactical response, every one of these exceptional men and women will contribute in a meaningful way to public safety.

Dracut Police Officer Philip Berard Demoted

Replete with terms such as “lying,” “lied,” “no credibility,” and “total fabrication,” a Civil Service Commission hearing officer has upheld the town’s decision to demote Dracut police Officer Philip Berard.

Berard was demoted from sergeant to patrolman in April 2003 following an internal investigation in the June 2002 arrest of John Dolliver, who was riding his all-terrain vehicle under power lines near his Jones Avenue home. The investigation concluded that Berard used excessive force in arresting Dolliver, who admits trying to flee. Berard testified he drew his handgun on Dolliver and his passenger, Leonard Proposki, and threatened to shoot if Dolliver did not stop.

“The use of deadly force was not (Berard’s) last resort as intended, but his first and only resort,” Commissioner Daniel M. Henderson wrote in his report. “The Appointing Authority (Town Manager Dennis Piendak and then-Police Chief Louis Panas) determined that (Berard’s) poor judgment, intentional acts and violations on June 30, 2002, should not end his career but rather end his supervisory position within the department. The commission defers to the appointing authority’s discretion on the matter of punishment … as clearly warranted under the circumstances of this case.”

As to Berard’s contention he was acting in self-defense, Henderson disagreed.

“This version is untrue, being a total fabrication created by (Berard) to justify his own excessive use of force and threats to do the same,” Henderson wrote. “If he had actually been in danger, he could have simply jumped out of the way. However, he was solely intent on stopping the ATV by any means including the use of deadly force. He was the provocateur and initiator of unnecessary physical contact with the ATV by reaching out and grabbing the handle bar.”

After his demotion, Berard sued the town for removing him from the top spot on the town’s list of deputy chief candidates. He has filed for an injunction with the Civil Service Commission, halting the naming of a permanent police chief and deputy chief.

Dolliver was cleared of charges that he tried to strike Berard with his vehicle. Berard, who remains on the force, filed a civil lawsuit in Lowell Superior Court claiming Dolliver deliberately struck him, permanently injuring his hand. He is seeking $86,000 in medical expenses, lost wages and other damages.

Dolliver filed a counterclaim against the officer alleging his rights were violated.

Berard did not return a phone call seeking comment. His 30-day appeal period expires this week. Neither Piendak nor acting Police Chief Kevin Richardson would comment because of pending litigation.

from The Sun

Dracut Earthquake felt last night

Some Lowell Dracut and Tyngsboro residents area felt a minor earthquake last night. I sure did as I was working in my house and thought a big truck was driving by.

It was only 1.5 in magnitude but officials say it was strong enough to shake a few homes and trip a breaker at a Massachusetts Electric substation in Dracut. The resulting loud noise prompted about 150 nervous residents to dial 9-1-1.

Boston College’s Weston Observatory said the tremor occurred shortly before 7:30 p-m and was centered on the Dracut-Lowell line.

Dracut firefighters located the tripped breaker fairly quickly, but public-safety agencies continued efforts to figure out what happened because they felt that alone would not have shaken houses.

Bob Willett, who lives at 27 Kevin Road in East Dracut, said he was sitting for a few seconds to watch television when he heard and felt the Dracut earthquake.

He said the shaking lasted three or four seconds and was accompanied by a sound similar to dynamite exploding.

“It was like a boom — almost like an explosion, like blasting,” Willett said. “One of my lights went out because the light wasn’t completely tight in the socket.”

Willett thought there may have been a gas explosion at a nearby home so he went outside to check other buildings on his street but found nothing.

He said his nephew, who lives on Methuen Street, also felt the shaking and heard the blast.

Though the latitude and longitude of the quake puts it in Belvidere, Dracut got the most calls about the event, where police estimated they got 60 to 80 calls on 911 lines.

Judge said there are about a half-dozen small earthquakes in Massachusetts each year, and that the area is in what is considered a “moderate earthquake zone.”

He said almost all the quakes are under magnitude 2.0, so they rarely cause any property damage or injuries. There were no reports of damage or injuries last night.

Judge said earthquakes in this area are caused by the shifting of plates in the earth’s crust and are not directly sparked by a major fault line, such as the San Andreas Fault in California.

“That’s why they tend to be all over the place,” he said. “We can get them everywhere.”

Judge said earthquakes are not something Massachusetts residents need to spend much time worrying about, but he said there was at least one major earthquake here 250 years ago.

That incident, known as the “Cape Anne Earthquake,” was a magnitude 7.2 shaker that hit Gloucester in 1755.

Such an earthquake would do billions in damage today, which prompted the state to stiffen building codes in the early 1970s, Judge said.

Dracut News

Dracut News.com is the one source for Dracut Residents for the latest happening in and around Dracut. We want to talk about schools, politics, gossip, resident complaints and more. If you’d like to contribute something to us, fill out this form.

Frozen Ropes Win the Championship

The Dracut Frozen Ropes finish up their season in 1st place and with the championship. Nick pitches a great game to keep their bats cold all night. Coach Matt smashed a ball for a homerun and scored brought in 2 rbi’s and that was only the beginning. And Jake learned to pee outside.

Leave a comment with some of the highlights you enjoyed from the game.

Party in the Dracut State Forest

Police arrested three teenagers involved in an underage-drinking party in a wooded area Friday night.

According to police, a group of teens were gathered around a small fire in the woods
behind 91 Donahue Road. The group began to flee the scene when police officers arrived.

Michael Lane Jr., 17, of 51 Florence Ave. in Dracut, Daniel J. Foley, 17, of 258 Dracut St. in Dracut, and Kathleen Annis, 160 A St. in Dracut, were all arrested and charged with being a minor in possession of alcohol.

Lane was also charged with being a disorderly person and malicious destruction of public property, after breaking a window at the police station.

Annis was also charged with resisting arrest, assault and battery of a police officer, and possession of a class D substance.

Mega Millions set for $250 million this friday

Head on down to Mr P’s store on Nashua Rd in Dracut before friday and buy your tickets.

If I win the $250 million jackpot I’ll sponsor Dracut’s Frozen Ropes next year too.

Frozen Ropes Are Representin

Bow Bam Boooom. Frozen Ropes are taking the gay ass softball world by storm by mowing down batters and smashing those mutha truckin balls over the fense. 1 2 3 my boys (and girls) will smack 12 points on your ass by the 4th inning and make you beg for beers by the 5th.
Take it and pass that stuff down.

Church!