Week in Review: False Imprisonment Claim; Medford Holiday Celebration; Housing Authority Responds to Suit

Here are some of the top stories from Medford this week:

Hundreds gathered at City Hall to meet Santa and watch Mayor Michael McGlynn flip the switch on the holiday lights.

The Medford Housing Authority has denied any wrongdoing in response to allegations of civil rights violations brought forward by a family of Haitian immigrants. claiming that, despite numerous complaints, officials failed to do anything about an unstable neighbor who eventually burned their unit. It also claims the housing authority gave white tenants preferential treatment. In court papers filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Boston, attorneys for the housing authority denied all allegations brought forward by the Polynices.

A local man claims Medford police held him for three days on two occasions on a warrant that had been recalled. James Twohig, 31, of Medford is suing the city for $500,000, claiming it violated his 14th amendment rights when Medford Police held him from June 25 to 28, 2010 and again on April 22 to 25 this year on a warrant out of Norfolk County that had been recalled, according to a lawsuit filed by his attorney, Laurence Cohen, last week.

A Fox 25 news report alleging a Malden teacher performed in pornographic films has received international attention, with journalists and readers alike debating newsroom ethics, the responsibilities of teachers and gay rights.  Station reporter Mike Beaudet reported Tuesday that  English Teacher Kevin Hogan had starred in at least three videos as early as last year, before he was hired to work at the school.

A Medford man was arrested on charges of second-offense drunken driving after failing to stop at an intersection and hitting another car in East Arlington. According to the police report, Sean Maunsell, 41, registered a blood-alcohol level of .24, three times more than Massachusetts’ legal limit of .08. Police were called to the scene of a crash without injuries in East Arlington at about 11:30 a.m. Thanksgiving morning. Maunsell was unable to complete any of the field sobriety tests, police said. At one point the man allegedly said, “I am hammered and cannot do it,” according to the report.