A U.S. District Court judge denies an attempt by a former Dalton Police officer to dismiss the claim, in a civil lawsuit, that he failed to provide Sherilyn Hayes with
A former investigator for the Massachusetts State Police will lead a probe into how the Dalton Police Department handled a rape case that was dropped last month by prosecutors.
DALTON â The town of Dalton was justified in firing a longtime police officer for not doing enough on the November night in 2019 that a resident called to say he feared that a neighbor might hurt herself.
Nearly a year-and-a-half later, an arbitrator has upheld the townâs decision to fire John Marley for failing to take steps that could have saved the young woman, Sherilyn Hayes. Marley did not go to her North Street apartment, despite reports that she had threatened to kill herself, wasnât answering her phone and wasn t coming to the door when others knocked. She was found to have died by suicide.
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âShe has a great plan to move the department forward.â â Robert W. Bishop Jr., chair of the Dalton Select Board, speaking of Sgt. Deanna Strout. The board picked Strout as the town s next police chief.
It took the Dalton Select Board just 15 minutes Thursday to select Strout as Daltonâs next chief, pending contract negotiations. âShe has a great plan to move the department forward,â said Robert W. Bishop Jr., chair of the Select Board, in an online session.
In a short review of the qualifications of three finalists, all board members ranked Strout â who has served with the force for 23 years and said she grew up dreaming of this career â as their first choice.
DALTON â The next Dalton Police chief must be ready to put the department on a new footing, officials say, by overcoming division within the ranks and improving its ties to the community.
After interviewing three finalists Tuesday by videoconference, the Select Board expects to pick the next chief Thursday night. That winning candidate, board member Daniel Esko said, will be called upon to âput the challenges of 2020 behind us.â
The three finalists include a current member of the force, Deanna Strout, a 23-year veteran who grew up in Dalton and first dreamed of becoming a cop at age 5. The other finalists are Jamie Berger, a detective sergeant with the Wayland Police Department, and Capt. Robert Derksen, who serves with the Cortland, N.Y., Sheriffâs Department.