Charges upheld in school bus drop-off

A clerk magistrate has ruled that a former Shrewsbury school bus driver accused of punishing a fourth-grader by dropping her off far from her home can face criminal charges. The magistrate ruled that there is probable cause for the reckless child endangerment case against Donald Davison Jr. to move forward. Authorities allege Davison dropped 9-year-old Cyrena Medbury at a bus stop more than a mile from her home on Nov. 5 as punishment for changing seats without permission. The girl was driven home safely by another child's parent. Davison was fired the same day. He is to be arraigned Jan. 23 in Westborough District Court. (AP)

A man on the list of parents most wanted in Massachusetts for unpaid child support has been arrested. A state Revenue Department spokesman, Robert Bliss, said 35-year-old Brandon Swegan was ordered held on $70,000 bail at his arraignment yesterday in Springfield District Court. Swegan, formerly of Westfield, owes more than $74,000 in child support, interest, and penalties. Swegan was arrested on a charge of domestic assault and battery in Iowa on Nov. 8. Officials there found he had an outstanding criminal warrant in Massachusetts. He waived rendition and was returned Wednesday. The Revenue Department said Swegan is supposed to pay $98 per week for his sons, now ages 12 and 15. Officials have been after him for 12 years. Swegan's lawyer, Travaun Bailey, declined to comment yesterday. (AP)

After months of delays, the House of Representatives approved a beer and wine license yesterday that paves the way for Wegmans, a New York grocer, to anchor the massive Westwood Station mixed-use development while at the same time resolving a political stalemate. State Representative Paul McMurtry, Democrat of Dedham and the bill's sponsor, said its passage plays a significant role in the success of Westwood Station, a $1.5 billion smart-growth project under development by Cabot, Cabot & Forbes "that represents everything positive and beneficial in these challenging economic times." The bill has been blocked since its introduction in late July, at one time by a rival grocer - resulting in the Town of Westwood creating three new beer and wine licenses for parity. Then state Representative William C. Galvin, a Canton Democrat, drove home his town's concern about traffic by using parliamentary techniques to dismiss lawmakers every day of informal session. The home-rule petition must still be enacted by the Senate before going to Governor Deval Patrick for his signature.

Governor Deval Patrick appointed Charles Desmond, a Board of Higher Education member, as the panel's next chairman. Desmond replaces Frederick W. Clark Jr., who announced his resignation last month. Desmond is executive vice president of Trefler Foundation, a nonprofit focused on improving urban public education, and had worked for 30 years at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. In a related matter, the higher education board meets today to vote on Richard Freeland's candidacy for commissioner of the higher education department. Freeland is a former president of Northeastern University.

A Dorchester man enraged over his former girlfriend's new romance traveled to Revere last year and shot and killed the brother of the boyfriend, a prosecutor said yesterday. Anh Vu Nguyen, 21, is on trial in Suffolk Superior Court on a charge of second-degree murder for the killing of Tai Nguyen, 20. Tai was the brother of the man that the suspect's former girlfriend had started dating. The two Nguyen men were not related. The prosecution, in its opening statement, said Anh Vu Nguyen drove to the Revere home of the woman's new boyfriend around 10 p.m. on March 16, 2007. From outside the house, Anh Vu Nguyen fired at least three shots, including one that went through the living room picture window and struck Tai, said Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Edward Krippendorf.

 

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