Massachusetts
Serial rape suspect wanted in 1989 Massachusetts case arrested in L.A. after police chase
A suspected serial rapist wanted in connection with the rape of two women in Massachusetts in 1989 was arrested in Los Angeles on Thursday following a lengthy police chase.
Officers located the suspect, Stephen Paul Gale, 71, who was driving a dark SUV, shortly after 4 p.m. in the Wilmington area and began their pursuit, according to U.S. Marshals.
Gale led police onto the 110 and 405 freeways, eventually exiting the freeway onto surface streets on L.A.’s Westside while driving at a moderate speed, KTLA5-TV and ABC7-TV reported.
The hour and a half pursuit came to an end on Medical Plaza Drive in Westwood near Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, said Kevin Terzes, spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department.
Police surrounded the driver’s vehicle with guns drawn, KTLA5 reported. The driver surrendered and was taken into custody.
His arrest was the result of a decades-long nationwide manhunt for Gale, who was charged with aggravated rape and kidnapping of two women in Massachusetts in 1989.
He was recently identified through genetic genealogy as a suspect in a series of rapes in Boston from 1989-90, authorities said.
At the time of the incidents, Gale’s identity was unknown and he was referred to simply as the “Boston Strip Mall Rapist.”
Gale had been on the run for years before he was finally identified as the suspect in the 1989 case, according to federal authorities. He had last been seen in public in 2008.
In May, the U.S. Marshals Office released a wanted announcement for Gale in connection with the 1989 case and a reward for his capture of up to $5,000. In addition, the announcement said Gale was also wanted for questioning in connection with the series of rapes in the greater Boston area.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Massachusetts
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Massachusetts
Dangerousness hearing held for Taunton man in Fall River after Massachusetts, Rhode Island State Police make trafficking arrest involving Bristol, Plymouth, RI counties
A dangerousness hearing was held Friday for a Bristol County man after a drug trafficking investigation led to his arrest.
According to Massachusetts State Police, during May and June of this year, members of the Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team – South initiated an investigation into narcotics trafficking. Intelligence revealed that 33-year-old Jason Hodo of Taunton was distributing trafficking quantities of fentanyl and cocaine in Rhode Island and throughout Plymouth and Bristol Counties in Massachusetts. Investigators completed extensive traditional and covert surveillance, record checks, and intelligence analysis. The investigation led to warrants being sought and granted to search for all controlled substances at all locations related to Hodo.
In June, executing officers followed Hodo in his vehicle after he departed the Rhode Island location and drove to a Taunton gas station. Hodo was detained, searched, and arrested after amounts of fentanyl and cocaine were located. Members then executed the “knock and announce” search warrants without incident at locations in both states.
The searches in Massachusetts led to the seizure of approximately 528 grams of fentanyl, 206 grams of cocaine, and nearly $22,000 from Hodo’s person and vehicle. Hodo was eventually transported to State Police-Middleboro for booking on charges related to Trafficking Class A and Class B Substances.
A simultaneous search of the Rhode Island location by Rhode Island State Police revealed the following: two firearms loaded with high-capacity magazines, approximately 12 grams of fentanyl, nearly $19,000, several high value bars of gold, jewelry, and a diamond/gold chain with receipt for $103,000.
Previously in Fall River Superior Court, Hodo pled not guilty at his arraignment and was held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Friday.
On Friday, also in Fall River Superior Court, dangerousness was taken under advisement with Hodo still held without bail.
His next scheduled court appearance is a pre-trial conference in February.
Massachusetts
Mass. State Lottery winner: Lucky store sold 6 winning tickets Friday
It was the final day of the fall, but for one store in Arlington, it was their luckiest day of the year.
On Friday, Dec. 20, Peter Pan Superette in Arlington sold six winning Keno tickets, each worth $9,600.
While over the course of the year the store has at times sold two winners in one day, Friday was the only time in 2024 the total grew to six.
Overall, at least 565 worth $600 or more were won or claimed in Massachusetts on Friday, including six in Springfield, 29 in Worcester and 42 in Boston.
The Massachusetts State Lottery releases a full list of winning tickets every day. The list only includes winning tickets worth more than $600.
So far, the largest lottery prize won in Massachusetts this year was worth $1 million a year for life.
The prize was from the lottery’s “Lifetime Millions” scratch ticket game. The winner claimed their prize through a trust on July 10, and opted to receive a one-time payment of $15.4 million.
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