Police and Fire News

Two-alarm fire on Main Street in Falmouth destroys laundromat and Thai restaurant

FALMOUTH - Falmouth firefighters responded to a two-alarm blaze at 807-809 Main Street Tuesday afternoon. The fire destroyed two businesses in one building, Town Laundry and the adjacent Bangkok Cuisine Thai Restaurant.

Mashpee and Bourne firefighters also responded to the scene, Bourne with their ladder truck to help extinguish the fire which broke out in the laundromat.

A section of Main Street was closed while the fire was knocked down. Firefighters contained the blaze in the building which is next to a Cumberland Farms mini mart and gas station.

The state fire marshal was on scene. The cause of the fire has not officially been announced.

Video by David G. Curran.

Yarmouth police officers prevent suicide Sunday

Woman saved thanks to call to police and officers' actions

YARMOUTH - Yarmouth Patrol Officers Richard Fichter and Richard White are being credited with saving a suicidal woman's life Sunday. The officers were dispatched to a Yarmouth home after police received a call about a woman who was despondent and possibly suicidal, according to Yarmouth Police Deputy Chief Steven Xiarhos.

The officers arrived at the home around 10 a.m. Sunday where they made an emergency entrance and found the woman unconscious in a back bedroom with an electrical cord wrapped around her neck. Officers Fichter and White removed the cord and revived the woman.

Yarmouth Fire and Rescue was requested at the home and  the woman was transported to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis where, according to Deputy Chief Xiarhos, she is recuperating.

 Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts is encouraged to contact The Samaritans on Cape Cod and the Islands at 800-893-9900. More information is available on their website at CapeSamaritans.org. Suicide claims the lives of nearly 30,000 Americans each year, according to The Samaritans. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds and the suicide rate for those 65 and over is 50% greater than any other age group.

Officers Fitchter and White will receive official commendations for saving the woman's life.

Live WWII shell found in West Dennis shed

Shell safely detonated at West Dennis Beach

WEST DENNIS - Dennis police and firefighters responded to a home on Clarlaw Way in West Dennis Monday afternoon around 3 p.m. after an explosive device was reportedly found. According to Dennis Police Lieutenant Peter DiMatteo, what appeared to be a World War II era 40mm shell was discovered while a shed at the rear of the property was being cleared.

Police cordoned off the area surrounding the shed and evacuated a nearby home until State Police bomb technicians arrived at the scene.

The technicians determined the shell to be live and it was transported to the resident area of West Dennis Beach, police said. A deep hole was dug in the sand and the shell was detonated by the bomb technicians.

There were no reported injuries or damage.

Two nabbed after breaking into cars in East Dennis

Police catch suspects half hour after the crimes were reported

Perps a bit older than the usual suspects

   Left to right: Steven Laurie, 49, and Kenneth Dauphinais, 51, both of East Dennis, will be arraigned in Orleans District Court Tuesday. DPD booking photos.

EAST DENNIS - Two East Dennis men suspected of breaking into two cars, were arrested shortly after the crimes were reported Saturday afternoon. According to Dennis Police Sergeant John Brady, Patrolman Thomas Downes responded to the scene of two separate vehicle break-ins Saturday afternoon around 3 p.m. One car was at Cold Storage Beach and the other was at the Sea/South Street Conservation area in East Dennis.

Both cars had smashed windows and items stolen from inside, according to police. Officer Downes developed a description of both the suspects and their vehicle and officers from both the day and evening shifts saturated the area.

Patrolmen Sean Martin and Seth Richter spotted the suspects and their vehicle only a half hour after the crimes were reported.

Steven Laurie, 49, of East Dennis, and Kenneth Dauphinais, 51, also of East Dennis, were arrested and transported to the Dennis Police Department where they were charged with two counts of breaking and entering to a motor vehicle and two counts of larceny over $250. Both men made bail and are scheduled to be arraigned in Orleans District Court on Tuesday.

Anyone with information about these break-ins is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Mark Conant. Any criminal activity in Dennis may also be reported to police anonymously on the Dennis Police Department Crime Tip Hotline at 774-352-1500.

Hyannis Friday night drug bust nets half pound of high-grade pot

Barnstable Street Crime Unit takes two more alleged dealers off the streets

   Left to right: Robert Daluze and Johnadam P. Bonicoro busted on pot possession Friday night in Hyannis. BPD booking photos.

HYANNIS - Two more alleged drug dealers were taken into custody Friday and will face distribution charges at their arraignment Tuesday, according to a Barnstable police release. During a routine closing time patrol of downtown Hyannis area streets and parking lots, members of the multi-agency, undercover Barnstable Street Crime Unit (SCU) arrested two men on drug charges and confiscated a half pound of reportedly high-grade marijuana.

Around 11 p.m., Friday night, SCU members, Yarmouth Detective Scott Lundegren and Barnstable County Deputy Sheriff Kim Saladino observed what they determined to be activity consistent with the sale of illegal narcotics--a group of people milling around a black Ford pickup truck with two men in the cab in the North Street parking lot.

The officers approached the truck and observed the men inside the truck using marijuana, police said. Upon further investigation, Lundegren and Saladino found and seized a half pound of marijuana and a digital scale. According to police, the street value of the marijuana is estimated at $2,500.

Both the driver, 27-year-old Robert Daluze of Harwich and the passenger, Johnadam P. Bonicoro, 28, of East Strousdberg, PA, were placed under arrest and charged with possession of a Class D drug (marijuana) with intent to distribute and conspiracy to violate narcotics laws.

Daluze and Bonicoro were both transported to the Barnstable Police Station where they were booked and released on bail. Both men are scheduled for arraignment in Barnstable District Court on Tuesday.

West Yarmouth man dies in single-car crash Friday

Driver transported to Cape Cod Hospital where he was pronounced dead

WEST YARMOUTH - A West Yarmouth man was pronounced dead at Cape Cod Hospital Friday night after having been involved in a single-car crash at the intersection of Camp Street and Buck Island Road in West Yarmouth. Members of the Yarmouth Police and Fire Departments responded to the scene of the crash Friday night around 7:30 p.m., according to a Yarmouth police release.

Police have identified the driver as 68-year-old Kenneth W. Rautenberg of Camp Street in West Yarmouth as the driver of the car. When officers and firefighters arrived at the scene, they found Mr. Rautenberg's 2011 Toyota Camry crashed into a landscaped embankment near the entrance to Mill Pond Estates.

First aid and CPR were administered at the scene before Mr. Rautenberg was transported to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis where he was pronounced dead, according to Yarmouth Police Deputy Chief Steven Xiarhos.

A preliminary investigation indicates that Mr. Rautenberg suffered from what police are calling a serious medical event. According to police, Mr. Rautenberg was driving west on Buck Island Road, crossed over into the eastbound lane through the stop sign at the intersection and into the embankment at a high rate of speed.

"No knock" warrant lands Michael Giampapa back in cuffs

Suspect arrested while out on bail after August 2011 double shooting

Michael Giampapa, arrested Friday while out on bail after an August double shooting. YPD booking photo.SOUTH YARMOUTH - Michael Giampapa, 20, of 55 Lakefield Road in South Yarmouth was arrested early Friday morning after a "no knock" warrant was served at his home by members of the Massachusetts State Police Cape Cod Drug Task Force. The search warrant was the result of a month-long investigation into heroin distribution from the home after several neighbors had complained to Yarmouth police about in inordinate amount of foot and vehicle traffic to and from the residence, according to MA State Police Lt. Jack Mawn.

The raid was executed at 5:30 a.m. on Friday,by task force members and the Cape Cod Regional Law Enforcement SWAT Team according to Yarmouth Deputy Chief Steven Xiarhos.  Several people, including Giampapa were at home at the time of the raid. Officers located a small quantity of Suboxone in Giampapa's bedroom and $3,696 in cash on his person.  He was arrested and transported to the Yarmouth Police Station for booking.

As the drug task force team members continued to search the home, they found a loaded .22 rifle with a pistol grip in a hall closet.  The rifle was covered in black tape and contained seven rounds, according to Lt. Mawn.

Giampapa was subsequently charged with possession of a Class B substance (Suboxone), felony possession of a firearm, improper storage of a firearm and possession of ammunition. He was arraigned in Barnstable District Court today.

No stranger to local law enforcement, Michael Giampapa  was on bail for an August 29, 2011 double shooting at a West Yarmouth motel. Yarmouth police searched for Giampapa after the shooting and four days later, he and his girlfriend, Tiarah Geggatt were arrested at a Plymouth Motel--he for the double shooting, she on several outstanding warrants.

Level 3 sex offender arrested in Harwich after failing to register

Convicted of rape and abuse of a child in 1995

Jeffrey S. Foley was registered as a homeless sex offender in Barnstable, while actually living in Harwich. HPD booking photo.HARWICH - An unregistered level 3 sex offender was arrested in Harwichport early Friday morning after Harwich police received a call from a concerned resident. According to Harwich Police Sergeant Kevin Considine, 35-year-old Jeffrey S. Foley was placed under arrest by Sgt. Considine and Officer James Connery at 7:15 a.m. after learning that Foley was living on Glendoon Road in Harwichport.

Foley, according to police, was registered as a "homeless" sex offender with the town of Barnstable, but failed to notify authorities when he took up residence in Harwich.  Sex offenders will often times register as "homeless" in one town and reside in another. These offenders pose a higher risk to the community as they are actively attempting to hide their actual address, according to police.

Level 3 sex offenders, according to the Sex Offender Registry Board (SORB), are so designated because they are at a higher risk to re-offend then level 2 sex offenders. 

Jeffrey S. Foley was convicted of two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 and two counts of rape and abuse of a child in 1995. Barnstable police released a notice about Foley in October 2010.

Foley was booked at the Harwich Police Station and charged with failure to register as a sex offender, then transported to Orleans District Court for his arraignment.

Forestdale man runs red light, tries to outrun Wareham police

Caught on the train tracks sporting a court-ordered ankle monitoring device

Joseph Pennini faces charges after trying to outrun the law. WPD booking photo.

WAREHAM -  A Forestdale man who should not have been driving in the first place, was arrested early Friday morning after trying to outrun (and outdrive) Wareham police. According to Wareham Lt. Kevin Walsh, Officer Stephen Kearney watched a man blow through a red light at Main Avenue and Route 6 and 28 Friday morning around 1 a.m. Officer Kearney pursued the driver and signaled for him to pull over, at which time, the driver, identified as Joseph Pennini, 28, of 10 Linda Lane in Forestdale, sped up.

Pennini turned into an Onset neighborhood in an effort to shake Officer Kearney, police said. Pennini left the neighborhood and turned onto Minot Ave., at which time he abruptly brought the vehicle to a stop and fled on foot.

Responding officers located Pennini within minutes running on the train tracks towards Depot Street. Officers Kevin Reilly and John Iacobucci arrested Pennini on the tracks after a brief struggle, police said.

Pennini had the keys to the abandoned vehicle in his pocket and was sporting a court-ordered ankle monitoring device from a previous OUI conviction, police said.

He was booked at the Wareham Police Station and charged with failing to stop for police, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, resisting arrest and operating after license suspension (previous OUI conviction). Pennini is scheduled to be arraigned in Wareham Fourth District Court Friday.

Falmouth 15-year-old busted after bring gun to class Friday

Freshman bragged to other students about carrying the pistol in class

   The Colt .380 caliber pistol a 15-year-old brought to class at Falmouth High School Friday. Photo by David G. Curran.

Falmouth Police Captain Ed Dunne (right) displays the Colt .380 pistol during a press conference while Police Chief Anthony Riello (left) looks on.  Photo by David G. Curran.

FALMOUTH - A Falmouth High freshman was arrested Friday morning after bringing a pistol to school. According to Falmouth Police Sergeant Douglas DeCosta, the 15-year-old minor was bragging about having a gun with him in class and showed the firearm to at least three other students.  School officials contacted the Falmouth police and officers located the boy in his assigned classroom.

The boy was removed from the classroom and admitted to having a gun on his person, police said. Officers took a Colt .380 caliber pistol from the boy and placed him under arrest. The gun was not loaded and the student did not have any ammunition at the time of his arrest, according to police.

The boy reportedly took the gun from a relative without permission, Sgt. DeCosta said. That relative's license to carry a firearm has been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.

The boy was booked at the Falmouth Police Station and charged with carrying a firearm on school grounds and carrying a firearm without a license and transported to Falmouth District Court for arraignment.

Falmouth police have scheduled a press conference at noon today to further discuss the incident.