Editor’s note: On Sept. 26, 2025, a jury found James Barnes not guilty of the charges listed in this report. It took nearly 20 years for James Barnes to win his freedom. It took only minutes for him to lose it again. Barnes, a convicted murderer out on parole, was arrested last week, accused of […]
Author Archives: Andrea Estes - Independent Staff
Posted inPolice & Fire
Federal prosecutors say Plymouth woman used phony massage business to commit Covid fraud
A Plymouth woman has been accused of fraudulently collecting nearly $42,000 in Covid payroll protection money by claiming she and her elderly father needed financial help for a massage business they ran out of their home, according to a federal criminal complaint. Katherine Reynolds, 65, was charged with two counts of wire fraud Wednesday in […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Five-month investigation yields seven drug arrests on Lothrop St.
Narcotic detectives on Friday raided a house north of downtown Plymouth, arresting seven people on a variety of drug charges. The arrests capped a five-month investigation by Plymouth police into drug activity at an apartment on Lothrop Street, police said. Five of the suspects were charged with possession of cocaine and other drugs, misdemeanors. A […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Traffic stop leads to discipline for four Plymouth police officers
He was just trying to get to an early morning medical appointment. But after Zach DeLong inadvertently pulled in front of a speeding Plymouth police officer, he set off a chain of events that led to the discipline of four officers and an online war of words between police backers and critics. DeLong, an electrician […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Suspect leads police on wild chase through Redbrook, and it was all caught on video from a helicopter.
A man wanted for violating a restraining order led police on a wild chase through the Redbrook development in South Plymouth Tuesday, panicking neighbors who gathered outside to see if they were in danger. The man, Matthew Julian, ran through residents’ yards, jumped over fences, barely eluded a police dog as he climbed over a […]
Posted inEducation
Superintendent warns of layoffs, citing a $2 million budget shortfall
Campbell says non-teaching positions and ‘redundancies’ will be targeted.
Posted inPolice & Fire
Plymouth man gets six months in jail after admitting Covid fraud
A Plymouth man will serve six months in jail after pleading guilty to charges he collected pandemic unemployment benefits he wasn’t entitled to receive. Aaron Fernandes, 43, was already locked up on drug charges when he allegedly plotted with two women — over a recorded phone line — to collect Covid relief funds. Inmates are […]
Posted inGovernment
AG says Plymouth’s Select Board violated state’s Open Meeting Law several times
The state attorney general on Wednesday found the Plymouth Select Board violated the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law multiple times last year and warned that the town could face civil fines if it violates the law again. The Select Board failed to approve meeting minutes quickly enough, held an executive session for an impermissible reason, and […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Another Plymouth resident faces Covid fraud charges
A Plymouth business owner has been charged with pocketing more than $155,000 in Covid relief funds he wasn’t entitled to. Joseph Kerrissey, 46, who owns several construction companies in town, allegedly filed six fraudulent applications for payroll protection loans between 2020 and 2021, according to an affidavit filed in federal court. Kerrissey, charged with three […]
Posted inGovernment
Town Meeting gets down to business
Plymouth town meeting members waded through a long agenda Saturday — making it through 28 articles before adjourning until Monday night with two controversial issues still to be decided. The town’s elected representatives, who attended either in person at Plymouth North High School or remotely, approved almost everything that came before them. Members authorized a […]