Mass law enforcement misconduct news, Mar. 16-22

I appeared live on The Young Jurks with Mike Crawford on Sunday night to discuss my successful public records lawsuit against the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office and other stories. You can watch the show here:

You can read my latest reporting about the lawsuit here:

Northwestern DA spent thousands to hide info about criminally charged cops he had already made public

DA David Sullivan’s office told a judge it couldn’t disclose the names of cops accused of crimes—even though it had already done so to praise itself

The Mass DumpAndrew Quemere

Law-enforcement misconduct news

Here are the media reports of alleged law enforcement misconduct in Massachusetts that I’ve tracked during the last week.

The latest on the State Police cover-up

• “A State Police sergeant accused of causing the death of a Special Olympian while allegedly driving a cruiser drunk took home eight months of injury pay — over $80,000 — following the crash, according to a Herald public records request. Sgt. Scott Quigley crashed head-on into a wheelchair van on Dec. 12, 2023 in Woburn, injuring 37-year-old Angelo Schettino who died in the hospital a month later.” (Boston Herald)
• “The commonwealth is urging the state’s highest court to reverse a judge’s decision granting bail to three Lowell brothers charged with first‑degree murder, arguing the ruling was ‘erroneous’ and an ‘abuse of discretion’ that ignored the seriousness of the case and the defendants’ criminal backgrounds. The defense team … meanwhile, argues the delay that prompted the bail request is the commonwealth’s own doing, saying prosecutors failed to disclose for more than a year that State Police Sgt. Scott Quigley … was involved in a fatal drunk‑driving crash.” (Lowell Sun)

More misconduct allegations

• I missed this one before: “A New Bedford police officer will receive a five-day unpaid suspension for illegally transferring a personal firearm to a man whom police arrested in September for possessing the gun while intoxicated. Mason Almeida, a patrol officer, violated department policy, specifically by commission of a criminal act, the New Bedford Police Department told him [February 2].” (New Bedford Light)
• I also missed this one: “The fallout of a sexual relationship between a since-retired New Bedford narcotics detective [Jared Lucas] and his confidential informant continues years later. Miguel Martinez, who was charged with drug trafficking in 2019 following information the informant provided to the then-officer, sued the officer and City of New Bedford on [March 2], alleging they violated his civil rights and conducted an unlawful search and seizure.” (New Bedford Light)
• And I missed this one: “A retired judge has finished investigating an alleged affair between a New Bedford judge and a Bristol County prosecutor and has filed a confidential report with the state’s highest court. A public hearing in the case will be held on April 9 at the Supreme Judicial Court in Boston. … The allegations, if true, have the potential to impact thousands of convictions — one initial estimate by the state’s public defender organization said prosecution data shows [the judge and prosecutor] were both involved in 3,700 criminal cases.” (New Bedford Light)
• “The four members of the Massachusetts State Police charged in connection with the death of Enrique Delgado-Garcia in a training exercise in September 2024 will face a judge for the first time [in April]. Arraignments in Worcester Superior Court were scheduled for Lt. Jennifer Penton and troopers Edwin Rodriguez, Casey LaMonte and David Montanez.” (MassLive)
• “In a first of its kind for Massachusetts, several disability organizations sued the city of Worcester … alleging discrimination in how it handles 911 calls. In a complaint filed in U.S. District Court on [March 16], three organizations that work with children and adults with mental disabilities said that when someone calls 911 in Worcester for a mental health crisis — such as suicidal ideation or PTSD episodes — armed officers are the first responders. That’s a marked difference from reports of a physical health problem — heart attack, stroke or chest pain — to which the city sends EMTs and health professionals.” (GBH)
• “In an interview, [Boston Police] Commissioner Michael Cox said the department has been changing for the better. But in recent months, an unwelcome spotlight has landed on his contentious relationship with the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency, also known as OPAT. … [Cox] asserted that any disciplinary decisions must be based on the findings of the department’s internal affairs investigators, not an outside agency. Records show Cox routinely directs his internal affairs division to conduct its own investigations after OPAT determines policy violations have taken place.” (Boston Globe; paywalled)
• “A class-action complaint filed by a group of corrections officers over alleged unpaid wages was recently dismissed by a Hampden County Superior Court judge.” (Republican)
• “To understand how many people died in the state’s prisons and jails – and why – since 2022, MassLive and The Springfield Republican submitted public records requests to every sheriff’s office as well as the state Department of Correction. … The data proved especially hard to obtain from county jails/sheriff’s offices, with most denying the record requests in full or in part until the state’s appeal process required them to provide the information. … After submitting a public records request to the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, it took MassLive and The Republican months and an appeal to obtain the data the state reports to the federal government under the Death in Custody Reporting Act.” (MassLive/Republican)
• “A Boston police officer has been charged with manslaughter as authorities say he shot and killed a suspected carjacker in Roxbury [on March 11] after allegedly telling the man, ‘Bro, I’m gonna f***ing shoot you.’ Nicholas O’Malley, 33, is charged in connection with the death of Stephenson King, 39, of Dorchester.” (Boston.com)
• “The Fall River Police Department (FRPD) used the criminal justice system to obtain a search warrant under questionable pretenses to uncover the identity behind a fake Facebook profile, which posted critical comments about FRPD personnel—including Detective Christopher Teves (son of Chief Kelly Furtado)—between November 17 and December 3, 2025. The FRPD also failed to return the warrant in within the legal limit of 7 days, instead turning it in over three months later, only after Fall River Reporter pushed for the warrant over a three-day period.” (Fall River Reporter) In response to the story, the police department posted an unhinged rant on Facebook that accuses the author of being an “infatuated writer who has more desire to get clicks than to being a truth-seeking journalist.” The screed does not dispute any of the details in the story.
• “A contentious text message exchange between former North Andover police officer Kelsey Fitzsimmons and her ex-fiancé Justin Aylaian that has been submitted as evidence in Fitzsimmons' upcoming assault trial was unsealed [on March 18]. The prosecution intends to bring up the text exchange during the trial to show Fitzsimmons’ motive and state of mind on June 30, 2025, the day at the center of the case.” (NBC10 Boston)
• “A Plymouth police officer is on leave due a criminal investigation launched last week into her off-duty conduct, the department said. Samantha Pelrine was placed on paid administrative leave [on March 17], the Plymouth Police Department said in a statement, after Massachusetts State Police notified the department of a criminal investigation.” (Boston.com)
• “A Norwood police officer was arrested on [March 19] and is facing an OUI charge, the department said. Officer Shawn Willman is charged with operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, the Norwood Police Department announced.” (Boston.com)

Other News

Thomas Rosa exonerated after Suffolk County DA’s office drops murder case (WCVB)

Thomas Rosa was sitting at home in Chelsea when the call came in: prosecutors would no longer pursue the murder case that had defined most of his adult life. …

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office announced [March 18] it would not retry Rosa, 64, for the 1985 killing of an 18-year-old nurse’s aide, Gwendolyn Taylor, in Dorchester. The filing ended a decadeslong legal battle. He was released from prison in 2020 after 34 years behind bars.

Children often face deportation proceedings without lawyers or public scrutiny (WBUR)

A jarring sight plays out in federal immigration courts in Massachusetts every week: Children, often without their parents, appear before judges to fight their deportations.

Some go to court in person. Many appear on video, sitting stone-faced in lawyers’ offices. It’s not uncommon to see children aged 7 or 8 and younger summoned to court. …

As the Trump administration carries out its aggressive deportation agenda, immigrant children here and across the country are subject to court proceedings similar to the ones adults face. The core of these hearings happen behind closed doors, with almost no way for the public to know if the children are afforded legal rights and protections — or what rulings judges make on their future.

Data show more than 600 ICE arrests at Mass courthouses in 2025 (GBH)

Jeanneth’s husband walked into Lynn District Court last September to dispute a minor civil infraction — a light out on his car.

As he left his hearing, he video-chatted with Jeanneth. That’s when she saw four immigration agents detain him. There were four more outside. …

Jeanneth’s husband’s detention was one of at least 614 arrests that were made in Massachusetts trial courthouses in 2025 by federal immigration agents, according to data acquired from the trial court system by GBH News through public records requests.

SJC won’t force state to raise pay for appointed defense lawyers (CommonWealth Beacon)

The Supreme Judicial Court said on [March 16] that it would not get involved in setting pay rates for private attorneys representing indigent clients – known as bar advocates –ruling that responsibility for their pay rests squarely with the Legislature, which is charged by the Massachusetts Constitution with directing all state spending. …

The ruling came on the same day that a legislative committee heard testimony on a ballot question that would allow staff public defenders at CPCS, who unlike the private bar advocates are state employees, to form a union if they wish.

Full SJC to hear Dizoglio audit case (WBUR)

Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s lawsuit to force the Massachusetts Legislature to hand over financial records for an audit will head to the full Supreme Judicial Court, after a single justice decided against issuing a solo ruling.

DiZoglio filed the lawsuit last month, or more than a year after state residents approved a ballot question granting her the power to audit the Legislature. Democrats who lead the House and Senate have refused to cooperate with DiZoglio’s probe.

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If you missed my latest story published earlier today, check it out here:

Investigation found former Framingham cops possessed cocaine, records say

Public records reveal alleged drug activity by former officers

The Mass DumpAndrew Quemere

That’s all for now.