Pulte Homes has backed out of its plan to build a condominium project near the North Plymouth waterfront — a proposal that sparked fierce opposition among neighbors and town officials. “Pulte does not intend to pursue the projects,” Pulte attorney Stephanie Kiefer wrote in an email Thursday notifying the town of the company’s decision. She […]
Author Archives: Andrea Estes - Independent Staff
Posted inPolice & Fire
Appeals court tosses police shooting lawsuit
The Massachusetts Appeals Court has thrown out a lawsuit filed by a man who was shot multiple times by Plymouth police officers during a 2018 gunfight outside his home. Michael Walsh, 45, sued the town, the Select Board and four officers for $2.5 million, alleging the officers used excessive force and violated his civil rights […]
Posted inGovernment
Airport commissioners criticize published report
Some Plymouth Municipal Airport commissioners on Thursday spent the first 15 minutes of their monthly meeting criticizing a published report about their personal interests at the facility they regulate. It was their first meeting since the Plymouth Independent published an examination of several current and former commissioners’ ownership of hangars or businesses at the airport. […]
Posted inEducation
Three lawsuits alleging neglect at preschool settled
Three families who sued a private Plymouth preschool for alleged misconduct and child neglect have settled their cases against the school and its owner under undisclosed terms. They alleged a teacher at Starboard Academy traumatized toddlers in her care by yelling at them and physically forcing them onto cots during nap time if they weren’t […]
Posted inGovernment
Flying under the radar
Airport Commissioner Karin Goulian showed up at a Select Board meeting earlier this month with an unusual request. Goulian, who along with her husband runs aviation businesses at the Plymouth Municipal Airport, was asking to be named a “special municipal employee” — a designation that would exempt her from key sections of the state’s conflict […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Plymouth couple indicted in alleged child rape
A Plymouth couple accused of repeatedly raping the teenaged child in their care was indicted by a Plymouth County grand jury on Friday on multiple counts of aggravated rape and other charges. The charges carry a possible life sentence. Daniel Forand, 37, and his wife Samantha Pelrine, 31, a Plymouth police officer, first made headlines […]
Posted inGovernment
Embattled Pulte Homes condo project could be history
Faced with an uprising of outspoken neighbors, a deadline quickly slipping away, and talk of the land going back on the market, Pulte Homes may have abandoned its plan for a condo project in North Plymouth. The news would mark the end of a yearlong fight by neighbors to kill the project they said would […]
Posted inGovernment
New county administrator hire disputed
An alleged “sweetheart deal” with the newly hired Plymouth County administrator is being challenged in court as excessive and illegal. Plymouth County Treasurer Thomas O’Brien filed suit against his county commissioners on Wednesday asking a judge to vacate the contract and issue a preliminary injunction on the hire until his suit is decided. The ongoing […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Court watcher charged with jury intimidation
A 56-year-old Sutton mother of three was arrested outside of Plymouth Superior Court on Tuesday after she was allegedly caught taking video of jurors emerging from the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. Her case – one her attorney called an unintentional misunderstanding – has gone viral because of the media swarm outside waiting for a verdict […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Well-known vet facing criminal charges
A longtime Plymouth veterinarian – already facing abuse charges from an employee at his practice – was arrested again last week on unrelated drug charges. Arthur “Rick” Newman, 77, described on social media as “a legend in Plymouth for his love and dedication to treating family pets,” was found in his car with a crack […]