Community Corner

Man Arrested for Alleged Marijuana Trafficking, More News From Around the Region

A roundup of local headlines for the week of Feb. 17.

Brooklyn Man Arrested in Canton For Allegedly Accepting Nearly $1M Worth of Marijuana

Canton Police arrested a Brooklyn, New York man on Friday, Feb. 15 after receiving reliable information that there may be a large marijuana delivery in town via an unsuspecting transport company.

Plain clothes and uniform personnel from the Canton Police Department, along with partners from Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Stoughton Police Department staked out the premises. 

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Police subsequently arrested Thomas Jin Kim, 30 of Brooklyn, New York, after he pulled into the lot and took possession of the first half of the nearly 300-pound delivery. Kim was arrested and charged with trafficking in marijuana with an alleged street value of close to $1 million. Kim was held on $1 million bail and was arraigned in Stoughton District Court on Tuesday, Feb. 19.

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A Tri-Congregational Discussion on Regionalization for three local synagogues was held on Thursday, Feb. 14 at Temple Beth Emunah in Brockton. Representatives of Ahavath Torah Congregation in Stoughton and Temple Beth Am in Randolph also attended the meeting, which attracted over 250 interested parties.

The plan, still in the discussion phase, is for these three temples to merge into one congregation and use an interim site (Temple Beth Emunah) until a new building is constructed.

The recommendation to merge, and begin attending services at the interim location in July of 2014 is not finalized. Each of the temple’s congregations still needs to vote on the plan. The vote is scheduled for April 4, 2013. 

Walpole Police are looking for the owners of dozens of valuables sent by mail within the past year that were allegedly stolen by a part-time employee at the East Walpole post office.

The employee, Marie Kernian, 24, of Mattapan, was arrested Feb. 5 after a sting operation set up by Walpole Police and the U.S. Postal Service Inspector General's office resulted in her allegedly opening two packages, taking the contents and then resealing the empty boxes.

After being placed under arrest, authorities found cell phones, iPads, GPS systems and dozens of gift cards in Kernian's car, believed to have been stolen. They found 25-30 items they believe were taken from packages coming into the East Walpole office.

A group of Boston-area restaurants and their owners, Patrick Lyons and Edward Sparks, have come to an agreement to pay $424,000 to 409 employees for Fair Labor Standards Act violations. Out of the amount, $212,000, will be in back wages and "liquidated damages".

Kings in Dedham is one of the restaurants listed. 

According to an investigation that was done by the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, employees at Kings were not compensated for all work hours.


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