Two men were arrested on felony drug charges on Tuesday as they were stepping off the ferry in Vineyard Haven, the latest in a series of major drug busts over the past year involving suspects either caught selling drugs here or trying to bring large amounts of heroin to the Vineyard.
The Martha’s Vineyard Drug Task Force, working in conjunction with the Tisbury and Massachusetts State Police, arrested Jose Luis Arias, 29, of Jamaica Plain, and Wilken Ariaz-Baez, 24, at about 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday soon after they arrived on the boat and climbed into a taxicab.
Two men were arrested on felony drug charges Tuesday as they were stepping off the ferry in Vineyard Haven.
The Martha’s Vineyard Drug Task Force, working in conjunction with the Tisbury and Massachusetts State Police, arrested Jose Luis Arais, 21, of Jamaica Plain, and Wilken Ariaz Baez, 27. Both men were charged with trafficking class A heroin, trafficking class B cocaine and conspiracy.
Mr. Baez initially provided a false identification to police; police learned his true identity after running his fingerprints through the FBI database.
Oak Bluffs selectmen on Tuesday unanimously voted to take legal action against the Alliance Community Church on Ryan’s Way in response to mounting evidence that the church is violating town zoning laws and several conditions of approval from the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.
Two years ago the commission approved plans from the Assembleia De Deus (Assembly of God) Nova Vida congregation to build a 150-seat church on the site with a day care center for 26 children. The church has since changed its name to the Alliance Community Church.
West Tisbury selectmen on Wednesday authorized an application to the town community preservation committee for $25,000 to perform several tests of the Mill Pond, the historic manmade pond that graces the entrance to town on the Edgartown-West Tisbury Road.
Although the vote was unanimous, it was not without dissent.
Following a tense two-hour standoff, Edgartown police yesterday arrested a 38-year-old man who had barricaded himself inside a home on Whaler’s Walk while brandishing a handgun, threatening to kill himself and also shoot the team of police officers who responded to the scene.
Arthur Scott Smith was taken into custody around 2 p.m. on Thursday and charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. At press time yesterday, police were in the process of obtaining a search warrant for the Whaler’s Walk home where Mr. Smith was renting a room.
The bacterial contamination in the Oak Bluffs water supply last month that forced town residents to boil their tap water or use bottled water for nearly a week was likely caused by a private contractor who broke through a water line, town water officials said this week.
The identity of the contractor may never be known, officials said. A notice published in today’s Gazette by the Oak Bluffs Water District states that the source of the coliform bacteria found in the town water last month remains under investigation, but the cause was likely a contractor.
