Criminal charges against an embattled former Tisbury police officer have been dismissed.
Last Friday in Edgartown district court all charges were dropped against Kelly Kershaw, 31, a former police officer who has been involved in more than one public dispute with the town and police.
Kelly R. Kershaw, 30, was arraigned on charges of interfering with a firefighter, assault and battery on a police officer, disorderly conduct and threat to commit a crime. Charges were filed against Ms. Kershaw after she allegedly interfered with firefighters who were called to fight a May dryer fire at her home.
The Tisbury selectmen voted June 10 to fire Ms. Kershaw.
Acting behind closed doors, the Tisbury selectmen voted without dissent Monday to fire a Tisbury police officer who is the subject of a criminal complaint and who has had a recent history of misconduct.
Kelly Kershaw, 30, was terminated following a nearly three-hour executive session that was attended by the three town selectmen, their town administrator, Ms. Kershaw and her attorney. Her attorney told the Gazette later in the week that Ms. Kershaw, who had been employed with the police department since 2004, will take action to dispute the decision.
A Tisbury police officer is facing several charges in Edgartown district court after allegedly interfering with firefighters trying to fight a dryer fire at her home.
Kelly R. Kershaw, 30, will be charged with interfering with a firefighter, assault and battery on a police officer, disorderly conduct and threat to commit a crime; the complaint was issued last Wednesday and an arraignment scheduled for that Friday was continued to June 28. Ms. Kershaw is a Tisbury police officer currently on leave.
An Oak Bluffs man who had fallen into the harbor early Thursday morning and was struggling to stay afloat was rescued when police officers from Tisbury and Oak Bluffs rushed to his aid.
Officers pulled Nelson Ferreira, 40, from the Oak Bluffs harbor at approximately 4:30 a.m. Thursday, Oak Bluffs Lieut. Timothy Williamson said.
A Tisbury police officer has been placed on leave after she was involved in a one-car crash last week.
Officer Kelly Kershaw sustained minor injuries after she drove a police car into a tree on State Road on Nov. 20, according to state police.
According to state police Sgt. Thomas Medeiros, Ms. Kershaw said that she felt like she was going to pass out before she hit the tree. Ms. Kershaw was travelling west on State Road and struck the tree around Mayflower Lane.
The firing of a longtime Tisbury police sergeant over his alleged mishandling of a 2011 domestic and sexual assault case was upheld last week by an arbitrator.
In a decision dated Oct. 12, arbitrator Richard G. Boulanger found that the selectmen’s November 2011 decision to dismiss Sgt. Robert Fiske was justified.
Sergeant Fiske, who had been with the department for 20 years, was fired for failing to comply with the Tisbury police department’s domestic violence and sexual assault policies.
At a Tisbury police labor management meeting Tuesday afternoon,
patrolmen said their own safety and that of the public is jeopardized by
having a department of only 11 men.
The union wants an increase in manpower. But selectmen have been
considering cutting back the department since more than a month ago,
when police chief John McCarthy asked the board's permission to
hire a patrolman to replace one who recently retired. Selectman Tristan
Israel questioned the need, and the debate was on.
"The Tisbury Police Department environment is dysfunctional,
at best, with continual tension between police officers and
management," declares a new report made public at the Feb. 27
meeting of the Tisbury board of selectmen. The 22-page report is the
product of a four-month study commissioned by selectmen and undertaken
by seasonal Island resident Robert Wasserman of the consulting firm
PSComm LLC.
Union Wants Two Additional Officers;Issue Will Appear as April
Article on Town Meeting Warrant
By JOSHUA SABATINI
An unprecedented move by the Tisbury police union will put the
debate over staffing of the town police force before the voters at town
meeting time in April.
