Top 10 August Stories: Train Hits Car, Firefighters Punished, Shooting Arrest

The following were the top 10 most-viewed stories in August on Medford Patch:

1. : A car was crushed in an accident with a train at the High Street rail crossing after its driver went around the lowered crossing gates, according to transit police.Arthur Brennan, 69, of North Conway, N.H, drove his Buick LeSabre with New Hampshire plates around the gates about 8 a.m. and was struck by an Amtrak Downeaster train headed for Boston, Deputy Transit Police Chief Robert Lenehan said. He was later issued at $50 fine. "This fellow was the first person in line and apparently did not want to wait for the train to cross," Lenehan said.
2. Three firefighters and a fire alarm operator have been punished after the Medford Fire Department failed to respond to a 911 call on July 13 that involved a fatality, according to a press release from the city. The fire alarm operator involved contacted three on-duty firefighters through their personal radios, but not with another communications system he was supposed to use, according to the press release, sent out by City Solicitor Mark Rumley. The three firefighters had their personal radio volume too low to hear the dispatch, according to the release. The city hired two consultants to investigate the incident and decided to hand down punishment when the investigation concluded. The fire alarm operator received a 96-hour suspension and the three firefighters received letters of reprimand from Fire Chief Frank Giliberti, according to the release.
3. :A Medford man wanted on an attempted murder charge stemming from a shooting in Malden was arrested days later in Chelsea, according to Malden Mayor Gary Christenson. Daniel Rossetti, 20, was arrested in Chelsea Tuesday morning, according to a press release from Christenson. Rossetti allegedly shot another man about 3:45 p.m. Saturday in the area of Ryan Family Amusements on Middlesex Street during a dispute involving a woman, Christenson previously said.
4. A Medford man was arrested in 2010 and 2011 on warrants that should not have existed, according to his attorney, and he is now taking aim at the state, claiming its warrant management system is to blame for six days of false imprisonment. James Twohig was held by Medford Police from June 25 to 28, 2010 and again on April 22 to 25, 2011 on warrants out of Norfolk County that should not have been in the state's system, according to defense attorney Laurence Cohen.
5. : One man has pleaded guilty and two others await court dates on charges stemming from the stabbing of a jogger on Salem Street last year. The victim was surrounded by a group of men on St. Patrick's Day 2011 near the intersection of Salem Street and Park Street, according to police. He was hit over the head with a bottle and stabbed in what .
6. : Rob Dilman has a lot of patience. The owner of Bestsellers Cafe at has waited since May 2007 -- over five years -- to re-open as renovations to the building snailed along. The store, located on High Street near Governors Avenue, finally held a soft opening last week and will have a grand opening this weekend. As Dilman sat down for an interview Thursday afternoon, he didn't seem bothered by the long wait -- he was just happy to have the cafe open. "It feels nice," Dilman said, sitting at a table by the store's front window. "It doesn’t feel like five years."
7. Judge OK's Magic Store Owner's Request to Seal Psychological Evaluation: A judge in federal court approved a request to seal from the public the psychological evaluation of a Medford business owner who admitted to more than $560,000 in credit fraud. Harry Levy, owner of Hank Lee's Magic Factory, will have his sentencing memorandum sealed from the public. The memorandum, to be filed by his attorney, will outline Levy's request for sentencing on charges of credit card fraud and issuing false statements, which stem from him making over a half-million dollars in unauthorized charges on one customer's credit card then misleading investigators, according to court filings. Levy was later sentenced to two years in federal prison.
8. Construction Office Assault Suspects Indicted: Three men accused of beating and attempting to extort workers at Medford construction office have been indicted by a Middlesex County grand jury. James Morando, 53, of Swampscott, Timothy Hogan, 44, of Saugus and William Albright, 41, of Salem, were indicted earlier this month by a grand jury in Middlesex County Superior Court on charges stemming from an incident at at NEQ Construction's office on Riverside Avenue on June 19, according to a district attorney spokesperson. Witnesses who work at NEQ construction's office at 427 Riverside Ave. told police that the men entered the business at about 5:30 p.m., shoved a man aside who tried to greet them, then punched and kicked two other men who worked there and demanded $10,000 in "commission fees."
9. West Nile Virus Found in Medford Mosquitoes: The West Nile Virus was found in mosquitoes in Medford, according to the state's Department of Health and Human Services. Testing conducted found the virus in mosquito pools in Medford, Malden and Melrose, according to state data. It is the second consecutive year the virus was found in Medford. The virus was found in mosquitos in Medford last August.
10. Medford Man Dies in Apparent Drowning at Saugus Lake: No foul play is suspected in an apparent drowning of a Medford man Sunday night at Pearce Lake at Breakheart Reservation, according to a press statement by the Essex District Attorney's Office. Luis C. Espinoza, 34, last known address 10 Thatcher St., #2, Medford, was at after he apparently drowned at Breakheart Reservation in Saugus, according to the statement. The man was initially reported as a Melrosian by State Police. Espinoza was swimming with a group of friends at the reservation at about 7 p.m., when two of his friends swam from one large rock to another in the center of the pond, about 50-75 yards away, according to the statement. When the two friends got to the rock, they saw the victim jump in and start to swim toward them, read the statement. The victim started having trouble, and went under, according to the statement, and Espinoza’s two friends attempted to swim to him but got tired and had to turn around.