Massachusetts
Former Massachusetts state employee charged with smuggling K2 to federal inmate
A former employee with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has been accused of smuggling K2-laced papers to a federal inmate.
Bridgewater woman Tasha Hammock, 43, is being charged with providing contraband to FMC Devens inmate Raymond Gaines, 45 — who had been granted clemency by President Joe Biden in the final days of his term in January.
Gaines, whose 2022 federal prison sentence for drug distribution had been cut, has now been indicted by a federal grand jury with possessing contraband by a prison inmate.
K2, a synthetic cannabinoid, has been a reported health problem at FMC Devens and other facilities. Inmates have become sick from smoking paper believed to contain K2, as well as prison staff who have been exposed to the secondary smoke.
Hammock was a program coordinator with MassDEP, where she took home more than $84,000 in 2023, according to state payroll records.
According to the feds, Hammock was visiting Gaines in the prison last Aug. 18 when she “surreptitiously passed K2-laced papers to Gaines, which he pocketed.”
Hammock also allegedly previously handled money connected with the distribution of K2 to Gaines in FMC Devens, and she allegedly received K2 at her residence for distribution into the prison.
Court records allege that law enforcement obtained a phone that had been smuggled to an inmate in the prison (“Inmate A”).
In September 2023, Inmate A allegedly sent messages on the cell phone to another person (“Person 1”), discussing obtaining K2 in prison.
Inmate A allegedly told Person 1 that the drugs could be delivered to a particular address in Bridgewater — later determined to be Hammock’s residence — and that Inmate A’s “co” would arrange for the drugs to be brought into the prison from there.
In 2022, Gaines was sentenced to more than seven years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court in Boston to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
At the time he committed the offenses, he was on federal supervised release after serving a prison sentence resulting from a 2017 conviction for distributing cocaine base within 1,000 feet of a school.
In both prior cases, Gaines was alleged to be an associate of the Orchard Park Trailblazers, a street gang in Boston.
Then on Jan. 17, Gaines received an Executive Grant of Clemency, reducing his current federal sentence to five years in prison.
Originally Published:
Fire broke out at an apartment building in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, on Monday afternoon, sending a column of smoke high into the air.
NBC affiliate WJAR-TV reports the smoke was visible from miles away from the building on Juniper Road.
More details were not immediately available.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Life Care Center of Raynham has received a deficiency‑free inspection result from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, a distinction awarded to a small share of the state’s licensed nursing homes, according to a community announcement.
The inspection was conducted as part of the state’s routine, unannounced nursing home survey process overseen by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. These comprehensive, multi‑day inspections evaluate multiple aspects of facility operations, including staffing levels, quality of care, medication management, cleanliness, food service and resident rights.
State survey records show that Life Care Center of Raynham met required standards during its most recent standard survey, with no deficiencies cited, based on publicly available state data.
The announcement states that fewer than 8% of Massachusetts nursing homes achieve deficiency‑free survey results. That figure could not be independently verified through state or federal data and is attributed to the announcement.
In addition to the state survey outcome, the facility is listed as a five‑star provider for quality measures on the federal Medicare Care Compare website. The five‑star quality measure rating reflects above‑average performance compared with other nursing homes nationwide, according to federal rating methodology.
Officials said the inspection results reflect ongoing compliance with state and federal standards designed to protect resident health and safety. According to the announcement, the outcome is attributed to staff performance and internal quality practices.
This story was created by Dave DeMille, ddemille@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
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