Police, Fire & Courts

‘Substantial completion’ of new Onset Fire Station expected this week

Construction of the new Onset Fire Station is nearly complete: Town officials are set to sign off on its “substantial completion” as early as this week, at which point the department can begin moving things into the new building. Project manager Joe...

Committee to explore public safety complex, stand-alone police station

Facing limited funding due to lower-than-expected marijuana revenues and other financial setbacks, the Public Safety Complex Study Committee is considering adjusting its mission and focusing on the town’s most pressing public safety need: A new...
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Onset Fire District’s election results are in

The Onset Fire District’s annual election was held at the VFW on Tuesday, May 18 from 4 to 8 p.m. Karl Baptiste ran unopposed and won one three-year seat on the Prudential Committee, receiving 29 votes. Frank Kowzic was re-elected to serve a three-...

All articles approved at Onset Fire District Meeting

With little fanfare and limited discussion, voters at the Onset Fire District Annual Meeting passed all 25 articles on the warrant. In total, 39 voters gathered at the Onset VFW on Monday, May 17, at 7:30 p.m. to conduct fire district business. Most...

Everyone ‘safe and sound’ after officers respond to unknown incident at schools

Wareham Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Shaver-Hood reported “everybody’s out safe and sound,” after police responded to an unknown incident in the area of Minot Forest Elementary School and Wareham Middle School at about 2:30 p.m. No...

New Police Chief Walter Correia says job is ‘an honor and a privilege’

Out with the old guard and in with the new: Wareham officially has its next chief of police. The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved hiring Walter Correia — who has served in the department for more than 25 years, most recently as a lieutenant...

Enos, Crocker win seats on Fire District Prudential Committee

A contested race for two seats on the Fire District Prudential Committee drew steady turnout for the Wareham Fire District’s April 17 election. A total of 284 voters participated in the election — both during the drive-thru style election held...

Wareham Fire District elections are on Saturday

On Saturday, April 17, Wareham Fire District voters will be asked to elect two Prudential Committee members and one Water Commissioner. The election will be held drive-thru style at the Wareham Fire District office, 2550 Cranberry Highway, from 10 a...

Fire departments celebrate dispatchers

In honor of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, which falls annually during the second full week of April, The Onset Fire Department and Wareham Fire District recognized their hard-working dispatchers and fire alarm operators. In a...

Funding for new equipment and reduced meeting quorum approved at Fire District Meeting

In stark contrast with the lengthy and controversial Special Town Meeting on April 10, voters at the Wareham Fire District’s annual meeting approved nearly everything on the docket without much discussion or any objection during a speedy 40-minute...

Train conductor shot with pellet gun

Late on Monday morning, the conductor on a train traveling on the tracks near Pierceville Road in West Wareham was hit by a shot from a pellet gun. Police Chief John Walcek said that it may have been an accident and that the train employee received...

Firefighter teaches bike safety at Decas Elementary School

Wareham’s elementary students made the most of their first week back in school full-time, five days a week. On Monday, April 5, firefighter Dana Lofgren from the Wareham Fire Department visited John W. Decas Elementary School to talk with students...

Onset Fire Chief hopes new station will be 'part of the heart of the community'

The new Onset Fire Station — located at 8 Sand Pond Rd. behind the old Salvation Army — is nearing the final stages of construction. The project likely won’t be complete until the end of May, but enough of the building was finished to allow members...

Lt. Walter Correia tapped to be new police chief

Lt. Walter Correia is in talks to become Wareham’s chief of police after John Walcek — the current chief — retires on April 17 . After a unanimous Board of Selectmen’s vote on April 6, Town Administrator Derek Sullivan has been authorized “to go...

Wareham, Onset Fire Departments to receive state grants

The Onset Fire Department and Wareham Fire District are two of 300 departments across the state to be awarded funds through the Fiscal Year 2021 Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant Program. The Onset Fire Department will receive $10,380, which will...

New equipment, lower quorum on the warrant at upcoming Fire District Meeting

Voters at the Wareham Fire District’s upcoming annual meeting will be asked to weigh in on a number of big-ticket items — including purchasing new equipment, buying a replacement command vehicle and funding live fire training. In addition, District...

Onset Fire extinguishes fire at The Liquor Locker

The Onset Fire Department extinguished a structure fire at The Liquor Locker on April 1. The Liquor Locker, located at 3021 Cranberry Highway, had been closed at the time of the fire. The building sustained moderate damage, but “the business...

New Onset Fire Station on track for completion in May

Although the new Onset Fire Station’s construction has been delayed by about 30 days, the building is on track to be complete by the middle of May. Project manager Joe Sullivan reported progress on the building, located at 8 Sand Pond Rd. behind the...

Man arrested for intent to distribute drugs

An East Wareham man was arrested on Friday, March 19, following an investigation into illegal narcotics activity in Onset. Police spotted Kyle Pina, 32, on Rte. 25 and stopped his car at 12:45 p.m. as part of the investigation. Police seized seized...

Chief Raymond Goodwin to retire from Onset Fire Department

Onset Fire Chief Raymond Goodwin is retiring after serving nearly seven years as chief. The Onset Fire Department announced the change in a March 11 Facebook post , at which point the department also congratulated Deputy Fire Chief Jeffrey Osswald...

Firearms bust leads to arrest

Wareham Police seized a number of illegal firearms and arrested a 34-year-old man for possession of a firearm without an FID card and illegal possession of ammunition — among other charges — on Friday, March 5. At about 9:30 p.m., police executed a...

Wareham man arrested for fentanyl trafficking

A Wareham man has been charged for trafficking fentanyl. On Friday, March 5, police conducted a raid of a room at the Rosewood Motel following an investigation into illegal narcotics activity. There, detectives seized 56 grams of suspected fentanyl...

Major fire fought for six hours, two arrests made on-scene

A large structure fire at 2843 Cranberry Highway closed the west bypass at the division of Rte. 6 and Rte. 28 for much of Thursday night. The building is located next door to the Elks Club. The building, known as “the old electric building,”...

Police Chief John Walcek to retire in April

After more than three decades with the department, Wareham’s Chief of Police John Walcek will retire on April 17. Walcek announced his upcoming retirement from the department on Thursday, March 4. Walcek was sworn in as chief of police in February...

Police announce recent arrests for fire-setting, shoplifting

Wareham Police announced several recent arrests. On Friday, Feb. 19, officers arrested Mattison Nikolov, 35, of Wareham, for two charges of shoplifting worth more than $250. According to police and Lowe’s loss prevention staff, Nikolov put tools in...

Wareham first responders to receive second dose of covid-19 vaccine

Local first responders — including Wareham and Onset Firefighters, Wareham Police, and Wareham EMS — will receive the second dose of the covid-19 vaccine in Marion on Feb. 10 and Feb. 11. Wareham first responders received their first dose of Moderna...

Woman arrested after alleged attempted axe attack

A Wareham woman was arrested on Friday, Feb. 5, after allegedly attempting to strike a man with an axe. Police were called to Cromesett Avenue at about 2:30 p.m. By the time they arrived, the woman, later identified as 53-year-old Charlene Marino,...

Onset Fire extinguishes outdoor fire

The Onset Fire Department extinguished a structure fire at a home at 6 Pearl Ave. on Jan. 24. Just after 2 p.m., the department received calls about a fire. An occupant of the home was able to temporarily keep the fire in check on a rear exterior...

Firefighter passes from occupational cancer

Retired firefighter David Wahlstrom has passed away due to occupational cancer. Occupational cancer is cancer related to the carcinogens firefighters are exposed to during fires and at the firehouse. Wahlstrom first joined the Wareham Fire...

Police recover $17k of stolen tools, trailer

Wareham Police recovered a construction trailer along with about $17,000 worth of construction equipment that were stolen from a job site on Charlotte Furnace Road in West Wareham. The owner of the trailer reported to police at about 6 a.m. on...

Men arrested for alleged theft of $20k worth of items from Lowe’s

Two New Bedford men have been arrested for allegedly stealing a truck-load of items from the Wareham Lowe’s and selling them at a business in New Bedford. Wareham Police were contacted by the Lowe’s “Organized Retail Crime Investigation Unit.”...

Police looking for man who allegedly brandished firearm

The Wareham Police Department is seeking the whereabouts of 20-year-old Hector Flores, according to a department press release. Department detectives obtained a warrant for Flores’ arrest for assault by means of a dangerous weapon. The warrant stems...

Marion man arrested after Wareham accident

A Marion man has been arrested on charges after allegedly rear-ending another car at the Route 28/Route 195 overpass while intoxicated. Officers responded to the area just before 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 13, and saw that one car had rear-ended...

Recent vehicle-related arrests

Police announced two vehicle-related arrests. On Wednesday, January 6, officers encountered a man who was operating a car that had been reported stolen in Falmouth. Daniel W. Martin, 34, of Falmouth, was charged with receiving a stolen motor vehicle...

Man involved in kiteboarding accident succumbs to injuries

Benjamin "Ben" Suddard, longtime local oyster farmer, has died from injuries suffered in a Christmas Eve kiteboarding accident off Little Harbor Beach. Driven by the wind into rocks at the beach, Suddard suffered severe injuries and was airlifted...

Police make arrests after unruly incidents

Wareham Police reported two recent arrests after unruly incidents. On Saturday, Jan. 2, police responded to a restaurant for a disturbance just before 6 p.m. Police found a man allegedly yelling at an employee. The officers offered to give the man,...

Wareham Fire District sets election dates

The Wareham Fire District will be holding its annual meeting on Monday, April 12, with elections to follow on Saturday, April 17. The warrant for the meeting will close on Friday, March 12. There are several positions up for votes in this election:...

Burn season begins in Onset, Wareham Fire Districts

Burn season has already started in the Onset Fire District and will begin in the Wareham Fire District on Jan. 15. In Onset, permits may be purchased for $15 by check or money order made out to the district. A permit must be obtained prior to active...

No trial date yet for man charged in relation to Hill’s death

A date has not yet been set for the trial of Christopher Ball-Roemer, the man accused of assault and battery against his partner, Teena Hill, who later died. Hill, 48, and Ball-Roemer, 45, lived together in a tent in the woods behind Water Wizz...

Motion to dismiss indictment denied in fatal stabbing case

A Plymouth Superior Court judge denied a motion to dismiss a grand jury’s decision to indict David Robbins — the Onset man arrested for killing 33-year-old Yves Roux Jr. in November 2019 — for first-degree murder. Robbins’ defense attorney John...

Police rescue individual in distress from water

Wareham police officers responded to a report of a person in the water in distress on Sunday, Dec. 27, according to a department press release. Officers James White and Jon Verhaegen went to a beach location in Wareham and found the person in neck-...