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New Fire Chief, dog hearing, Highway Surveyor and Assessors at Plympton BOS

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Plympton Animal Control Officer Griffin Webb came before the Board of Selectmen to testify at a dog hearing. Photo by Abram Neal.

PLYMPTON — The Plympton Board of Selectmen got off to an early start at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 19, when they welcomed new Fire Chief Stephen Silva, of Plympton, as head of the force. Area fire chiefs, family members, and Plympton Fire Department members were on hand to congratulate him.

The board next moved into a dog hearing, their first in many months, involving a dog named Mandy, a female brindle Plott hound, owned by Daniel Gazzola, who according to Animal Control Officer Griffin Webb, attacked another dog owned by Robert and Carol Quindley. Gazzola and Quindleys are neighbors on County Road.

Webb read his report into the record. “Quindley … stated that both of his dogs were outside in a completely enclosed fence attached to the house. He said that his neighbors dog ‘Mandy’ then got into an altercation with Mr. Quindley’s dog ‘[P]earl’ … resulting in a bite wound …”

Robert Quindley also testified before the board regarding the incident, stating that the attack went on for 15 minutes after Mandy jumped his fence, and that he was struggling to protect his dog, Pearl, with a stick the entire time.

Eventually, according to the report, Gazzola, the owner of the aggressor dog, removed her from the scene and was not present when Webb arrived.

Quindley rushed his dog to a veterinarian for treatment, he said.

Webb, at the suggestion of Selectmen at their last meeting, put Mandy under quarantine because she was not up to date on her rabies vaccine– or town license– and further placed the dog under a 14-day muzzle order before the hearing took place.

Webb described Gazzola as cooperative throughout the process, although he did not attend the hearing, which he was not required to do. Webb also said that Mandy was not aggressive to him, but that there was not another dog around at the time to “test” her behavior around other dogs.

Selectmen largely took Webb’s recommendation and ordered that Mandy be under the direct supervision of her owner at all times while outside her home, including on their property.

If she isn’t on a leash or a proper run, then she must be muzzled, according to the board’s order.

“Muzzles are tough,” said Webb. “I don’t want to see the dog muzzled outside for the rest of its life.”

But the board felt the need to protect the town, they said, and the dog can be unmuzzled if it is on a leash or run.

“I’m not up for another encounter,” said Quindley. His wife, Carol, agreed. “I just hope this works,” she said.

“So do we,” said Joy.

Later, Scott Ripley, Highway Surveyor, came before the board regarding speed limits, this time stating that it was unlikely the town would be able to set a blanket speed limit across the whole town, unless otherwise posted, as towns that choose this method of enforcement must be determined by the state to be high density.

Citing “town’s rights,” Selectman Mark Russo asked for permission from his colleagues to spend about a half-hour with Town Counsel to explore the issue further, and they agreed.

As the Express has previously reported, the state is changing some speed limits in Plympton and are replacing signs for free as part of a regional grant program with the new speed limits.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) sets these speed limits, not municipalities, according to their own rules and regulations.

This has upset some residents who have said they feel the speed limits are too high.

Finally, the Board of Assessors came before selectmen to hold the annual tax classification hearing. It was not attended by any residents.

At the recommendation of the Assessors, Selectmen adopted a singular rate across all classes of property for fiscal year 2019: “residential, commercial, industrial and personal property at their full and fair cash value of the tax levy, resulting in a single tax rate.”

The actual rate will be set after it is certified by the state, according to Wendy Jones, assistant assessor.

HES School Committee gets lesson on equity from SLRSD SPED director

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From left, SLRSD Superintendent Joy Blackwood, HES School Committee Chair Summer Schmaling, members Alex Meade, Gordon Andrews, Allison Vance and Robert Johnson. Photo by Abram Neal.

HALIFAX — Marie Grable, Director of Special Education for the Silver Lake Regional School District, made a presentation about the state of her department and how it affects the Town of Halifax to the Halifax Elementary School Committee on Monday, Dec. 3. Throughout, she put an emphasis on equal access and equity as a means to achieve equality for all students, something she said she wanted to highlight.

But by the end, Grable said she was at the “mercy” of the board. In apparent reaction to interruptions and vocal frustration from three of the five school committee members during her presentation, notably from chair Summer Schmaling, and members Alex Meade and Gordon Andrews, she said she would be happy to provide statistics presented a different way or change the direction of the program if the board wanted her to.

Very early on, during the first slide with significant information, the interruptions and questions began. School committee members appeared to be trying to get a better handle on how to predict the numbers being presented to them.

“We’re here for 100 percent of the students but 20 percent of the students are affecting the budget this much, and there’s nothing we can do about it, frankly,” said Meade.

Grable noted that special education is required by law, and is a “means of specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability.” The SLRSD is also responsible for transportation costs for students receiving services outside of Halifax, she said.

This access to education for some students is met in-house, for other students requires placement in programs at other schools in the district or programs out-of-district, including collaboratives and alternative schools. Tuition for these programs can be quite costly, according to Grable’s presentation.

Special education budgets are notoriously difficult to anticipate because special education is mandatory, can be costly, and the cost is subject to the needs of the students currently in the district.

She discussed certain disability types that Massachusetts regulations require educators provide modifications for, including: autism, developmental delay, intellectual impairment, sensory impairment, neurological impairment, emotional impairment, communication impairment, physical impairment, health impairment and specific learning disability.

But Schmaling stated that she didn’t think that emotional impairment belonged on the list of disability classifications, and Meade agreed.

Both indicated they did not think that the public’s perception of disability included “emotional impairment.”

Emotional impairment includes, according to state and federal law, such disabilites as, “an inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory or health factors; an inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers; inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances; a general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression; or a tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.”

There are 128 students from Halifax, aged 3-22, receiving special education services this year, stated Grable, up from 118 in 2015. For those students receiving services at HES, that represents close to 20 percent of the school’s student population, according to some quick math done by the board (the state average is about 17 percent, said SLRSD Superintendent Joy Blackwood). But, out-of-district placements are down from 26 to 16 from 2016.

“We’re moving in the right direction,” said Grable. “My goal is to have the most students receiving their education in the least restrictive setting.”

The board wanted more historical data to help better budget for special education. But Grable said she didn’t think that would help much.

“It’s hard [to predict funding] because it’s such a moving target,” said Blackwood.

Schmaling and Blackwood pointed out that just one student moving into the district could cost $100,000 or one moving out could save the district $100,000 (hypothetically).

But in the end, the board appeared glad to hear Grable’s report, however they felt about it. “It’s super awesome that you came in,” said Schmaling.

New Fire Chief Silva sworn, says Dept. is ‘ready for the next level’

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Town Clerk Tara Shaw swears in new Plympton Fire Chief Stephen G. Silva. Photo by Abram Neal.

PLYMPTON — Stephen G. Silva, of Popes Farm, took over as the Plympton fire chief Monday, Nov. 19. The following day, he was personally cleaning out a storage room at the fire station— where he envisions a bunk room to replace the trailer out front— and was already easily joking around with the men and women who make up the department.

“Firefighting is a calling,” he said. “I’ve been chasing firetrucks since I was riding a bicycle.”

The 23-year Plympton resident said he is proud to take over the department and has a wide range of experience, including more than 40-years in firefighting and emergency medical services, in both the public and private sector. Most recently, he was a lieutenant with the Middleborough Fire Department, where he frequently served as shift commander.

But before Silva talked much about himself, he wanted to point out the dedication of the firefighters of the Plympton Fire Department.

The department went through a difficult period this year, he conceded— including an outside investigation, by Municipal Resources, Inc. The investigative report went so far as to describe “a department in crisis” when it was written in February. In March and May the department lost their chief and acting-chief, respectively.

Yet Silva said the department was not in crisis, it was a department “searching for an identity.”

The firefighters have been functioning quite well in the absence of a chief and in the hands of senior leadership, he pointed out, but now the department is ready for the “next level … and when we get there, we’ll go to the next level again,” he said. “We do have dedicated people.”

Silva is an EMT/paramedic, rescue specialist and special operations operator for the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services. In addition, he teaches rescue techniques and is an instructor at Massasoit Community College.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he worked as an EMT, first getting excited about working in the field while a student at Syracuse University in New York. He eventually returned to Massachusetts where he has held a series of jobs in urban, suburban and rural settings for both cities and towns and in the corporate sector.

He has done everything from running his own ambulance company in Brockton, Exodus Medical Transportation, to establishing the first fire-based Advanced Life Support (ALS) EMS system on the South Shore, to work as a flight paramedic.

At his interview before the selectmen, he came recommended by many area fire chiefs, including Whitman (who is the president of the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts), Duxbury, the current and retired chief of Middleborough, the retired chief of Kingston and the deputy chief of Hanson, among other fire officials.

Silva spoke of some of the issues concerning him in town. One topic he came back to in several different ways was adapting: learning to extricate accident victims differently as cars change, to fight fires differently as development brings more houses to the edges of forests and the opioid epidemic— which he says is truly an epidemic.

Silva said that cars have changed over time, and that rescuers have had to adapt to changes in vehicles in order to rescue accident victims. He added that when he worked in Middleborough, he would respond to horrific crashes on I-495, and that cars are made very differently than they used to be. “It’s become more and more technical,” he said.

He also said that while Plympton is not California— referring to the wildfires occurring there now— the town needs to be careful how it chooses to develop. He said that brush fires can and do happen, and that there have never been so many houses close to the edge of forests. This has led to changes in the ways that fires are prevented and fought, he added.

Silva spoke also of the opioid crisis, which he labeled as endemic of something wrong with society, although he doesn’t know exactly what it is. Although he is not certain of the number of calls related to opioids in Plympton yet, he spoke passionately about the issue county and country-wide.

“It’s a sign of a deeper problem,” said Silva.

Despite the challenges, Silva is keeping his eye on the future. “We’re coming out of the background,” he said of the PFD.

“I’ve been overwhelmed by the ideas, the sense of community and energy here. Firefighters are cut from a different cloth … they’re different. Different in a good way,” Silva added.

Health agent wants charges dismissed

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PLYMOUTH — On Nov. 7, Plympton Health Inspector, Robert Tinkham, Jr. filed a 13-page motion to have five counts of a nine-complaint civil suit against him by the Carver, Marion, and Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District dismissed. He is accused, along with two co-conspirators, Ray Pickles and his wife, Diane Bondi-Pickles, of defrauding the regional waste district of $838,458.22.

Tinkham, of Carver, previously worked as the Carver Health Agent, and, in that capacity, served as Carver’s representative to, and, at times, chairman of the committee overseeing the waste district, according to court records.

The lawsuit, which was originally filed in June and was amended against Tinkham— only— in August, accused him of conversion and civil theft, fraud, civil conspiracy, as well as violations of the Uniform Procurement Act and the conflict of interest law.

Tinkham, through his Brockton-based attorney John Fink of Sims & Sims, argued that the August amendment to the complaint was filed improperly, in a “bad-faith effort to needless[ly] complicates [sic] the litigation by presenting multiple active complaints,” in violation of the rules of civil procedure.

The waste district responded to this motion to dismiss Nov. 19.

It contains some of the strongest language yet used against him and responds point-by-point to his motion.

“Defendant Robert Tinkham, former chairman of the District’s governing committee and duly appointed representative of the Town of Carver, participated in this scheme by conspiring with the other defendants to install co-defendant Ray E. Pickles as the District’s executive director and then by presenting Pickles with numerous fake-claims over many years for payment under the guise of providing landfill inspection and other services. Notwithstanding these claims, Defendant Tinkham did not provide any services to the District and instead he abused his position of trust and confidence to defraud the District, a public entity, of more than $260,000,” the waste district says.

Tinkham argued that all of the defendants in the case, including Pickles, Bondi-Pickles and a corporation the two controlled, Moss Hollow Management Corp., are accused by the plaintiff with little distinction.

“All of the Claims refer only to the ‘Defendants’ collectively using the defined term ‘Defendants’ and contain absolutely no factual allegations that identify which particular Defendant is being accused of what allegedly improper behavior,” Tinkham’s motion states.

Therefore, says the filing, it cannot be determined which defendant is being accused of which alleged act and thus the complaints should be dismissed, as has been the case in similar litigation.

Similarly, he states that he is “entitled to know which statements were made by whom and at what time so that he may defend himself…” in relation to allegations he broke the law.

But the district claims that “In its Amended Complaint, the District sets forth specific and detailed factual allegations, in 47 numbered and lettered paragraphs, describing a scheme of fraud perpetrated by Defendant Tinkham, including when he committed the fraud, how he committed the fraud and the extent of the damage he caused. Specifically, the District alleges that Defendant Tinkham made numerous false representations of material fact, over the course of more than twenty years, by submitting false invoices requesting payment for services that he did not perform for the District.”

Tinkham points out three reasons that the claims he broke the Uniform Procurement Act should be dismissed: “failure to allege any contract subject to the laws,” that he was not a “procurement officer,” and that there is no right to privately sue under the act– enforcement is through the Office of the Inspector General or the Attorney General, he says. (The OIG is investigating, according to documents discovered in court files.)

“[T]he count must be dismissed because nowhere in the four corners of the complaint does the District allege it had a contract with Tinkham subject to the Uniform Procurement Act…” he argues.

Tinkham finally states that a party to the litigation was left out, also violating rules of civil procedure, the Southeastern Massachusetts Resource Recovery Facility (SEMASS) in Rochester. SEMASS contracts make up a large portion of the complaint, and they were paying the salaries and wages of workers according to the plaintiff, Tinkham says, and he argues they should have been subject to the litigation.

Because the complaint “seeks recovery of sums allegedly unlawfully paid by SEMASS…” he alleges that they weren’t included in the litigation because the waste district is fearful any recovery from the defendants may be returned in some part to SEMASS.

The plaintiffs say that SEMASS is not a necessary party as they do not purport to assert a claim against them.

Tinkham is an employee of the Town of Plympton, hired by the elected Board of Health at a meeting Jan. 9, 2018.

The case is ongoing and has been reassigned to Brockton from Plymouth. The next hearing on the matter is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2019 at 2 p.m. in Brockton Superior Court.

Tinkham denies all allegations.

Selectmen give dog a pass

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HALIFAX – Halifax selectmen welcomed their new police chief, Joao Chaves, on Tuesday, Nov. 27, at a more than hourlong celebration that brought together police from New Bedford where he formerly worked, along with area chiefs, members of the Halifax Police Department and the community-at-large.

Following that, the board went into their regular meeting, where they were in good spirits after two members had been on vacation. They held a dog hearing, met with Rich Goulart of Area 58 Community Access Media regarding live television broadcasts, and received an update on cemetery fees as well as the deteriorating Pine Street bridge from Highway Surveyor and Cemetery Superintendent Steve Hayward.

Dog Hearing

Margaret Compton-Severance of Cherry Street was before the board for a dog hearing stemming from an incident in October. It was one of the more acrimonious dog hearings in Halifax in recent times.

Compton-Severance was the owner of the “aggressor” dog, but Noreen Callahan, the Halifax Animal Control Officer, stated that Compton-Severance had done “everything right.”

But even being told that she had done everything right by the ACO did nothing to assuage her aggressive attitude.

The victim, a home health care aide who was assisting Compton-Severance’s mother, placed her hand through the puppy’s cage to either “console” or “say goodbye” to the dog– depending on who tells the story.

The dog bit the health aide, and she said it was a deep bite requiring a visit to the hospital, although there were no stitches required. “It was my fault,” she added.

Compton-Severance said she tried to assist the health aide. “I finally forced some Band-Aids on her.”

Compton-Severance said she didn’t believe the dog bit the health care aide. “Where are the medical records?” she asked. “Why aren’t they here?”

“She just said it was her fault,” pointed out Selectman Troy Garron, referring to the health aide and cutting off the cross-talking women.

“What action would you like to see this board take?” asked Garron of the health aide.

“What?” said the aide, misunderstanding several times before final exclaiming, “I don’t want any action taken.”

“We get involved any time there is a bite reported by a health agency,” Selectmen Chairman Kim Roy explained to the two.

Then, Compton-Severance started accusing the home-health aide of being involved in a Ponzi scheme.

This was too much for the board. “That’s beyond the scope of this hearing,” stated Selectman Tom Millias.

Roy entertained a motion to take no action on the matter, as Compton-Severance did not want “a bite on her dog’s record,” no injury occurred and the victim did not want the board to sanction the dog or its owner.

The board appeared relieved when the hearing was over.

“Live-live”

Area 58 Community Access Media director Rich Goulart came before the board to seek permission to make the necessary technical connections to go “live” with televised cable broadcasts of meetings in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room of Town Hall.

Plympton recently agreed, and Goulart said Carver has been broadcasting live for “years.”

From a technical standpoint, all of the equipment is in place for either live broadcasts or for the Area 58 studio in Carver to process the broadcasts with a direct link to Halifax, except for the town purchasing a static-IP address, something that is inexpensive and relatively simple, he noted.

Garron was skeptical. He asked whether the change was really necessary, but he seemed resigned when the move appeared inevitable.

Roy joked that she wanted her hair and makeup done if the board meetings were broadcast live. On a serious note, she was concerned if it would cost the town much money, and Goulart assured her the cost was minimal.

Millias didn’t express a strong opinion one way or the other. He differentiated between going “live”— meaning that the technical ability would be there for the room to connect up with the Carver studio— and going “live-live,” meaning that the board would have a policy on whether its meetings would actually be broadcast live.

In the end, Goulart got permission to take the room “live” as Millias had defined it. The room will have the technical ability to broadcast live and to communicate with Area 58’s studio directly, but the board has not come up with a policy for going “live-live,” in other words, for its meetings, yet.

Highway/Cemetery Update

Steve Hayward, highway surveyor and cemetery superintendent, came before the board to discuss cemetery fees, cemetery rules and regulations, and plans for the Pine Street bridge.

Cemetery fees have been adjusted upward, but are still in line with other communities, if not a little low, according to Hayward. “Are we charging enough?” asked Roy.

Hayward said that they are.

He also adjusted the rules and regulations for Halifax Central Cemetery, which the board adopted, most notably that he will approve all plantings at gravesites.

Hayward also spoke about repairs to the Pine Street bridge.

Apparently disturbing to the board and to Town Administrator Charlie Seelig was news that plans alone for repairs to the ailing bridge would cost in the realm of $200,000.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) stated that the bridge is at a “critical level” of deficiency as reported by the Express last week.

“I’d like to find something [plans] on the internet, even, but I don’t know if that’s legal,” Hayward said.

Seelig was vocally and visibly flabbergasted by talk of the cost.

Hayward says he will continue to look into the matter.

Next meeting:

• The board will hold its next regularly scheduled meeting, the sole meeting for December, on Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 7:30 p.m. in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room of Town Hall.

Vandals on a spree

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HALIFAX — Vandalism was reported at the historic Blacksmith Shop and School House, 490 South St., run by the Halifax Historical Society, over the Veteran’s Day weekend.

According to a police report, both buildings were broken into and two fire extinguishers from the schoolhouse were discharged, coating the interior of both historical structures with a fine white powder.

The fire extinguishers were later found in nearby bushes and in the Blacksmith Shop by police, the report says, and were fingerprinted by the Plymouth County Sherriff’s Department Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).

The damage, which is expected to be covered by the town’s insurance policy, is estimated to be in the realm of $20,000, according to John Campbell, of the Halifax Historical Society. The town has a deductible of $5,000, he said.

A hazardous materials team will need to be brought in to clean all of the surfaces in the buildings, and the items in them, including all of the historic blacksmithing tools.

Campbell said that the two buildings, normally only opened several times a year, would not be able to open in time for the upcoming annual Holidays in Halifax celebration Saturday, Dec. 8.

After the insurance company approves the claim, he said that it may take three to four weeks for the clean-up to be completed.

No items were reported stolen, although the police report notes that in addition to the fire extinguisher damage a door was found open and unsecured at the Blacksmith Shop and a window pane was broken at the School House.

The report also mentions that the burglar alarm systems installed in both of the damaged buildings were not in use at the time of the incident due to the number of false alarms caused by animals. The investigation is ongoing.

Savage shoplifting case continued without a finding

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Edward and Christine Savage

Edward and Christine Savage in Hingham District Court on Wednesday, Nov. 14. Photo by Abram Neal.

HINGHAM— On Wednesday, Nov. 14, Edward and Christine Savage, of Plympton, came before Judge Heather Bradley in Hingham District Court for a hearing on a shoplifting case stemming from an incident at Kohl’s Department Store, 100 Derby St., Hingham in April 2017.

The Savages reached an agreement with Assistant District Attorney Frances Cannone, and Judge Bradley agreed to it, continuing the matter without a finding for six months with the condition that the Savages stay out of criminal trouble and stay away from Kohl’s at the Derby Street Shops.

The Savages were represented by Daniel Webster, a Pembroke-based attorney and former state representative.

A court official said the sentence is typical for a shoplifting case, but this case was hardly typical, as it was both lengthy for its type and at least one of the defendants is well-known to area residents.

Edward Savage was formerly the Hanson Police Chief who resigned in 2012 after an extensive outside investigation revealed he was reporting false and inflated crime statistics to the town for its annual town report for a period of seven to eight years, leaving an appearance that the department was struggling to keep up with the amount of work at its staffing levels at the time– among other substantiated allegations, according to the investigatory report by Alfred Donovan of APD Management, Inc. in 2012.

Several media outlets questioned whether the Savages received lighter treatment than other defendants because of Savage’s former position with the police, including WCVB-TV and The Boston Globe. A court official familiar with the matter strongly denied that the two received special treatment at any time.

According to the Hingham police report, “Edward took clothing off of the racks and tables and removed the hangers from them and then carefully folded them into the bottom of the carriage. He then brought the cloths [sic] to Christine who had an empty Kohl’s bag with her. She then brought the carriage with her into the woman’s [sic] dressing room. When she came out, she had the clothes tucked under the empty Kohl’s bag. The two of them then headed for the front door.”

They were apprehended by two Kohl’s loss prevention employees, who contacted police. The Savages were not cooperative according to the report.

The Savages were summonsed before now-retired Hingham District Court Clerk-Magistrate Joseph Ligotti, June 19, 2017, in a closed-door show of cause hearing, the audio of which was later released to media. Ligotti did not find probable cause to issue charges, which, said a court official at the time, is typical for minor cases where defendants do not have criminal records.

But Ligotti made it clear that he did not believe the two had made a mistake. “You want me to believe that two people have to go back to a car to get one wallet … I don’t believe either one of them,” he said in the recording.

He also questioned why the two were not arrested after being argumentative to Kohls employees and the Hingham police.

“I don’t know,” says the Hingham police prosecutor, Sgt. Steven Dearth.

Ligotti agreed to dismiss the charges, with the agreement of the police, if the Savages stayed out of legal trouble for eight months and wrote letters of apology to Kohl’s and to the Hingham Police Department.

In January, 2018, Ligotti retired and Andrew Quigley became the acting clerk-magistrate for Hingham District Court. Hingham police notified Quigley after the eight-month period that the Savages had never written a letter of apology to the police, so Quigley issued the charges, this time before a judge. An outside prosecutor, Frances Cannone, of Essex County, was brought in.

The Savages were arraigned April 2, 2018, on the criminal charges for not complying with the conditions of Ligotti’s dismissal. They later filed a motion to dismiss those charges Sept. 13, 2018.

At that hearing, the Savages’ attorney argued that the acting clerk magistrate, Quigley, should not have issued the criminal charges, and that he had “violated the integrity of the Magistrate’s hearing” by doing so, because the Savages thought they had until the very last day before the charges were dismissed to write their letters of apology. Webster said they wrote the letters. But it was only after criminal charges were being filed against them, according to Cannone.

During the hearing on the motion to dismiss, held before Judge John Stapleton, Webster read a quote from the original show of cause hearing:

“Okay, I am getting two letters written, signed by both people. I’m going to continue this matter until 2/28 of ’18 for dismissal. It will automatically dismiss on that date, no need to be back. Should you be dumb enough to do anything else illegal, this will automatically kick in and will automatically come back … and it will be issued,” Clerk-Magistrate Ligotti said.

Stapleton denied the motion to dismiss the charges noting that the court found that the acting clerk-magistrate, Quigley, had not violated the integrity of the clerk-magistrate hearing.

Finally, the Savages struck a deal with Cannone, this time with no requirement to write any letters, and Bradley approved the deal. Should the Savages follow its conditions by staying out of legal trouble and staying away from Kohl’s at Derby Street Shops, this may be the end of this legal matter for them. If they break those conditions, according to Bradley, they will be back before the court.

Meet the new Police Chief

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HALIFAX – Chief Joao Chaves, formerly a lieutenant at the New Bedford Police Department, officially took over as head of the Halifax Police Department from Chief Ted Broderick Tuesday, Nov. 13.

The 53-year-old married father of a son spoke with the Express Friday in a wide-ranging interview where he asked almost as many questions about the town as were asked of him.

The Dartmouth resident who will be relocating to the Halifax area within the year, was chosen by selectmen for the position from four semi-finalists in October after an exhaustive selection process. He was visibly excited to be leading the HPD and enthusiastically spoke about settling in and getting to know the town, developing a vision for the department, challenges that Halifax is facing and his background growing up.

Chaves said that, under his leadership, the Halifax police will be known for treating people with dignity and respect as well as transparency.

“I want the [officers] to treat people like they would treat their own parents. I don’t have time for guys with bad attitudes,” he added.

But he doesn’t see the department needing any major overhauls.

“I’ve come into a good, well-run place,” said Chaves.

The Selectmen have previously stated that they, too, are pleased with how the department has been running, although Chaves does come with some new ideas.

Some early thoughts mentioned include streamlining some duties and responsibilities so that officers can be more efficient and bringing new programs to Halifax Elementary School through the School Resource Officer.

Chaves is still defining his priorities and is taking time now to informally interview officers so they can get to know him, and he can learn more about them and how the department functions.

Halifax Police Chief Joao Chaves

New Halifax Police Chief Joao Chaves in his office on Friday, Nov. 16.

“It’s hard for a stranger to come in and take over,” he said.

Chaves said he is also getting to know other town officials, including Fire Chief Jason Viveiros, who he is grateful to for “taking me under his wing.”

“I’ve been humbled by the positive responses I’ve gotten,” he said, regarding his arrival on the force. He described the many officials and townspeople who have been very welcoming to him. He has been meeting with department heads to introduce himself and hear their concerns, as well.

Chaves spoke extensively about how the opioid epidemic has affected the town. Most crimes in Halifax are property crimes, he said, but the opioid problem may be worse than many think. Chaves said that although there has been a drop in the number of overdoses based on last year’s numbers, there has been an increase in opioid-related fatalities in town. “It affects all types of people,” he said of the problem, mentioning class and socioeconomic status as examples.

Chaves said his extended family had also been affected by opioids. “This affects us all,” he added, and plans to continue the work that the HPD has done with Plymouth County Outreach to assist those struggling with addiction and their families.

Chaves was born in Chaves, Portugal, a town that he joked was named after him, in the northern part of the country, near the Spanish border. The city is known for its ancient history and architecture, going back to the Roman period, he says. He said he grew up in a small village outside Chaves, under communism.

His parents fled Portugal with him and his older sister, first to Spain and then to France when he was 6 years old. His father worked construction jobs while his mother cleaned houses to make a living. After he finished elementary school in France, an aunt who resided in Massachusetts sponsored his family to come here and they emigrated to New Bedford.

Chaves describes the transition to the U.S. from Europe as “really tough.”

“I was speaking French and Portuguese to my sister, and everyone else was speaking a foreign language,” he said. But a bilingual Portuguese/English program in his middle school had him speaking fluent English by high school.

“It kind of forced me to learn English. When you’re a kid, it’s easy,” he said. Chaves says he still speaks Portuguese with his mother, and his son is minoring in the language at college, although they speak English at home. He still reads and understands some French.

After high school, he thought he wanted to seek a career in law enforcement, and almost became a correctional officer. In a twist of fate, he got a call from the NBPD with a job offer and spent the next 31 years there.

Chaves studied at the undergraduate and graduate level at Western New England University in Springfield.

At the NBPD, he has held positions in everything from internal affairs to the major crimes division. His experience is extensive, according to his resumé, including several FBI management classes.

Chaves said that as soon as he settles in, he’s coming into his first budget season as a chief, so that will keep him quite occupied.

But for now, “I like to be on the road … I want to get to know the town,” said Chaves. He seems well on his way to doing just that.

Central Plymouth County Water District Advisory Board meets

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HALIFAX – On Tuesday, Nov. 13, the Central Plymouth County Water Advisory Board met in Halifax.

The once long-dormant committee, created by emergency legislation in 1964 which assisted the City of Brockton in obtaining its drinking water for free from the Silver Lake watershed during a drought that year, has begun to meet once again only in the last five years, with the assistance of state legislators.

Today, the towns have their own public water needs, at odds with Brockton. The 1964 legislation created the commission to manage the watershed and an advisory board to appoint the commission.

The board almost didn’t have a quorum, nearly ending the required bi-annual meeting.

Members Jim Bragg, Cathleen Drinan, Don Howard, Scott Lambiase and Chair Josh Warren were present, a smaller group of members than attended the last meeting in August.

One issue the board tackled is that a member of the advisory board is supposed to be a Brockton Water Commissioner. That member, Tom Monahan, has not attended one meeting, says Drinan, and therefore the board wants Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter to appoint someone else who will participate.

Carpenter has historically been less-than-responsive to the water issue.

The board also would like to invite the newly  elected state legislators to their meetings, including State Representative Kathy LaNatra (D-Kingston) and State Representative Alyson Sullivan (R-Abington).

“I’ll track who RSVPs and we’ll be sure to wow them,” joked Warren, noting that not much is happening with the board right now.

They also discussed inviting re-elected State Senator Michael Brady (D-Brockton).

Despite having a mandate from the state, and meeting for several years now, the board is in a nascent state. They are still obtaining email addresses and a letterhead, both topics of discussion.

The controversies over where Brockton gets its drinking water has long been a source of consternation for the towns that supply it:, Halifax, Hanson, Kingston, Pembroke, Plympton and Whitman.

Halifax has possibly been hardest hit by the mismanagement of Brockton’s drinking supply, say experts.

Cyanobacteria blooms in Monponsett Lake are believed to be just one of the consequences of this mismanagement and recently the quality of Brockton’s water supply is in question.

Brockton primarily draws its water from Silver Lake. During periods when the Monponsett Lakes are at a level where Brockton can draw off water, the natural direction of the water flow is effectively reversed, leaving West Monponsett pond stagnant and an excellent environment for cyanobacteria to grow.

Soon, cyanobacteria blooms, feeding on the phosphorous, were frequent in the summer, limiting recreational activity on the once-thriving lake.

Although the towns and state have addressed issues year-by-year, more permanent solutions are being sought.

The CPCWDAB will next meet Monday, Feb. 4, at 4 p.m. in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room of Halifax Town Hall.

Halifax man is charged in fraud

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PLYMOUTH COUNTY – They are not millionaires. They are hard-working, middle-class people. Some are elderly and retired. Some are embarrassed they got ripped off. Others just don’t want to see anybody else get victimized. One senior citizen allegedly lost $14,000 in the scam.

But even those who lost considerably less feel no less victimized by Matthew Will, 37, a Halifax roofer who has, over the course of about a year, taken deposits from at least 17 customers, sometimes for work-in-full, only not to perform the work he promised. He was in Plymouth District Court Wednesday, Nov. 7, for a pre-trial conference.

From Kingston to Hanson and Halifax to Middleborough, reports have been coming in about Will. Some say he didn’t even start the work he promised.

The Plymouth District Court charges stem from Hanson and Kingston Police complaints with two felony counts of larceny over $1,200 by false pretense and one count of larceny over $1,200 pending.

In Wareham District Court, he faces charges including at least 15 felony counts of larceny over $250 by false pretense, with at least two other cases pending there for which he has not yet been arraigned.

Police reports allude to Halifax charges as well, but police were not able to provide information as of press time.

In Hanson, police allege Will victimized Carrie Barnes and Jason O’Sullivan, a server and an ironworker who recently moved into their Phillips Street home over the summer and needed a new roof. On July 26, they hired Will, who they say came highly recommended.

“I did my homework [on him],” said O’Sullivan, echoing the sentiments of other victims.

They signed a contract with Will, and they say they had a verbal agreement for him to start the work the first week in July. They gave him two checks, one for $4,250 as a deposit and another for $4,250 for materials.

After giving him the checks, Barnes and O’Sullivan say they never saw Will again. Their interactions were exclusively by text message and phone.

As the texts went on over the course of the next few weeks, Barnes and O’Sullivan asked Will again and again why he has not started the work.

His excuses were heat, rain, “problems with the guys” and anxiety among others.

On July 17, he stated that he would be starting work the next morning. He did not show up. About a week later, O’Sullivan discovered that Will had not even obtained a building permit.

By July 31, Barnes went to the Hudson Street, Halifax, address where the business is listed, attempting to locate Will. That address is his mother’s house, say police reports, and it is unknown if Will lives there, according to court documents. Some court documents list the Halifax address, while an arresting document lists a Pembroke address for him.

At this point, Barnes texted she wanted her money back, but Will pressured her to let him finish the job.

“I did not write a deadline on your contract…” he texted as he asked to finish the job nearly five weeks after accepting it. “It’s not just me you’ll be hurting I have…young kids[.] [P]lease just hang in there I’ll be getting to you soon enough!!!!”

Barnes responded, “We are done going back and forth, are you going to give us our money back? [T]hat is what we want period. It might not be written in the contract[,] but we agreed verbally it would be done [i]mmediately[.]…We have given you more than enough time. We keep asking for our money back and you are refusing. If anyone is hurting [your young] kids it is you.”

Finally, after admittedly being quite patient, Barnes and O’Sullivan went to police.

“Nothing could make this right,” says Barnes about Will. “My family is just as important as his is,” she added.

Their roof has only been patched, to get through the recent rain. O’Sullivan says he doesn’t know if the patch will last the winter.

“Screw my embarrassment [about losing money],” said Barnes. “I don’t want anyone else to be taken advantage of.”

In Middleborough, at the Oak Point 55-plus community, reports state that Will had worked there for a few years without incident, but that the general manager of the complex thought that Will’s licenses may have expired. Records indicate police became aware of a situation similar to that in Hanson as early as May, only much larger, according to an email between the Middleborough Building Inspector, Robert Whalen, and a Middleborough detective.

Will’s CSL and HIC licenses were indeed expired for a time, police reports indicate, but he renewed them. He was receiving five permits from the town at a time in late May as Will said he had over 30 open jobs in Oak Point alone at that time.

Residents had to be warned not to put down more than 1/3 deposit, as required by law, said the report. “At this point, Robert [the building inspector] is on top of this issue as he wants all the roofs to be fixed instead of criminal charges and Matt [Will] is completing the jobs.”

Despite weeks of dealing with this as a civil matter, jobs were not getting completed while Will was working in other towns and had disappeared from Middleborough. Criminal charges were finally filed by Middleborough Police in August. The report tells of 18 outstanding jobs in town, Will completed only three and 15 residents had given money to him in April, May and June and no work had been completed for any of them.

Those 15 alleged victims lost from $2,500 to $14,000 and range in age from 70 to 86 years old.

By the time police caught up with him, he had moved on to another couple in Kingston, who declined to be interviewed.

Police reports indicate a similar story, though. By Aug. 8, when they issued their complaint, Kingston Police say that Middleborough and Hanson Police both had warrants out for Will.

The roofer, whose website advertises high quality for low prices, says he installs roofing, siding, gutters, decks, and does home improvement and maintenance, additions, solar ventilation and ridge vent installation. He offers a lifetime guarantee on his work, according to the site.

Will could not be reached by email or phone for comment. He is represented by Plymouth-based attorney Jack Atwood.

He will next be in Wareham District Court for an arraignment on additional charges Friday, Dec. 7, at 9 a.m. and will have another hearing in Plymouth District Court on Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 9 a.m.