Police/Fire

Watertown Fire Department Promotes Two Members, Welcomes Two Firefighters

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Two Watertown Firefighters took steps up the ladder with the Fire Department, while two more started their careers with the Department. The Watertown Fire Department promoted a captain and a lieutenant and swore in two new firefighters during a ceremony at the Watertown Free Public Library on Friday. William Maietta was promoted to Fire Captain. Ryan Gleason was promoted to Fire Lieutenant. He has been on the Department for 12 years.

Government

Comprehensive Criminal Justice Reform Legislation Moves Forward in State House

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger, from Belmont who represents Watertown, announced that House and Senate have released legislation that would reform the criminal justice system in Massachusetts. Brownsberger included a detailed summary of the legislation on his website. Some of the changes would be:

Strengthen mandatory minimum penalties for opiate trafficking offenses
Reducing minimum mandatory penalties for non-opiate drug offenses
Creating alternatives to prosecution or incarceration for minor offenses
Decriminalizing some minor offenses
Strengthen protections for public safety, including penalties for some types of crime, including corporate manslaughter, homicide by motor vehicle, unlawful possession of a credit card scanner, and high number of repeat OUIs. Improving prisons, and reducing the use of solitary confinement

(Read the entire summary on Brownsberger’s website by clicking here)

Below is the press release from legislators who worked on the legislation:
House and Senate legislators filed their final criminal justice reform conference report with the Senate Clerk on Friday. The consensus legislation is a comprehensive review of the Commonwealth’s criminal justice system.

Arrests

Police Log: Woman Arrested Twice in One Day, Attempted Home Break In

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
March 12, 2:50 a.m.: An officer patrolling on Mt. Auburn Street spotted a vehicle parked in an alley off Phillips Street behind a business and its motor was running. Two people were in the vehicle. The officer spoke to the occupants and found they both had warrants for their arrest.

Around Town

Memorial to Fallen Firefighter Dedicated Near Where He Gave His Life Serving Watertown

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The corner of Merrifield and Bigelow avenues in East Watertown was the site of a tragedy a year ago, but on Saturday it was a place where family, friends and fellow firefighters came to celebrate the memory of Joseph Toscano. A memorial was unveiled at that corner to honor Toscano, who died in the line of duty while fighting a fire at a home on Merrifield Avenue on March 17, 2017. Current and retired members of the Watertown Fire Department came out for the ceremony in large numbers and were joined by honor guards from Watertown Fire, Watertown Police and members of other fire departments. Two ladder trucks formed an arch over Bigelow Avenue and a podium was set up for the ceremony. Joe’s widow, Maureen, said that all this would have been strange for Toscano.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Man Faces OUI Charge After Hitting Pole, Car Found With No Wheels

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
Feb. 28, 12:03 p.m.: Staff at the Super 8 Motel heard someone yelling for help, and the voice was coming from one of the motel rooms. Police were called and knocked on the door but no one answered. Motel staff let officers into the room and they found a man lying on the bed. They asked if he was OK, and found he was not in danger.

Police/Fire

Dedication of Fallen Watertown Firefighter’s Memorial Taking Place on March 17

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A year after the Watertown Firefighter Joseph Toscano lost his life during a fire the Town and the Watertown Fire Department will honor him with the dedication of a memorial in East Watertown. The public is invited to the ceremony for Toscano, which will take place on Saturday, March 17, 2018, exactly a year after his “last alarm.” A plaque will be unveiled at the corner of Merrifield and Bigelow Avenues. A reception will be held afterward at the Metaxas/Hellenic Community Center, 25 Bigelow Ave., Watertown. The plaque and the ceremony has been sponsored by a gift from Watertown Savings Bank.

Police/Fire

Suspects in Watertown Shooting Held Without Bail; Incident was a Drug Robbery Gone Wrong

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The two suspects in a shooting, which left a Watertown man hospitalized, were denied bail on Friday. Police said the incident started as a robbery of a drug dealer, who got shot when he tried to fight off the suspects. Friday afternoon at Waltham District Court,  Middlesex Judge Sarah Ellis ruled that Carlos Castillo, 19, of Boston, and Randall Glenn, 21, of Randolph, pose a danger to the victim and the community, and ordered them held without bail until trial. Both suspects face charges of armed assault in a dwelling, assault and battery with a firearm, aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, possession of a firearm without a license, and possession of a loaded firearm. On Feb.

Police/Fire

Two Suspects Arrested for Shooting a Man in Watertown in February

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Police arrested Boston man and a Randolph man who are suspected of being involved in the shooting of a man in Watertown in late February. Police were alerted to the shooting by Mount Auburn Hospital, which reported that a man who had been shot multiple times had been dropped of at the hospital on the night of Feb. 24, 2018. The victim is expected to survive, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s office. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Watertown Chief of Police Michael Lawn announced that on Monday Watertown Police arrested Carlos Castillo, 19, of Boston, and Randall Glenn, 21, of Randolph, in a joint operation with the Massachusetts State Police, the Boston Police and Randolph Police.