News

Gloucester District Court


Published: April 17, 2008

The captain of the Jennifer and Emily fishing boat was ordered to pay $250 in fines for bringing in a catch that violated his boat's permit last February in Gloucester District Court on Tuesday.

The state Environmental Police charged Walter A. Leeman III, 45, of 76 Gurnet Landing, Harpswell, Maine, with two marine fishing violations. They say he had 42 illegal lobsters on board his boat.

The lobsters were all females, 33 of them with V-notches larger than the limit. Nine more were mutilated, apparently to conceal V-notches. V-notches are cuts made by lobstermen before throwing egg-bearing females back into the sea; other lobstermen are prohibited from keeping lobsters marked in that way.

The 42 lobsters in violation, weighing 130 pounds, were seized by the Environmental Police, who had found them during an inspection of the boat's catch at Ocean Crest Seafoods on Commercial Street.

Judge Joseph Jennings accepted Leeman's guilty plea and ordered him to pay a $125 fine for each of the two counts.

r A homeless man who conned a Gloucester resident out of a $375 gold Gucci necklace will have to pay restitution to the victim after Jennings found him guilty of larceny on Tuesday.

Michael D. Coveney, 25, of Rockport, was also placed on probation for 17 months. The amount of restitution he will have to pay will be determined at a later date.

A Trask Street man told police he met Coveney in March when the defendant asked him if he was interested in either buying or selling a gold chain, according to the police report. He took Coveney up to his apartment, but when he stepped out of the room for a moment, Coveney left with his 22-inch gold chain and a Nokia cellphone.

The victim chased Coveney outside, and saw him leaving as a passenger in a black Nissan Maxima. His friends later identified the thief as Coveney.

r Two men who police believed had been smoking marijuana before the car they were in was pulled over on Feb. 6 will have to pay fines.

Steven R. Woodhouse, 25, of 34 Washington Square, was ordered by Jennings on Tuesday to pay $250 in costs and a $50 victim-witness assessment in exchange for continuing a charge of marijuana possession without a finding for six months.

The driver of the car, James M. Luoni, 21, of 159 Washington St., No. 3, had his own charge of marijuana possession dismissed, but was ordered to pay a $250 fine for speeding.

Police had pulled over the car when officers caught it going 80 miles per hour on Route 128, where the speed limit is 55 miles per hour. Officers said they smelled marijuana, and noticed a half-smoked marijuana cigarette in the ashtray of the car, according to the police report.

Police later found a bag of marijuana in Woodhouse's pants.

r A charge was dropped against a woman who had parked her uninsured car on the street in front of her house.

The charge, driving an uninsured vehicle, was dismissed on Tuesday by Jennings, though Lori J. Thayer, 53, of 332 Main St., No. 1, was still found responsible for driving an unregistered vehicle. No fines were issued, and the responsible finding was filed.

In January, Gloucester police had seen her car parked on Main Street. When they ran her license plate through their computers, they found that the car's insurance had been revoked. The car was towed, and a citation was sent in the mail to Thayer.

r A driver who police say was so drunk he nearly sideswipped two oncoming cars will now lose his license for at least 45 days and have to pay a series of fees and fines.

Leo Burnham, 60, of 20 Madison Ave., Gloucester, had a charge of driving while under the influence of alcohol continued without a finding for one year on Monday by Judge James O'Leary.

In addition to the 45-day loss of license, Burnham was ordered to pay $250 to the Head Injury Fund, a $250 operating under the influence fee, a $50 operating under the influence victims assessment and a $50 victim-witness assessment. A charge of failure to keep right for an oncoming motor vehicle was filed after Burnham was found responsible.

Gloucester police say they spotted Burnham's car swerving on Washington Street as it approached Grant Circle last Friday night. While a police officer watched, his car crossed into the opposite lane, almost colliding with two other cars, according to the police report.

The drivers of the other cars were able to swerve out of Burnham's way and avoid crashing, the police report states.

Police say they were unable to complete Burnham's field sobriety test because of his "high level of intoxication." He refused to take a Breathalyzer test.

r Michael Beauparlant, 23, of 11 Amero Court, didn't steal the laptop computer, digital camera or camcorder, but he will still have to pay $2,636.30 in restitution because he threw the items away.

A witness told police last February that Beauparlant threw the electronics in the trash because he was nervous about having stolen goods in his possession, according to the police report. Another suspect had taken the items during a house-break on Washington Street.

Beauparlant was found guilty of receiving stolen property, and was ordered on Monday by O'Leary to pay a $90 victim-witness assessment in addition to the restitution. He was given a six-month jail sentence, suspended with probation for one year, meaning he could serve time behind bars if he doesn't stay out of trouble while he's on probation.

r Driving through a stop sign cost one woman $200 in court costs.

Sarah Tebou, 22, of 17 Intervale Circle, Rowley, was ordered to pay the money on Monday by O'Leary in exchange for having a charge of driving with a suspended license dismissed. She did not have to pay a fine for failure to stop for the stop sign, though she was found responsible and the finding was filed.

Police said they caught Tebou driving through the intersection of Bass Avenue and Sayward Street without stopping. Tebou told the officers that she thought she had stopped.

She was arrested because of her suspended license, and a taxi was called to give her passenger a ride.