Published in the October 28, 2016 edition.
WAKEFIELD — Very little information was available today regarding a domestic violence-related arrest last night. The incident reportedly occurred on Lowell Street and involved several people who had to be treated for wounds at the home near the Pleasant Street intersection by emergency medical personnel.
A suspect fled to another community before being captured.
Public safety personnel went to Lowell Street just before 6:50 p.m.
The suspect in the Lowell Street incident is expected to be arraigned in Woburn District Court.
Under a state law signed in 2014, police reports on domestic violence cases are off-limits to the public.
The law, which also protects the identity of alleged domestic abusers and their victims until a case lands in court, set up an uncomfortable clash between victims’ groups and First Amendment advocates intent on protecting the public’s right to know.
Advocates for the abused, who support the legislation even as they acknowledge critics’ concerns, argue the prospect of news media coverage can dissuade victims from reporting domestic violence.
But free speech groups say the measure will shield abusers and the police who investigate them from scrutiny. The bill, they add, will deprive residents of important information about key players in their communities.
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One of the motorists involved in an accident yesterday at the corner of Salem Street and Pleasure Island Road was cited for the unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
Police said a white 2016 Honda Civic was attempting to make a left turn into a business on Salem Street around 9:20 a.m. when it was rear ended by a 2006 Infinity FX.
Following a routine check with the Registry of Motor Vehicles, the driving of the Infinity was issued a citation.
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A truck parked on a Broadway sidewalk was reportedly blocking the view of motorists around 11:40 a.m. yesterday. The operator of the truck was located and the vehicle was moved.
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A citizen called police around 5 p.m. yesterday reporting that his son was at 7-Eleven on Albion Street about an hour earlier and was approached by a man in his 40s who asked if he wanted a cigarette.
Police checked the area for a man matching the description they were given. Employees of the store said they did not see anyone matching the description either.
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This morning at 6:51 the traffic lights at the corner of North Avenue and Prospect Street were not functioning properly, police were told. When they checked out the situation, police said the lights were working just fine.
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Firefighters went to a Wilson Avenue home just before 9 a.m. yesterday after someone reported smoke inside. When crews arrived they could detect an electrical odor, possibly coming from a coffee pot, but said there was no smoke evident.
At 7:30 last night firefighters went to a Mitchell Lane home after being told of smoke inside. They found paper had jammed into the flue of a wood burning stove, cause the smoke to back up into the house.
At 7:45 p.m. yesterday firefighters went to a Lowell Street home to remove the doors from a refrigerator left on the sidewalk to be picked up by the town.
At 9:30 last night a man driving on Water Street struck a parked car. Firefighters spread a drying compound on the ground in the area to soak up motor fluids.
