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A group of several housing activists blocked the entrance to Boston’s Municipal Court building last week, resulting in several arrests. The act of civil disobedience was intended to evoke a change in fair housing policies and practices.According to sources, it was the third time in four weeks that protesters have been arrested outside the Municipal Court building downtown, demonstrating against what are known as no-fault evictions. According to some of the participants, the acts were intended to bring awareness to situations involving individuals among them who are currently, “fighting eviction, condo-ization, or raising [of] rent.”

One of the men arrested was a nearly 85 year old housing rights activist, who was shortly thereafter arraigned and charged with disorderly conduct. Following the arraignment, the judge and attorneys said that the criminal charges were reportedly to be converted to civil charges.
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Newton police were called to the Dunkin’ Donuts on Needham Street this week for a reported robbery. Law enforcement believe the latest incident may be the 18th for the same individual.Witnesses say the thief entered the location through the back door and was holding a pistol. He then reportedly told workers to get onto the floor, and that he would shoot them if they tried anything. The man then reportedly took money out of the register and the box near the register where workers store larger bills, and thereafter left store.

Police say the gunman was wearing all black, including his clothing and mask. The same location was purportedly targeted previously in July. Law enforcement believes that the same man has targeted at least 18 Dunkin’ Donuts stores in the last several months in eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire. An investigation remains ongoing.
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Authorities in New Hampshire announced a surprising second arrest in connection with the case of a New Hampshire teenager who was recently charged with killing two Massachusetts women on bicycles.The 19 year old teenage girl was arraigned this week on charges of negligent homicide and second-degree assault. However, police announced that they made an additional arrest, of a 48 year old woman, who was subsequently charged with providing drugs to the teenager on the morning of the crash, and for also allegedly allowing the girl to drive without a license. Her official charges included selling a controlled substance and an offense of allowing an improper person to operate a vehicle. The relationship between the two women is unknown at this point in time.

The teen involved in the crash was reportedly traveling at very fast speeds, and claims that she took her eyes off of the road for just seconds, resulting in the fatal striking of the two bicyclists. Two others were seriously injured. The probable cause hearing for her case is tentatively scheduled to take place on October 8.
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A Quincy man who was recently released due to the controversy in processing criminal evidence by chemist Annie Dookhan, was re-arrested over the weekend along with another suspect, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney.

Police initially pulled over the vehicle due to its expired inspection sticker. They discovered that the driver was operating without a license. During a subsequent routine inventory search of the vehicle, police allegedly found a stolen 9mm loaded handgun.

The 27 year old driver was subsequently charged with receiving stolen property over $250, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, and driving without an inspection sticker. He additionally faces charges as a Level II armed career criminal, based on separate convictions in 2006 for distribution of a Class B substance and possession with intent to distribute a Class B substance. The charges against the 31 year old recently released man were not reported.
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Boston Police executed a sting operation last Friday night, which led to the arrest of two men accused of dealing “Molly” in South Boston.

According to a statement from police, officers arranged to meet a man at 150 Northern Avenue in order to purchase purchase 1.5 grams of “Molly” (a concentrated form of MDMA) for an undisclosed amount of money. At the chosen meeting time, two men arrived in a pickup truck. The passenger exited the vehicle, entered the establishment, and made a call to inform the “buyer” to meet him inside. Officers then entered the business, and identified themselves to the suspect as Boston Police.

The suspect then tried to put something from his hand into his mouth, an officer grabbed his arm, and a small plastic bag containing a white crystal like substance (believed to be “Molly”) fell to the floor.
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Police made two arrests after pulling a car over on suspicion that the occupants were smoking marijuana, and found marijuana and several other illegal drugs.

Brookline Police stopped the car after police smelled burning marijuana coming from the vehicle and saw something smoking that was being passed between the passengers. According to the police report, when the officer inquired about what they had seen being passed in the car, the driver handed over the burnt marijuana cigarette. According to police, during the stop, they discovered a warrant for the passenger’s arrest for motor vehicle offenses. After placing him under arrest, police searched him and found the “Molly” along with Bupropion, and other drug paraphernalia.

The passenger was subsequently charged with possession of Molly, a powder form of Ecstasy, which is a Class B drug. He was also charged with possession of a class E drug, and cited for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. One of the officers recognized the Molly due to increased awareness of the drug following a recent death of a young woman who took the substance.
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Two individuals were arrested by Cambridge Police earlier this month, following an exchange in which a detective witnessed what he perceived to be a transaction involving a firearm, drugs, or both.

An ununiformed detective spotted one of the individuals, and believed that the individual was concealing a firearm, and after following him witnessed what he believed was a transaction.

When the officer approached the men, they both attempted to flee, but were captured. One of the suspects had a firearm in his backpack, but no license to carry or firearm identification card. After searching both of the men, police recovered a bag containing 20 grams of marijuana and one firearm.
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A Roxbury man was reportedly arrested for the burglary of a Brookline church based on police finding his fingerprints on a candy bowl.

The charges included breaking and entering at night with the intent to commit a felony, larceny from a building, and larceny of a motor vehicle.

The theft was reported by an individual living within the rectory at approximately 3 in the morning. The missing items included a laptop, iPad, flat screen television, and the rectory’s pickup truck.
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Attorney General Eric Holder recently announced that he is mandating a change to Justice Department policy regarding no longer requiring charging of crimes with mandatory minimum sentences in the cases of individuals who have committed low-level, non-violent drug crimes who do not have ties to large-scale organizations, gangs or cartels.The current mandatory minimum sentencing requirements, which were a product of the 1980s war on drugs campaign, severely limit judicial discretion in imposing shorter prison sentences.

Under Holder’s proposal, defendants will be charged with offenses carrying sentences that are more in accordance with their individual conduct, rather than prison sentences, which are more appropriate for violent criminals or high level drug offenders.

Federal prisons are currently operating at an estimated 40% above capacity. Reportedly, some half of the inmates are serving time for drug related crimes, many of whom have some sort of substance abuse disorder. An additional estimated nine to ten million prisoners are processed through local jails each year.

The Attorney General believes that mandatory minimum sentences are counterproductive, don’t necessarily decrease recidivism, and make people distrusting of the justice system.

A group of bipartisan senators recently introduced legislation that would give federal judges more discretion in applying mandatory minimum sentences in certain drug offender cases.

The new approaches are being referred to as the “Smart On Crime” initiative. Additional suggestions include the diversion of state funds toward treatment and supervision, rather than new prison construction.
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Two men accused of committing a hate crime at South Station were arraigned on charges of unarmed robbery, assault and battery, and a civil rights violating with injury in a Boston court late last month.

Both individuals were subsequently held on $15,000 bail.

Investigators claim that the victim of the attack was waiting inside the lobby for the South Station Commuter Rail early one Saturday morning when the two defendants allegedly began yelling homophobic slurs at him without any prior provocation. Transit police say the man ignored the men and eventually asked them to leave him alone. Police say the men then returned five minutes later, at which point they punched the man and stole his phone before fleeing.

The victim was later treated at a local hospital for injuries to his face. Authorities said they used surveillance tape footage in conjunction with the man’s cellphone to locate the suspects.

One of the men admitted to police during questioning that he and the other defendant got into an argument with the victim, during which time he punched the man.
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