Massachusetts Legal Developments Blog

Wareham Police and Prosecutors Lose All Sense of Proportion Serving Warrant

Over the Summer, apparently, some kid in Wareham apparently called in what police refer to as "terroistic threats" -- a legal term that doesn't even apply in Massachusetts -- to local businesses.  After some kind of investigation that apparently spanned several months, the police traced the calls. They got a warrant, and broke down the suspect's door:

Wareham Police Bravely Engage a Wooden Door

A "detective was injured by a piece of wood that became embedded in his arm."  Note, the injury had nothing to do with the threats the suspect allegedly made months earlier.  Rather, the door splintered when the police broke it down.  Since the kid was arrested at the scene, it appears he was inside at the time the police arrived with a battering ram, crowbar, and camera crew.

Counsel for the door declined to comment, except to say that the door claims it was only acting in self defense.

Meanwhile, the kid who allegedly made these threats -- and as yet is not alleged to have actually hurt anyone -- is being held without bail as a danger to the community.* The door remains a large.

*not a joke, he's really in jail without bail because a prosecutor claimed that no conditions of release could adequately ensure the safety of the community