Man Appeals Guilty Verdict in Trial Surrounding 2009 Westford Highway Fatalities

Then 21-year-old John Cousineau of Worcester was found guilty last week at Ayer District Court.

  Following a mistrial last summer, a Worcester man involved in a fatal crash on I-495 in Westford will now appeal a guilty verdict handed to him last week in Ayer District Court. John Cousineau, 24, of Worcester was found guilty of two counts of vehicular homicide by negligent motor vehicle operation on Jan. 15 and given a suspended sentence until Dec. 2015 along with 50 hours of community service and a 15 year loss of his driver's license. According to reports from the State Police obtained by the Boston Globe, Cousineau rear-ended a man near Exit 32 around 6:30 a.m. in August of 2009, killing the driver and passenger of the vehicle and creating a cascade of crashes that closed both lanes of the highway for several hours. A date for the …

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Forge Village Man Heads to Court on ATV Child Endangerment Charges

Peter McLaughlin, 36, of 18 Pershing St. in Forge Village faced numerous charges stemming from a March incident near the Dee Bus parking lot.

Earlier this week in Ayer District Court, a Forge Village pleaded not guilty to a variety of charges stemming from claims of alleged trespassing and bringing local children on ATV rides without helmets. The Lowell Sun reports that Peter McLaughlin, 36, of 18 Pershing St., was formally charged with alleged reckless endangerment of a child, operating motor vehicles with a suspended license, operating uninsured motor vehicles, unsafe operation of motor vehicles, two counts of motorcycle passenger violations, trespassing with a motor vehicle, operating unregistered motor vehicles, and helmet violations. According to court documents, the charges stem from an incident on March 6 at the Dee Bus Service parking lot on Town Farm Road. There, …

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Westford Woman Charged With Alleged Cocaine Distribution at Westford Academy

The Lowell Sun reports that a 19-year-old Westford woman allegedly provided cocaine to her other students for free.

  Natalie Taylor Hill, 19, 1 Garrett Dr. pleaded not guilty in Ayer District Court on Wednesday to charges of alleged distribution of a Class B drug, distribution of cocaine to a minor and school-zone drug violations. In a Lowell Sun report, Ayer District Court judge Marc Sullivan released the 2012 Westford Academy graduate on personal recognizance with the conditions that she continue medications and mental-health treatement. Hill allegedly indicated to police that she purchased drugs five times from a man in Lawrence she only knew as "Rock" and that she would "stock up" by bringing three small baggies of cocaine to school, but would provide the drug to other students without free of charge. According to court documents, the charges stem …

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Andrew Sylvia

7:08 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012

This has gotten out of control. If there are any objectionable comments above that potentially went beyond the Terms of Service, let me know. Removing auto-approve did not work. I need to consult with my colleagues for some clearer guidelines for comments on these types of articles. Until then, comments are closed here and on all upcoming school articles.   more ›

Fatal Accident in 2009 Near Exit 32 Leads To Mistrial

A new trial is scheduled for Dec. 10 in the case that left two dead near Exit 32 in Westford back in August of 2009.

The Sentinel and Enterprise is reporting there has been a mistrial at the Ayer District Court regarding an incident from three years ago that left two people dead just south of Exit 32 on I-495 here in Westford. Then 21-year-old John Cousineau of Worcester rear-ended a Honda CRV being driven by 40-year-old Henry O’Brien on the morning of August 26, 2009, causing the CRV to veer left over the median into oncoming traffic, where it flipped several times and was struck by a Dodge Caravan and a tractor trailer truck. O’Brien and his passenger, 46-year-old Gregory Butler of Fitchburg, were transported to Lowell General Hospital, where they were later pronounced deceased. During the trial, an eyewitness testimony indicated that Cousineau’s eyes …

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Westford Man Arraigned in "Boat Rage" Incident

David Messenheimer, 32, pleaded not guilty to charges of negligent use of a watercraft in Ayer District Court after he allegedly rammed into a couple on Nabnasset Lake with a Jet Ski in June 2011.