Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Legislation filed in aftermath of John Burbine arrest aims to fix weaknesses in the state's sex offender registry system.
Local lawmakers called for changes to the state’s sex offender laws during a Tuesday hearing at the State House. State Senator Katherine Clark, who represents Stoneham, chaired the Joint Committee on the Judiciary hearing, focused on a bill she and Rep. Paul Brodeur are sponsoring. The legislation aims to address weaknesses in the sex offender registry system that were brought to light by the John Burbine child sex abuse case. Wakefield Police Chief Rick Smith testified at the hearing and was quoted in a Boston Herald report talking about how last summer a parent came to the station asking for information Level 1 sex offenders – and was unable to do so. “They came to the window and asked, ‘Can I find out about a Level 1 sex offender?’ …
Monday, April 1, 2013
Three bills seeks now in the Joint Committee on the Judiciary would make public the names of lower-level sex offenders.
The recent state auditor report revealing that a large number of sex offenders live at addresses registered as childcare facilities has added fuel to the effort on Beacon Hill to publicize the names of all those who've committed sex crimes. "The auditor's recent findings should serve as a catalyst to pass targeted legislation which protects the Commonwealth's citizens from dangerous sex offenders," House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr. (R-North Reading) said in a statement Wednesday. "The report published today is an unfortunate example of why comprehensive sex offender legislation I filed will, in part, open the lines of communication between the Department of Early Education and Care and the Sex Offender Registry Board." Jones' …
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
State audit finds 119 Level 2 and 3 sex offenders living at addresses registered as child care providers. Also, background checks not being done in some cases.
A new report from State Auditor Suzanne Bump suggests that a surprisingly large number of sex offenders statewide may be living in properties also used as childcare facilities. According to the report, the recent audit found 119 Level 2 and 3 sex offenders living at addresses that were also registered with the state as child care providers. The audit took place over 15 months from July, 2010 through September, 2011. “While we recognize that all 119 may not pose a problem because some of the information in the sex offender registry may be outdated, we believe that routinely conducting this match will serve to better ensure the safety of children in (Department of Early Education and Care’s) programs,” stated the report. Meanwhile, the …
Friday, March 22, 2013
Wife of accused child molester John Burbine made court appearance Wednesday.
Marian Burbine, the wife of accused serial child molester John Burbine—whose alleged victims included Stoneham children—now has an expected trial date of Aug. 9. She faces six counts of reckless endangerment of a child, and two counts of operating an unlicensed day care business. Appearing with his client at a Wednesday afternoon hearing at Middlesex Superior Court, attorney John Ruehrwein told the court that he was seeking additional time because of the large amount of evidence associated with the case. The previous trial date for Mrs. Burbine had been June 25. Mrs. Burbine is next due back in court on April 25 for a suppression hearing, with a pre-trial conference set for July 30. Ruehrwein told the court that there would be a motion to…
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian and Andover Democratic State Senator Barry Feingold propose bill based on existing state drug and human trafficking laws.
Newly-proposed legislation in Massachusetts could set the stage for certain sexual predators in the state to have their assets seized. According to an announcement from Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, he and State Senator Barry Feingold, an Andover Democrat, have proposed the bill, said to be modeled on existing state controlled substance and human trafficking laws. The announcement also comes in the spotlight of the ongoing John Burbine child sex abuse case. Burbine, a former Wakefield resident, is facing more than 100 counts of child sex abuse—including victims from Stoneham—stemming from his work at his wife's one-time illegal daycare business. The legislation would allow, with court permission, for items such as cameras, cell …
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Wife of John Burbine, facing charges for illegal day care, had court date initially set for Wednesday.
A pre-trial conference for Marian Burbine is now set for Thursday, March 21 at Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn. Mrs. Burbine's latest court date had initially been set for Wednesday, Feb. 13. She has been under house arrest in Wakefield since late last year, charged with six counts of reckless endangerment of a child and two counts of running an illegal day care business - the former Waterfall Education Center in Wakefield. Mrs. Burbine's husband, John, has pleaded not guilty to about 100 counts involving the sexual abuse of children, including victims from Stoneham, who were pupils at the former day care and tutoring business. The next step in John Burbine's legal case is expected to be an April 13 motion to dismiss, with a tentative …
Thursday, January 24, 2013
In wake of the John Burbine case, local lawmakers announce a comprehensive proposal to reform state sex offender reporting policies.
Local lawmakers told the Boston-area media Wednesday that they have filed comprehensive legislation aimed at improving the ways information about sex offenders is shared between law enforcement, state agencies, and the public. The legislation was motivated by the charges against John and Marian Burbine, both of Wakefield. John Burbine is facing 100 charges involving the sexual abuse of young children—including alleged victims from Stoneham—while his wife is charged with multiple counts stemming from the illegal day care she operated. John Burbine was classified as a level 1 sex offender after a 1989 case involving several young children—and with that classification level was able to avoid detection even when a local mother tried to check …
Friday, January 18, 2013
Fox 25 Report says Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr will introduce bill Friday aimed at closing loopholes in sex offender registration system. Back in December, State Senator Katherine Clark raised some similar ideas.
As promised last month after news of the John Burbine sex abuse case first broke, which includes alleged victims from Stoneham, state lawmakers are introducing a bill aimed at closing loopholes in the sex offender registration system. A Thursday report on MyFoxBoston says that State Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr will introduce a bill Friday that would allow Level 1 sex offender information to be made public, and which would also an offender to be reclassified if new information came up about them. The article also quotes Wakefield Police Chief Rick Smith as saying that he supports the previously mentioned items, while also citing the need for better inter-agency communication. In December, soon after Middlesex District Attorney Gerard …
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Wakefield resident John Burbine is facing more than 100 counts of child sexual abuse. He pleaded not guilty last month and his next court action is a motion to dismiss in April.
John Burbine is expected to go to trial in December to face 100 counts involving the sexual abuse of children, including victims from Stoneham, according to the office of Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone. A spokeswoman for the DA's office reported that a tentative trial date of December 10th has been set for Burbine. His next court proceeding is April 13th when his attorney, John Barabino of Wakefield, is expected to file a motion to dismiss. Burbine pleaded not guilty last month to more than 100 charges involving the sex abuse of children, one of whom was as young as 8 days old. A separate Boston Herald article quoted Barabino outside Woburn Superior Courthouse Tuesday morning as saying the motion to dismiss is an "administrative…
Friday, December 21, 2012
Check out the Five Things column for Friday, Dec. 21.
Here are five things to know for Friday, Dec. 21: 1. In case you missed it: Marian Burbine, the wife of John Burbine, who is facing nearly 100 charges for allegedly sexually abusing children, is facing multiple charges also and appeared in Middlesex Superior Court Thursday in Woburn. 2. A little taste: Redstone Liquors will be having a free beer tasting from 4-7 p.m. Friday. 3. Holiday show: Stoneham Theatre's production of "It's a Wonderful Life" is slated for 8 p.m. Friday, according to the theatre's website. 4. ZooLights: Have you taken a trip to see thousands of lights and holiday decorations on display at the ZooLights program at Stone Zoo? The program runs from 5-9 p.m. Friday. 5. Got photos? Upload Stoneham photographs to our Pics…
42.49497
-71.100669
Redstone Liquors
109 Main St, Stoneham, MA
/articles/5-things-wife-of-accused-child-sex-abuser-appears-in-court
782808
/locations/8432019
Amanda
11:44 am on Wednesday, May 8, 2013
These two liberal politicians are part of the problem and now they want to showboat like they are going to fix what those like them broke? more ›