Members of the Plymouth school community were shocked last Monday night when a hacker interrupted a virtual school committee meeting by posting a full-screen, grainy picture of a man engaging in a sex act. Swastikas appeared in two corners. At the bottom of the screen were the words “HACKED BY CCP JAY.” A computer-generated […]
Author Archives: Andrea Estes - Independent Staff
Posted inBusiness
300-unit 40b apartment complex OK’d, with a silver lining
The Plymouth Zoning Board of Appeals Monday night unanimously approved a slightly scaled-down version of the developer’s plans to build 300 apartments at Colony Place. Although the massive development faced opposition from neighbors, it puts the town in a position to reject future so-called 40b affordable housing projects, at least temporarily. AvalonBay Communities, one of […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Hacker disrupts school board Zoom meeting with pornographic image, swastikas
A Plymouth School Committee meeting being held on Zoom was cut short Monday night after a hacker took over the screen, replacing it with a grainy picture of a man engaged in a sex act, according to screenshots shared with the Independent. Swastikas could be seen on two corners of the screen, and at the […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Suspect with lengthy criminal record accused of Harborwalk thefts
Even before she pleaded guilty last year to pandemic relief fraud, Katherine Quigley had been charged more than 100 times for similar crimes, such as larceny and identity theft, according to police reports. In June 2024, the 45-year-old Plymouth woman admitted stealing, or conspiring to steal, $51,735 in Covid-related unemployment checks, hatching the plan with […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Police say ebike complaints are down sharply
Plymouth police say they received a flurry of complaints about ebikes after the Independent reported in June that teenagers were illegally riding the electric vehicles all over town, terrifying pedestrians, endangering themselves, and harassing motorists. On May 30, two teens — one 14, the other 15 — got into a head-on crash along the Plymouth […]
Posted inBusiness
Proposed apartment complex skirts height limits
Apartment buildings in Plymouth generally must be no taller than 35 feet. But AvalonBay’s proposed Colony Place project is different — it falls under the state’s 40b affordable housing law, making it exempt from most zoning rules. As a result, the residential complex may end up being almost twice as tall, dwarfing other buildings in […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Serial thief pleads guilty to multiple charges
Sunny McDonough, the serial thief who swiped packages from mailrooms in Plymouth and more than a dozen other Massachusetts communities, pled guilty Wednesday to multiple felonies. She was sentenced in Plymouth District Court to six months in jail, a term that will start after she wraps up a 15-month sentence for a probation violation in […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Serial cyberstalker gets nine-year sentence
He expressed deep regret for his actions, but James Florence, a Plymouth man described by prosecutors as a serial cyberstalker, could not persuade a judge to show him leniency. Florence, 37, an information technology professional who once held US Department of Defense “secret clearance” status, was sentenced Wednesday to nine years in prison followed by […]
Posted inBusiness
Town, Atlantic Country Club owner at impasse over sale
The town and the owner of the Atlantic Country Club have reached an apparent stalemate over the fate of the South Plymouth golf course and the dispute is getting ugly. Lawyers for owner Mark McSharry last week sent a third letter to the town, this time dropping the veneer of goodwill and accusing officials of […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Man faces charges after brandishing knife in bar
In recent years, Main Street Sports Bar & Grill has been the frequent scene of assaults, brawls, and drunken encounters. Last week was no different. Plymouth police swarmed the bar after a customer who was kicked out returned brandishing a knife and threatening to stab the bouncer who banished him, police say. The bar this […]