The latest alleged law enforcement misconduct in Mass, Nov. 23-Dec. 6

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

First, here are the incidents involving federal law enforcement, including immigration agents:

• “A college freshman trying to fly from Boston to Texas to surprise her family for Thanksgiving was instead deported to Honduras in violation of a court order, according to her attorney. Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, 19, had already passed through security at Boston Logan International Airport on Nov. 20 when she was told there was an issue with her boarding pass, said attorney Todd Pomerleau. The Babson College student was then detained by immigration officials and within two days, sent to Texas and then Honduras, the country she left at age 7.” (Associated Press)
• “Congressman Seth Moulton visited the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Burlington on [December 1] and said little has changed there since June — there are still no beds or mattress pads, so people continue to sleep on concrete floors or benches. … Former detainees have said they were often held for days at a time in overcrowded rooms and denied access to showers, medical care and sanitary supplies like pads and tampons.” (WBUR)
• “A Springfield family is remaining in the United States, at least temporarily, after being told to self-deport and packing their bags. Juan David Quichimbo, Mirian Ximena Abarca Tixe and their 7-year-old daughter bought airline tickets to their country of origin, Ecuador, after receiving two handwritten sticky notes from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that they must leave the U.S. by Dec. 2. If they remained, Quichimbo was allegedly told the entire family could be detained. This is despite their having come to the U.S. legally and having pending T-visas.” (GBH)
• “Immigrants approved to be naturalized went to Faneuil Hall [on December 4] — known as the country’s cradle of liberty — for that long-awaited moment to pledge allegiance to the United States. But instead, as they lined up, some were told by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials that they couldn’t proceed due to their countries of origin.” (GBH)

And here are the other stories involving state and local law enforcement:

• I missed this one last time: “A former Massachusetts State Police sergeant has been sentenced to six years in prison by a federal judge for orchestrating a commercial driver’s license bribery scandal that gave passing scores to certain applicants even if they failed the CDL test. In addition to the six-year prison sentence, Gary Cederquist, 60, of Stoughton, was also ordered to pay a fine of $30,000, restitution in the amount of $18,300, and a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $18,300, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.” (WCVB)
• “Former Groton Police Officer Omar Connor, who served as a school resource officer and was fired in 2023 after allegations of sexual harassment involving students and staff, had his law enforcement certification revoked by state regulators [on November 20].” (Lowell Sun)
• “A Lowell police officer had his law enforcement certification suspended by state regulators and is no longer employed by the department following an investigation into allegations of misconduct. The Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission cited public safety concerns in its [November 20] order but did not disclose the details of the allegations against Dylan DaSilva, nor did the Lowell Police Department.” (Lowell Sun)
• “A Massachusetts State Police trooper was arrested in Plympton … on domestic violence charges tied to the assault of a child, according to a criminal complaint. Plympton police say Trooper Michael Gagnon, 36, was arrested at a home in their town on Nov. 25. The complaint alleges that Gagnon hit a child in his care in the face, then told the child not to tell his mother, or lie and say it was caused by a whiffle ball bat.” (NBC10 Boston)
• The family of a Brookline woman who died after she was struck by a state trooper while walking in a crosswalk on Route 9 has sued the Massachusetts State Police, alleging negligence and wrongful death. Margie Mendez, 86, was running errands in Chestnut Hill on Jan. 15 when she was struck by trooper Kyle Santoro, driving a State Police cruiser.” (Brookline.News)
• “One year after he dodged a drunk driving charge for allegedly crashing a city-owned truck, a former Boston police detective has been indicted on four counts in connection with the East Boston collision. Greg Walsh, 51, pleaded not guilty [on December 4] to operating under the influence of liquor, driving negligently, leaving the scene of a collision with property damage, and carrying a loaded firearm while intoxicated.” (Boston.com)
• “A Falmouth police officer is on paid administrative leave after he allegedly assaulted and threatened a woman he was previously in a relationship with outside a Wareham bar in October. Kevin Frye Jr, an officer with the Falmouth Police Department, was suspended after an investigation, a Falmouth police spokesperson [said].” (Boston 25 News)
• “The problematic police interrogation of Latarsha Sanders” by Massachusetts State Police and Brockton Police: “The law dictates that a Miranda waiver is valid only if the person who signs it does so knowingly and of their own volition. The rules exist to protect the constitutional rights of all, guilty or not, regardless of their alleged crime. … In 2022, when the prosecutor played the interrogation video in the courtroom, Sanders’ family was appalled.” (Boston Globe; paywalled)

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Anyway, that’s all for now.