Heroin, Stolen Mail Seized After Police Chase: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Tuesday, February 2. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Less than 30 miles separated those who got 2 feet of snow from those who got 2 inches of snow. Massachusetts is working to get back on track after an uneven February nor’easter.
• Six more weeks of winter? Not if Massachusetts’ own groundhog, Ms. G, has anything to say about it.
• A Boston man was held without bail after prosecutors said he violently attacked a State Trooper on Route 24 over the weekend.

Scroll down for those and other stories Patch has been covering in Massachusetts today.

Tuesday’s Top Story

Five people were arrested after drugs and stolen mail were found in their car following a police chase in Reading early Monday, police said.

Around 12:50 a.m. Monday, an officer saw a red minivan parked on the street with its engine running. This sparked concern in light of a recent series of thefts from post office boxes, police said. The officer tried to pull the van over on Main Street after it crossed the yellow lines, but it slowed and then abruptly accelerated, police said.

The van fled onto I-95 South, eventually pulling over along the side of the highway. Officers searched the vehicle and found 200 pieces of unopened mail, 11 loose personal checks, three washed personal checks, nine bank cards, a bag of suspected heroin and eight packages of marijuana, police said.

Read more here.

Nearby News

• Vaccine Supply Slows Medford, Malden Regional Clinics: Officials said it might not be until mid-February that the regional vaccine effort for Phase 2 gets off the ground.
• Somerville Man To Face Charges After Driving Into Hobby Lobby: Police believe the 36-year-old intentionally crashed into an Attleboro Hobby Lobby and drove around the store.
• Arlington Sets Design Guidelines For New Homes, Additions: Guidelines will be taken into consideration by the Zoning Board of Appeals when construction of and additions to homes are planned.
• Reading Receives Sparse Vaccine Supply From State: The town will receive a maximum of 100 doses a week, meaning it would take until next fall just to vaccine residents 75 and older.

Today’s Other Top Stories In Massachusetts

Location matters: Two feet in Lowell. Two inches in Boston. It was all about location to start the week. Massachusetts is still digging itself out of nor’easter that buried parts of the region, but that process is a lot easier for some than others. The rain/snow line settled in a bit farther north than initially expected, meaning places like Boston and south of the city mainly had to contend with freezing rain and slush, while nearby communities to the north and west were pounded by the white stuff.

Uber Drinks?: Uber has agreed to purchase Boston-based alcohol delivery service Drizly in a $1.1 billion acquisition. The deal is expected to close by midyear. Once it does, Drizly's marketplace will be integrated into the Uber Eats app. A separate Drizly app will also remain. After the completion of the transaction, Drizly will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Uber. Drizly's marketplace will eventually be integrated with the Uber Eats app, while also maintaining a separate Drizly app.

Not everyone’s on board: A company that sells software that purportedly forecasts crime made a public sales pitch to Worcester City Councilors and residents at a meeting Monday night. And while police department leaders and some Councilors favor the ShotSpotter Connect software, many in the public warned against it. California-based ShotSpotter is widely known for providing gunshot detection equipment to cities — including Worcester — across North America. Worcester wants to expand its use of the gunshot detection system, but outcry over the software has focused on the possibility that it will direct police to low-income neighborhoods because the software uses geographic data about crime.

No bail for man who allegedly attacked State Trooper: A Boston man was ordered held without bail in Stoughton District Court after prosecutors said he attacked a State Trooper on Route 24 in Randolph, pushing him into traffic, choking him and trying to take his gun. Devin Fuller, 29, was arraigned Monday and pleaded not guilty to a host of charges connected to the Jan. 30 incident, including assault with intent to murder.

By The Numbers

6 weeks: That’s how much more winter Punxsutawney Phil predicted this morning, but Massachusetts’ Ms. G (yes, we have our own groundhog) believes otherwise. We’re rooting for you, Ms. G.

In Case You Missed It

• Dennis White Sworn In As New Boston Police Commissioner