Southeast Massachusetts News

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A preliminary autopsy performed on the body of a Massachusetts man pulled from a Providence river has found no evidence of foul play.

The results released Thursday by the Rhode Island medical examiner's office show that 23-year-old Gregory Hart appears to have drowned in the Woonasquatucket (woon-as-kah-TUCK'-et) River.

Police say they are still investigating Hart's death as
suspicious - routine when there's no obvious reason for death - until the medical examiner gets toxicology reports and can make a final determination.

Hart's family has been highly critical of the investigation and do not believe the death was an accident.

Hart, a recent graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst who was from Dedham, Mass., was last seen Sunday morning in
Providence, where he and friends had visited a bar.
      
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

After an on-going  investigation by Wareham Police Detectives into illegal drug activity, a search warrant was executed at # 532 Main St., Wareham at approximately 5:00 a.m. Wednesday morning, March 17th. They were assisted by the Massachusetts State Police, and members of the DEA Cape Cod Task Force.

Once inside the residence, investigators located a large amount of illegal prescription drugs, drug paraphernalia, scales, and drug packaging materials. In addition to the drugs, police located two handguns, one of which was fully loaded. It was later learned that the guns had been stolen earlier this month from a residence in Wareham that had been broken into.

Two men were subsequently arrested and booked at the Wareham Police station. Brothers Richard Prada-Ruiz, 24 years old, and Joseph Prada-Ruiz, 21 both residents at that address are facing multiple felony drug and gun related charges.

FALL RIVER — A special collection taken up in parishes in the Fall River Diocese for earthquake relief efforts in Haiti raised an astonishing $718,134.93. The total is extraordinary for a diocese of its size and reflects the deep desire of area Catholics to respond to the suffering of the Haitian people in the wake of the disaster.
 
Bishop George W. Coleman announced that a check in that amount was transmitted last week by the diocese to Catholic Relief Services or CRS to support the response to immediate emergency needs for such necessities as food, shelter and medical care, as well as to the long term need to rebuild after widespread destruction, and to pastoral and reconstruction needs of the Church in Haiti.
 
At the same time, the bishop expressed his gratitude to contributors.
 

Gregory Hart, a recent UMASS graduate, was reported missing by his family Saturday, last seen in Providence. Now a body has been found family members are saying is that of the missing man. ABC6 Reporter Tom Langford has the story...