BROCKTON — A third attempt to arraign former roofer Matthew Will, 37, of Pembroke, who formerly owned Five Star Discount Roofing in Halifax, on 18 fraud and larceny related charges failed Monday, June 25, 2019, because he was not medically cleared for transport to Plymouth Superior Court, Brockton, by state prison officials, according to a source close to the investigation.
Will, who was in the custody of the Plymouth County Sherriff’s department, was quickly transported to a state facility, the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Jamaica Plain, that has a state Department of Corrections-run prison ward, following police and Sherriff’s Department serving a search warrant on Will’s Furnace Colony Drive, Pembroke, rental home.
During the course of the execution of the search warrant, Will was found to be hiding in his attic and dogs were used to extricate him from the attic. According to a source close to the investigation, he is recuperating from injuries sustained from the dogs, which the source says he wrestled with and eventually fell through a ceiling from his attic into his living room.
Will had been on a lengthy run from the law, following skipping a Falmouth District Court date, two separate high speed chases in central Massachusetts, one leading into Rhode Island, then being released on personal recognizance by a district court judge who had not been made aware of Will’s history by prosecutors — and fleeing again.
He has been in the hospital almost continuously since his arrest Thursday, May 9, except for one hearing where his court appointed attorney, Charlotte Tilden argued unsuccessfully for his release in Wareham District Court. He was returned to Shattuck Hospital, and remains there as of press time.
Will has been indicted on the charges.
A Plymouth County grand jury returned the indictments against Will charging him with one count each of larceny of property over $1,200 by single scheme, state building code violations, employer failing to have workers’ compensation, money laundering and being a common and notorious thief. Will was also indicted on seven counts of home improvement contracting violations and three counts each of forgery and uttering.
Prosecutors say Will targeted some more than 50 mostly elderly homeowners, beginning in July 2018 at Oak Point, a 55-plus community in Middleboro, when at least 15 individuals began reporting that Will had defrauded them out of funds ranging from $800 to $12,000 by starting contracting work and not completing it, or simply taking the funds and absconding.
Will has multiple cases in courts in Falmouth, Plymouth and Wareham District Courts and he has 50 or more victims across the state.
The alleged victims have lost at least an estimated $250,000 in total and have been found so far in Kingston, Duxbury, Brockton, Plympton, Wareham, North Easton, Hanson, Falmouth and Pembroke in addition to Middleboro.