Judge denies officer's request for bail

BOSTON
Police officer Jose A. "Flaco" Ortiz will remain behind bars, without bail, while awaiting trial on federal charges of attempted extortion and conspiracy to distribute cocaine. US Magistrate Judge Timothy S. Hillman ruled yesterday that Ortiz, 44, of Salem, a 20-year veteran of the force, is a danger to the community and a threat to witnesses and that no bail conditions could assure the safety of others if he were released. Ortiz, who was arrested May 3, is accused of showing up in uniform to help a drug dealer collect a debt and of threatening to kill the victim and his family if he didn't pay up.

The final step in forming the state's first Chinese-language immersion school was completed yesterday when Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll awarded a charter for a new institution serving Central and Western Massachusetts. At the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School, children in kindergarten through eighth grade will learn the bulk of their lessons in the Mandarin dialect , including math, science, and history. The school is expected to serve a mix of students, including some adopted from China and others whose parents may be interested because they travel to China for work.

A 453-foot-long Navy warship will be open to the public today and tomorrow in the Charlestown Navy Yard. The USS McInerney will open for tours today from 8 to 11 a.m. and from 1 to 4 p.m. Tomorrow, it will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. The 4,100-ton ship, which is based in Mayport, Fla., brought 200 sailors to Boston for Dorchester Day weekend.

A Suffolk County correction officer pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges of illegally selling OxyContin pills and steroids in Quincy, where he lives, according to Quincy District Court records and the sheriff's department. Quincy police arrested Alexander Santarelli at his Prospect Avenue home Thursday night. Police, who had a search warrant, opened a locked safe in a living room closet and found $7,009 in cash, 60 OxyContin pills, and three handguns and ammunition, according to a Quincy police report. In the closet, police also said they discovered a nylon bag holding several types of steroids and an unloaded .40-caliber Glock pistol. Santarelli, who had a firearms permit, was ordered held on $20,000 cash bail and is due back in court June 28, according to records. Steve Tompkins, spokesman for Suffolk Sheriff Andrea Cabral, said Santarelli has been placed on administrative leave without pay.

DEDHAM

The man who stabbed his lawyer at his rape trial was convicted Friday and sentenced to up to 55 years. Che Sosa, 36, was convicted in Norfolk Superior Court three months after he allegedly sneaked a makeshift plexiglass knife into the courtroom and stabbed defense attorney John Courtney in the face and chest while a prospective juror was being questioned. On Friday, Sosa was convicted on more than a dozen charges, including nine counts of aggravated rape. He was sentenced to 30 to 40 years in state prison, with a separate 10 to 15 years to be served consecutively.

ASHLAND

Bank of America has agreed to reimburse the town of Ashland for the cost of police who responded to what was thought to be a bomb scare but turned out to be part of a bank marketing campaign. On Wednesday, Bank of America's corporate office sent to the Ashland branch a fax promoting an in-house marketing campaign, but the text was distorted in the transmission, leading to concern that someone had sent a threat. Police officers rushed to the scene. Bank spokesman Ernesto Anguilla said the bank does not know how much the bill will be.

FALL RIVER

Stephen Barreto, 34, of Fall River, was released from custody yesterday after a Bristol County grand jury decided not to indict him on a manslaughter charge. On April 10, Barreto was beaten and robbed by three Fall River men, William Dupras, 32, Michael P. Sama, 27, and Donald V. Alfonso, 26. During the fight, Barreto killed Dupras. The Bristol district attorney's office charged Barreto with manslaughter. Yesterday, the grand jury determined that Dupras's death was a justifiable homicide, said Gregg Miliote, spokesman for the Bristol district attorney.