SOMERSET A former candidate for Somerset School Committee was arraigned in Fall River District Court for allegedly violating a harassment prevention order granted to a political rival last summer.
Jessica Machado, 44, was ordered to appear before a District Court judge last Friday and was released on personal recognizance with a plea of not guilty.
As a condition of her bail, Machado must abide by the harassment prevention order against her by Shauna Geary, the town’s director of the Somerset Council on Aging and highest vote recipient in the K-grade 8 School Committee election held on June 13, 2020.
Out of a slate of four candidates, Machado received the least number of votes.
State Police Seize Gun in Fall River Traffic Stop
A Fall River man who allegedly drove without a license, had a loaded gun in his car, and refused to identify himself to a state trooper now faces charges.
Thursday at around 12:07 a.m. Trooper Joseph Kubicek tried to stop a Honda on Middle Street for a violation, but the car sped off and turned down various side streets in an apparent evasive action, Massachusetts State Police said in a media release. The trooper eventually stopped the car on Third Street.
Police say the driver refused to show a license and registration, and would not give his name. Channara M. Samreth, 27, of Fall River, was removed from the Honda and placed in custody. Police say he was unlicensed, driving on a learner s permit only, and had in his possession a Star semiautomatic .45 caliber loaded gun. Police say Samreth was not licensed to carry a firearm.
Freetown Rt. 24 Traffic Stop Leads to Fentanyl Bust
A Sunday afternoon traffic stop on Rt. 24 in Freetown led to the arrest of a Taunton man on a fentanyl dealing charge.
Massachusetts State Trooper Cody Smith was monitoring traffic on Rt. 24 southbound at 4:20 p.m. on Jan. 24 when he saw a speeding red Nissan Murano with a driver who appeared to be talking on a cell phone, state police said in a social media post. When Smith stopped the vehicle he said he saw the driver reach toward the front passenger seat area.
Smith said he saw a knife on the driver s person and performed a pat-search. Smith said during the pat search, he felt a baseball-sized item. The driver was secured in the rear of a cruiser. Smith said after subsequent investigation an item fell from Stavrou s pant leg. Smith suspected the item to be a bag of fentanyl and placed the man under arrest.