NORTH SHORE – Monday NST headlines: Salem city clerk to retire; Woman sues Lynn Police over legal shooting; Same-day voter registration being discussed; Peabody looks to get covered recycle bins to residents. Marblehead child rape story is posted below the 7 day forecast, State Police / MEMA press conference posted below. (Story & Video)
North Shore Today newscast with Bill Newell and Rick Moore
MARBLEHEAD HOCKEY COACH INDICTED FOR CHILD RAPE – Statement from District Attorney’s Office / Not affiliated with Marblehead Youth Hockey Program
An Essex County Grand Jury indicted Christopher Prew, 31, of Marblehead, for aggravated rape of a child and 4 counts of indecent assault & battery on a child under 14. The indictments allege that the defendant indecently assaulted and orally raped a 9-old boy on various dates between September 1, 2017 and January 31, 2018.
Marblehead Police initiated an investigation the boy’s mother notified police of her son’s disclosure. The Essex District Attorney’s Office assisted in the investigation.
Marblehead Police arrested Prew on Thursday, February 8th and he was arraigned in Lynn District Court the next day. Judge Randy Chapman ordered him held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Wednesday, February 14.
Prew provides private and group hockey coaching sessions in the area but is not affiliated with Marblehead Youth Hockey Association.
Indictments are allegations only and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Massachusetts State Police and MEMA Make Announcement – Watch Press Conference (Below) T
he Massachusetts State Police and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) announced today that they are using Nextdoor (nextdoor.com), the private social network for neighborhoods, as another tool to communicate with the citizens they serve. Massachusetts is the first state in the country to have both its state police and emergency management agency on Nextdoor.
Over the past few months, the agencies have been using Nextdoor to provide safety information to Massachusetts residents. With a positive initial response from Massachusetts neighbors, the agencies are now encouraging more residents to come on board. On Nextdoor, the State Police and MEMA are able to work directly with Nextdoor neighborhoods to increase safety and strengthen virtual neighborhood watch.
“We strive to communicate with the citizens we serve through a variety of methods, including reaching out to them in a variety of social media forums,” said Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police. “We need to reach people where they live their lives, and our social media platforms, including this one, allow us to provide important public safety information directly to our communities.”
Nextdoor is one of several social media platforms used by the State Police to release information to the public, along with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
More than 2,400 Massachusetts neighborhoods are connected on Nextdoor.
“Having the ability to easily communicate with residents is vital to increasing preparedness and resiliency within our Massachusetts communities,” said MEMA Director Kurt Schwartz. “With Nextdoor, we can send information directly into neighborhoods, which allows us to provide residents important preparedness and emergency information.”
With Nextdoor, Massachusetts residents create private neighborhood websites to share information, including neighborhood public safety issues, community events and activities, local services, and lost pets. The Massachusetts State Police and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency can post information, such as emergency notifications, important news, and services to Nextdoor neighborhoods within the state.
Nextdoor is free for residents, the Massachusetts State Police and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. Each participating Massachusetts neighborhood has its own private Nextdoor neighborhood website, accessible only to residents of that neighborhood. Neighborhoods establish and self-manage their own Nextdoor website and the State Police and MEMA cannot access residents’ websites, contact information, or content. All members must verify that they live within the neighborhood before joining Nextdoor. Information shared on Nextdoor is password protected and cannot be accessed by Google or other search engines.
The Massachusetts State Police and MEMA join more than 2,800 public agencies across the country who are using Nextdoor for Public Agencies to build stronger relationships with their residents.
