A woman has been missing from Worcester, Massachusetts, for several days, police said, asking for help finding her.
Anyone with information about where Amanda Pearce, 60, is was asked to call police at 911 or 508-799-8606.
Pearce is 5-foot-…
Massachusetts
Gov. Healey says state police ‘made the right decision’ by relieving Michael Proctor of duty
Gov. Maura Healey said Tuesday that Col. John Mawn, interim superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, “made the right decision” by relieving Trooper Michael Proctor of duty after a mistrial was declared in the case against Karen Read.
“The colonel made the right decision,” she said after a housing event in Lowell. “I fully support the decision made by MSP on this. As you know, it’s under internal investigation, and that process will have to go forward. This was the right move to remove him. This is a process. We have to wait for that process to go forward.”
Proctor drew heavy criticism after testifying in the case, for which he served as the lead investigator, revealing a series of inappropriate texts he sent about Read. Shortly after a mistrial was declared Monday, Mawn issued a statement saying Proctor had been relieved of duty and transferred out of the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office.
Healey added Tuesday that she has “no tolerance for that behavior, frankly, with anyone in law enforcement, with anyone in public service. Again, the colonel made the right move here, absolutely.”
Asked whether action should be taken against Proctor’s superiors, some of whom were also included in the text chain containing comments about Read, Healey said, “This is with MSP, so we’ll have to see what the process is.”
As for state police in general, Healey said she will make sure that the search for a new superintendent results in the hiring of a leader who “will bring the most professionalism, integrity and competence and skill to the position.” She referred any further questions on the subject to state police.
The trial against Read — accused of killing boyfriend John O’Keefe, a Boston police officer, in 2022 — ended Monday when jurors were unable to reach a verdict. State prosecutors say they intend to retry Read.
O’Keefe was found dying in the snow outside the Canton home of Brian Albert, a fellow officer with the Boston Police Department. Prosecutors argued Read hit him with her SUV and left him to die, while Read’s defense argued she was framed in a coverup involving law enforcement and people inside the home.
Proctor became the lead investigator after state police were called in because Albert has a brother with the Canton Police Department. But Proctor’s own connection with other witnesses were called into question at the trial. Proctor acknowledged that he is close with his sister, Courtney, who is friends with Julie Albert, the homeowner’s sister-in-law.
The trooper came under fire after testifying about texts he sent during the investigation to friends, family members and colleagues, including superiors with the state police.
In them, he called Read a “whack job” and a “c***,” made disparaging remarks about medical conditions, and said he had found “no nudes so far” when going through her phone.
When a friend said they were “sure the owner of the house will receive some s***,” Proctor replied, Nope, homeowner is a Boston cop, too.”
Man charged with stealing food from Burger King drive thru customer, exposing himself in area backyard
A Massachusetts man is facing multiple charges after he allegedly stole food from a Burger King drive thru customer, fled the scene and then exposed himself while in an area backyard.
Reading police said they received a call around 10:20 p.m. …
Driver dead after tire breaks off pickup, hits car across I-95, police say
A driver died Monday when a bouncing tire that had broken off a pickup truck crossed Interstate 95 and hit his car, Maine State Police said.
A motorcycle driver was also hurt as the highway backed up on I-95 south because of the crash, which took place about 11:30 a.m. near the service plazas in Cumberland and Gray, police said.
The driver who died was Justin Nsenga, a 49-year-old from Old Orchard Beach, police said. He was pronounced dead at the highway; it wasn’t immediately clear how he died.
Nsenga was driving south on I-95 when his Mercedes sedan was hit by the tire, police said. The tire had come off the rear driver’s side of a GMC Sierra being driven by Saint-Hubert, Quebec, resident Jean-Francois Chartrand, 43, and bounced over the guardrail in the median of the highway.
Chartrand was towing a camper trailer north, with four passengers on board, according to police. None were hurt, and Chartrand wasn’t facing any charges.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the tire to dislodge from the pickup truck. Police asked anyone who saw the crash to call them at 207-624-7076 and ask for Trooper Tom Welch.
The secondary crash left the motorcycle driver, a 31-year-old from South Paris, with non-life-threatening injuries. Police said she was taken to Maine Medical Center.
Takeda to cut more employees; another local biotech braces for layoffs
More job cuts are coming at Takeda Pharmaceuticals Inc. just a few weeks after the pharmaceutical giant announced it planned to lay off 641 Massachusetts employees.
The state’s largest biotech employer, Takeda wrote in a state …
Downtown Boston tower hits the market, offering test of office values
An affiliate of finance giant TIAA has put its office tower at 99 High St. in downtown Boston up for sale, according to multiple real estate sources familiar with the offering — a building that would be the largest to trade in the Financial Distr…
