Selectmen cancel meeting, police chief still plans to appear

By Erin Smith, Lowell Sun

DRACUT — Selectmen canceled last night’s meeting, citing a “lack of agenda items.”

Before the cancellation, Police Chief Kevin Richardson was scheduled to appear before selectmen to talk about the alcohol policy for off-duty police officers and provide an update on the internal investigation into who stole $80,000 worth of marijuana from a locked police-evidence storage trailer in April 2003.

At least one selectman has called for more oversight after some officers reported Deputy Police Chief David Chartrand had been drinking Sept. 26 when he responded to a domestic incident near a party was attending. Chartrand was almost shot by his own officers during the incident, which involved a shotgun later found to be unloaded.

Selectmen Chairman George Malliaros said Richardson is now scheduled to come to the board’s meeting in two weeks. Aside from speaking with Richardson, the board did not have any other significant business to discuss last night, according to Malliaros.

Malliaros said the extra time before the next meeting would give Richardson time to confer with Alfred Donovan, the retired Tewksbury Police Chief investigating the stolen marijuana.

Donovan’s report on the probe had been expected last month, but Donovan wrote Richardson a letter last month saying he is waiting to release his findings to avoid interfering with a federal investigation.