Framingham police arrest man after hourslong search

By Lisa Kocian, Globe Staff

Framingham police arrested a 53-year-old man late this afternoon after dozens of officers, concerned that he was armed with a knife and suicidal, had searched for him for hours and several schools were locked down as a precautionary measure.

Kevin Donovan had a pair of handcuffs and two knives with him when he was arrested just after 5 p.m. in a wooded area near Nadine and Joseph Roads, said Lieutenant Paul Shastany, a police spokesman.

“We're feeling like we averted a tragedy," said Shastany. Donovan was charged with possession of a spring blade knife and resisting arrest

Police received a phone call at about 10 a.m. from a woman who said her husband was "distraught" and had been drinking and was suicidal. The man, who police later identified as Donovan, jumped out of a car near Nadine and Joseph and went into a nearby backyard.

Shastany said while the search was underway that police were concerned that the man might want to provoke a fatal confrontation with police -- a "suicide by cop."

The Charlotte A. Dunning Elementary School, the Hemenway Elementary School, the George P. King School, the Potter Road Elementary School, and the Blocks preschool program at the King administration complex were all locked down.

Other charges, including potential domestic threats, are possible, said Shastany, as police investigate where Donovan was all day.

“We are looking at where he has been for the last several hours to find out if any other crimes were committed,” said Shastany.

Jeremy Bowers, a resident who lives on nearby Craig Road, said, "Nothing exciting like this ever happens around here. This is quiet suburbia."

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