Lowell Police WebNews

Archive for January, 2012

On January 27, 2012 a ceremony was held at the Lowell Police Department. Lowell Police Officers John Cullen, Michael Guffrida and Francis Nobrega will be promoted to the rank of Sergeant. Officer Cullen is a 16 year veteran, Officer’s Guffrida a 17 year veteran and Officer Francis Nobrega is an 18 year veteran of the Police Department. All have spent their careers assigned to the uniformed patrol division of the Lowell Police Department where they have received numerous citations and commendations. Officer’s Cullen and Nobrega are also attorneys. Officer Cullen is the son of retired Lowell Police Captain John “Jack” Cullen. Their promotions take effect Sunday January 29, 2012. The newly appointed Sergeants will be assigned to patrol as street supervisors.

Lowell Police along with the FBI and the Tewksbury, MA Police Department have arrested a Lowell man for his alleged connection to two bank robberies in the Lowell area.  The Lowell Cooperative Bank, located at 691 Rogers Street, was robbed on January, 17^th 2012 at 12:50 p.m. The suspect was described as a white male wearing a black mask, blue jeans and a blue sweat shirt.  According to tellers, the suspect was brandishing a black handgun. Two days later at 12:07 p.m. the Enterprise Bank located at 910 Andover Street in Tewksbury was also robbed by a male with a similar description. Arrested today was Michael Dexter, 50, of Lowell.  He was charged with Armed Robbery while Masked by the Lowell P.D. Additionally, he was charged with Armed Robbery while Masked by the Tewksbury P.D. Also charged by Tewksbury Police with the Enterprise bank robbery was Krystina Gignac,   26, of Lowell.  Both defendants were transported to Lowell P.D. for booking and will be arraigned in Lowell District court in the morning.

 These charges are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

This morning at 7:35 a.m. Lowell Police along with the Lowell Fire Department responded to a multi-car accident at the corner of Baldwin Street and Princeton Blvd. As a result of the accident a 6-year old boy was ejected from one of the involved motor vehicles. The child was transported by medflight to Tufts Medical Center in Boston, MA. A second child, age 2, was also injured and was transported to a local hospital. This accident is currently under investigation by the Lowell Police Traffic Enforcement Bureau and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.

On Wednesday, January 18, 2012 100 police detectives and K-9 officers gathered with the police chiefs and city town clerks of Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Lowell, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough and Westford at the Dracut Police Department Headquarters. A ceremony was held and the city/town clerks administered the oath of office to the 100 law enforcement in attendance. All were sworn in as special police officers in the towns and city of the region, in effect granting them full police powers in their neighboring communities.

Over the last year the seven chiefs would discuss various strategies and innovations aimed at addressing local and regionalized crime issues. The (7) law enforcement agencies listed above consist of 500 Police Officers and serve a population of 276,000 residents.

The aforementioned members of this strategic working group came to the consensus that the most serious crimes and the most serious offenders are not confined by local jurisdictional boundaries but are in fact regional in nature. Further, it is believed that 75-90% of the violent crimes committed in these communities in recent years have but one common denominator or recurring theme-drugs.

Dracut Police Chief Kevin Richardson stated, “the fact is crime doesn’t stop at town or city lines. Swearing in these officers will assist in investigations that may lead to another city or town. Also if there is ever a need to establish a task force, the departments involved in this MOU will have a pool of officers to pick from an assignment of that type.”

Lowell Superintendent Kenneth Lavallee added, “The swearing-in ceremony which occurred today ushers in a new era of cooperation, coordination, and collaboration amongst the law enforcement agencies in the Lowell area. This type of arrangement is unprecedented in the Merrimack Valley and is only the second such agreement established in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I applaud Chief Rosa, Richardson, Murphy, Mulligan, McEnaney and their town Administrators for supporting this initiative.”

As result the 7 departments have a Memorandum of Understanding, which shall become effective yesterday, January 18, 2012. The Parties to the agreement recognize that in certain situations the ability of police officers to exercise sworn police powers outside of the territorial limits of their respective municipality where such officers are legally employed may be both necessary and in proper order to preserve and protect lives, safety and the property of the public in each participating community.

Notwithstanding the absence of a specific statutory source for the appointment of Special Police Officers within the cities and towns of this Commonwealth, the legitimacy of special Officer Appointments has been expressly and implicitly acknowledged and sanctioned in numerous statutes and judicial decisions.

The LPD is currently looking for applicants for the Outreach Coordinator position, who will assist the department to implement the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative. Please check out the job description at:

http://www.lowellma.gov/depts/hr/job-postings/jobposting.2012-01-19.1062190728

All interested and qualified candidates should submit their resumes and a cover letter to the City of Lowell’s Human Relations Office by January 25th:

Via email to: Mary Callery via cityjobs@lowellma.gov
Please list the job title in the email subject line.

Via fax to: (978)-446-7102

Via mail to: City Hall Human Relations Office
375 Merrimack Street, Room 19
Lowell, MA 01852

 At 10:30 a.m. Lowell Firefighter’s responded to a house fire at 40 St. Paul Street. Once the fire was contained, the home was inspected by fire fighters. During that inspection a large scale marijuana operation was discovered in the cellar. Lowell police officers who were already on scene were notified. The house was then secured pending the issuance of a court ordered search warrant. At 4 p.m detectives assigned to the Lowell Police Special Investigations unit executed the search warrant at the single family home at 40 St. Paul Street. During the search an elaborate marijuana cultivating operation was located in the cellar and one of the bedrooms of the home. This system consisted of a water filtration system, florescent lighting system and walls covered with reflective material. This system was supported by its own outside power source which consisted of a gas powered generator. A search of the residence turned up 44 lbs of packaged marijuana along with 29 plants for a total of approximately 50 lbs. Street value of the seized marijuana is estimated to be $150,000 dollars. Also recovered was over $3,500.00 in cash and 1 bullet proof jacket. All items used to operate this elaborate system were also taken into evidence. A warrant has been issued for the home owner who left the home prior to the issuance of the search warrant. The defendant Angel Luna from Lowell turned himself into Lowell District court this morning to be arraigned on the listed charges. The 37-year old male will be charged with Trafficking in Class D marijuana and trafficking Class D marijuana in a school zone (40 St.Paul Street is within a 1000 ft. of the Bailey school). These charges are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Four individuals were arrested yesterday afternoon following the execution of a search warrant at 9 Dublin Street, 2nd Floor Apartment.  Detectives assigned to the Lowell PD’s Special Investigations Section (SIS), under the command of Lieutenant Barry Golner; seized approximately 75 pounds of marijuana and two handguns.
Those arrested and their related charges were:
1) Phaly Chhoeun (female), 28, of Lowell.  Trafficking in Marijuana Over 50 lbs, Trafficking in Marijuana within 1000 feet of a School Zone, and Conspiracy to Violate the Narcotics Laws.
2) Mao Keo (male), 33, of 9 Dublin Street, 2nd Floor in Lowell.  Trafficking in Marijuana Over 50 lbs, Trafficking in Marijuana within 1000 feet of a School Zone, Conspiracy to Violate the Narcotics Laws, Career Criminal While Armed, Possession of Ammunition, Use of a Firearm While Committing a Felony, and Improper Storage of a Firearm.
3) Samnang Sath (male), 34, of Lowell. .  Trafficking in Marijuana Over 50 lbs, Trafficking in Marijuana within 1000 feet of a School Zone, and Conspiracy to Violate the Narcotics Laws.
4) Sanith Siv (male), 35, of Lowell.  .  Trafficking in Marijuana Over 50 lbs, Trafficking in Marijuana within 1000 feet of a School Zone, and Conspiracy to Violate the Narcotics Laws.
Two small children residing in the apartment were transported to a local hospital pending investigation by the Department of Children and Families (DCF).  9 Dublin Street is within 1000 feet of the Hellenic-American School.  All four defendants are expected to be arraigned today in Lowell District Court.
These charges are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Brice Chase, 23, of Nashua, NH was arrested early Satturday morning in Waltham, MA by the Waltham PD. Chase was arrested on an outstanding warrant for the charge of Unarmed Robbery. At approximately 9:10 a.m. on December 29, 2011; a lone male entered the Sovereign Bank located at 489 Merrimack Street and passed a note to a teller demanding cash. The suspect then fled from the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash. The search for the suspect immediately following the robbery was unsuccessful. Detectives Tracy Kelly and Gary Dillon of the Lowell PD’s Criminal Investigations Division were assigned to the investigation into this robbery. Their investigation led to a warrant being issued for Chase as being the suspect in this unarmed bank robbery. Chase has been transported back to the Lowell PD where he is being held pending his arraignment anticipated for Monday, January 9, 2012. The defendant’s charges are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

At approximately 12:53 a.m. on January 5, 2012; police responded to 57 Lincoln Street for a domestic disturbance.  The responding officers later arrested a male identified as Osaphea Sak, 41, of Lowell.  Sak was charged with Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon (Knife), Attempted Murder by Strangulation, Threatening Bodily Harm, Armed Burglary with Assault on Occupant, and Violating a Restraining Order.

At approximately 11:30 p.m. a 42-year-old female resident of 57 Lincoln Street and an adult male (43-years-old) were watching television.  Sak allegedly came out of a closet where he was allegedly hiding within the apartment.  Sak was allegedly wielding a “butcher knife” when he exited the closet.  Sak then allegedly threatened the female and began strangling her.  The male adult allegedly intervened and pulled Sak off the female and during the struggle, Sak allegedly struck the male in the face with the knife.   Sak then allegedly dropped the knife and fled from the apartment.  The male and female did not require immediate medical attention.

Later that morning at approximately 7:00 a.m., police located Sak at 327 Rogers Street where he was placed into custody without incident.  There was an active restraining order against Sak by the female victim as they were allegedly involved in a prior relationship.  Sak was arraigned on January 5^th in Lowell District Court.

These charges are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.