DEDHAM A veteran Needham police officer spent Thanksgiving in a jail cell after she was arrested on Wednesday and charged with breaking and entering and stealing two all-terrain vehicles.
Melissa Aponte, who has been on the force for seven years, appeared at Dedham District Court on Friday for her arraignment.
The owner of the ATV’s was alerted by a neighbor who said he saw someone other than a family member riding one of his vehicles.
By request of a family member, Aponte spent most of the morning meeting with a psychiatrist to determine her mental health condition.
She is currently being held on $10,000 bail, but a hearing will be held to determine whether she will be held for a 30-day observation period or be allowed to make bail.
Posted by: Irish Wampanoag
Hummmmmmm! She is being held on 10,000 dollar bail for stealing an ATV.????
There must be something more to this story??????
Posted by: RustyShackleford
A troubled Needham cop is charged in ATV theft By Kevin Rothstein Saturday, November 26, 2005
A Needham cop on the losing end of a battle with the bottle was arraigned on theft charges yesterday and is being eyed in other break-ins, court records show.
Told while she was being booked Wednesday that she was a suspect in several other cases, pint-sized patrol Officer Melissa Aponte, 30, “looked down at the floor a minute, smiled, then looked back at me and said she didn’t want to talk,” a Needham police officer wrote in a report.
Aponte, who admitted having six beers in her, was then led to a cell where she began banging on the walls, the records show.
As the seven-year police veteran stood manacled in the prisoner’s dock at Dedham District Court yesterday, a court psychologist told Judge Michael Pomarole that Aponte admitted to being an alcoholic and wanted help.
She was released yesterday after being arraigned on charges she broke into a Needham shed located on the same street where her mother lives and stole two all-terrain vehicles. The victim reported that $200 in cash also had been stolen.
Charged with breaking and entering in the nighttime and receiving stolen property, Aponte must be evaluated and undergo treatment and stay drug and alcohol free.
Her wife and brother-in-law were in court yesterday to take her to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for an evaluation. They declined comment.
Aponte has been on leave from the force for about two months. Needham police declined to say why she left or comment on the charges.
Her double life began to unravel when an acquaintance approached police to say Aponte had stored a possibly stolen ATV on her property.
A Needham police lieutenant went to find the vehicle but saw Aponte approach it and try to start it. She was arrested, and police found the other ATV in her mother’s back yard under a tarp.
ATV owner Pamela Geller said she was shocked to learn who the alleged B&E artist was.
“I was surprised,” Geller said, adding, “We were very impressed with the Needham Police Department. They were very professional and kept us informed every step of the way. The involved officer is certainly the exception.”
Aponte’s vehicle was seen near the Cowlicks Deli during a break-in there and a “short-time later she outran a cruiser on Chestnut Street,” police records show.
Posted by: Barbrady
No sympathy for the here.
Posted by: Buford T
Right vs. wrong, its that simple..... Where have the standards for our PROFESSION gone? Talking with a shrink, lets see.... Checkup from the neckup and retired at 72?? orrrrr returned to full duty after being medically rehabilitated/cleared??? Start a poll on THAT one!
Posted by: popo
Quote:
Her wife and brother-in-law were in court yesterday
That says it all.!!!
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