Father Of The Year
That was the Boston Herald’s ironic splash headline after cops said dad led them on a high-speed chase and was found with a hot gun in a car reeking of pot … on the way home for a birthday party with his three kids in the car. Boston Herald:
A 37-year-old Quincy dad won’t be winning any father-of-the-year awards after he allegedly took his three terrified kids on a high-speed late-night gun battle in an SUV reeking of pot and loaded with a high-powered weapon and an open 12-pack of beer, police said.
Roland Reese, an asbestos removal worker, pleaded not guilty yesterday to three counts of child neglect, unlawful possession of a large capacity firearm and failing to stop for police - as his 13-year-old son, a developmentally disabled boy with an amputated right leg, wept openly in Dorchester District Court.
“If not for the officers’ rapid response, these children could have been seriously injured or much worse,” said Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.
“This defendant’s cavalier concern for his children’s safety should shock the conscience of every parent,” the outraged D.A. added.
Cops found the teen, his 3-year-old brother and 5-year-old sister “crying, shaking, screaming and trembling” in their father’s silver Ford Expedition Saturday at about 9:30 p.m. in Dorchester, according to a police report. The vehicle, whose back window had been shot out, contained a loaded large-capacity firearm, 31 rounds and an open half-case of Heineken, cops said.
Police said they smelled “the pungent odor of unburnt marijuana emanating from the vehicle,” but found no drugs.
Reese claimed he was shot at while driving from a 10-year-old’s birthday party on Maxwell Street. Cops were alerted to the blasts on Capen Street by the Hub’s electronic shot-spotter.
Witnesses told cops they saw a man jump into a silver SUV and take off. Cops quickly located Reese’s vehicle but say he refused to stop, leading them on a wild chase down Selden Street that ended on Maxwell Street.
Suffolk County prosecutor Rilwan Adeduntan argued that “there’s reason to believe shots were emanating from (Reese’s) vehicle,” based on the testing that revealed the gun was still hot, Reese’s shot-out back window and bullet holes in two nearby vehicles. The drivers of the cars have not been charged.
Reese’s lawyer, Shannon McAuliffe, said her client was unlawfully searched, adding: “He was scared, he was confused - he thought his kids were in danger.”
I could see that. But never mind all that. It’s racism.
In court, the mother of the three children, who refused to give her name, said she are Reese are married and cried as she maintained his innocence.
“He was shot at,” she told the Herald. “He’s a victim. It’s just because he’s a big black man.”
You can never win that argument. Here’s dad and the Herald splash, by the way:
Today, the party’s host informs that defendant actually is a strong candidate for father of the year. Boston Herald:
The host of a child’s birthday party that a 37-year-old dad attended just before he allegedly took his three terrified kids on a high-speed, late-night gun battle said the man really could be a Father of the Year.
“Those kids love and adore him,” said Lena Johnson, 39, who says a party for her daughter’s 10th birthday was rudely interrupted by cops who mistook the dad for his assailants. “He’s among the few who are actually taking care of his children. He picks them up and brings them to school.”
But authorities say Roland Reese put his kids in harm’s way.
The Herald reported yesterday that Reese’s three children - ages 13, 5 and 3 - were “crying, shaking, screaming and trembling” in the backseat of his SUV, which police said contained a still-warm, high-capacity loaded gun and a total of 31 rounds of ammunition in his silver SUV.
The back window of Reese’s vehicle was shot out, police also said.
Reese’s attorney, Shannon McAuliffe, said authorities have not produced any ballistic evidence proving he fired back at a shooter who sprayed a hail of bullets into his car as he left Johnson’s party on Maxwell Street in Dorchester.
Johnson said Reese attended her daughter’s party, which included face-painting and “a princess moonwalk” for the kids.
“He had a wonderful time,” she said.
She said he returned to the party to call police after being shot at. But cops say he refused to stop for them after a short chase.
Johnson said that while Reese made a mistake by carrying a loaded, high-powered gun in a car with his kids, she says he claimed the gun was not his and that he didn’t know it was there.
Yeah, well, even fathers of the year inadvertantly end up running from the cops with illegal high-capacity still-warm firearms they don’t know about in their pot-reeking cars. It happens.
Topics: cops, kids, moms and dads
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 11:49 am on Wednesday, October 22, 2008
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October 22nd, 2008 at 12:37 pm
…even fathers of the year inadvertantly end up running from the cops with illegal high-capacity still-warm firearms they don’t know about in their pot-reeking cars. It happens.
And, amazingly, they always have scores of friends, neighbors, and relatives eager to come forward and testify about what great people they are.