Police and Fire News

Man allegedly uses screwgun to imprison woman; Slippery, slushy conditions made for a slow-going Cape morning; Fire in wood stove leads to East Dennis blaze; Yarmouth Police now part of Rapid Phone Alert System; YPD commendation for felony drug arrest

Police charge Orleans man with kidnapping, intimidating a witness

ORLEANS - An Orleans man will be the subject of a dangerousness hearing Thursday in Orleans District Court after he allegedly used a screwgun to imprison a woman.

Gerald D. Bates, 43, faces a number of charges, including kidnapping, following incidents that occurred on two successive nights late last week at a house off Baker's Pond Road in Orleans.

The charges include three felonies: kidnapping, intimidating a witness, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Det. Kevin Higgins said Orleans police initially responded to an alleged domestic abuse situation late Friday night and early Saturday morning at the house.

When police arrived, they found a woman trying to start a vehicle to get away from the house. She said Bates had disabled the car and returned inside the house. She also said he had assaulted her.
Police arrested Bates and charged him with assault and battery, intimidating a witness, and violation of an abuse prevention order.

The following morning, Officer Kerry O'Connell returned to the house for a follow-up visit.

According to Officer O'Connell, the woman said a verbal altercation between her and Bates had occurred two nights earlier.

When the woman attempted to leave the bedroom where she was, she found she couldn't open the door. Bates, she said, had used a screwgun to screw the door shut.

The woman said she then began to bang on the door. Bates allegedly then opened the door and used a candle to assault her.

Following the interview, Bates was charged with kidnapping and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, the candle.

Detective Higgins said the dangerousness hearing was scheduled because Bates allegedly held the woman against her will, and because she wouldn't have been leave the structure in an emergency, such as a fire.

Because of the dangerousness hearing, Bates was being held without bail at the Barnstable House of Correction.

Slushy, slippery weather made for a slow-going Cape Cod morning

BOURNE - It was slow going on Old County Road in Bourne Wednesday morning as drivers had to navigate through a large puddle.

A combination of sleet and freezing rain created slick road conditions throughout the Upper Cape.

Schools in Bourne had a delayed opening of two hours as a result of the weather.

Photo by David G. Curran.

Fire in wood stove leads to blaze at East Dennis home

EAST DENNIS - A blaze traced to a wood stove badly damaged a two-story house at 75 Sears Road in East Dennis on Monday night.

A man and dog staying at the house safely escaped the fire, which was called in at 10:32 p.m.

The man had arrived earlier Monday evening and lit a fire in a wood stove at the house. When he was preparing for bed later that night, he saw a fire moving across the floor toward him.

Dennis firefighters responded and put out the fire with the assistance of Brewter and Harwich firefighters. Yarmouth firefighters covered for Dennis while the Sears Road fire was under way.

Subsequent investigation by Deputy Fire Chief Robert Tucker showed that the fire apparently started when a vent pipe or chimney came into contact with combustibles in a wall or a closet.

Rapid Alert Phone System Announcement

YARMOUTH - The Rapid Alert System is an automated notification system used to alert citizens in the event of an emergency. The system is hosted by the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office and is now available for use by the Yarmouth Police Department.

Anyone who has a listed home and/or business phone number will automatically receive an alert notification. All numbers in the Rapid Alert System are kept strictly confidential and calls are placed solely for emergency and public safety notifications.

The system may be used to communicate with citizens for notification of:

• Inclement Weather
• Missing Persons
• Evacuations
• Road Closures

Yarmouth Residents may register their cell phone numbers or unlisted home phone numbers to receive notifications.   

For more information about Rapid Alert or to register additional telephone numbers you should visit Barnstable County Sheriff's Office on the web and then click on the Rapid Alert link.

If you have other questions you may send them via email or call 508-563-4479.

Release courtesy of the Yarmouth Police Department.

Yarmouth police commend Officer Christopher Marino for felony drug arrest

YARMOUTH - The Yarmouth Police Department has issued a performance recognition to Patrol Officer Christopher Marino for his role in a felony arrest of an alleged cocaine dealer.

On Wednesday, Dec. 31, at 1:03 a.m., according to the Yarmouth police, Officer Marino spotted  spotted two suspicious men at the Great Island Shopping Plaza on Route 28 in West Yarmouth.

Marino encountered one of the men, who allegedly made threatening gestures and was physically aggressive and noncompliant. Fellow Yarmouth Patrol Officers Richard Fichter, Justin Haire, and Mary Gibney arrived and provided assistance and force protection.

Police said a subsequent pat frisk of the subject revealed a large amount of white powdery substance in a clear plastic baggie in his front pants pocket.

According to the police, the substance was field tested and proved positive as 14 grams of cocaine. The suspect, Taurian Rogers, 25, of Hudson Road in West Yarmouth, was placed under arrest and transported to Yarmouth Police Headquarters. The cocaine - with a street value of $1, 5000 - was seized and is being held as evidence.

Following the arrest, the Yarmouth Police Department issued a performance recognition to Marino for "initiative and outstanding performance while patrolling in a proactive manner by aggressively investigating suspicious persons and circumstances in a reasonable and professional manner that subsequently led to the arrest of a convicted felon - the suppression of crime in our neighborhoods - and the removal of illegal and harmful drugs from our community."