Special to the Transcript
Angela Foley, 53, of Winthrop was arraigned in East Boston Division of Boston Municipal Court on three charges: Violating a person’s civil rights, malicious destruction of property over $1200 and malicious destruction of property under $1200. Assistant District Attorney Amelia Singh requested $500 bail, a stay away order from the victims, GPS-monitored home confinement and a mental health evaluation and followup. Judge John McDonald released Foley on personal recognizance, ordered her to have no contact with the victims and ordered her to stay 20 yards away from the victims. Foley will return to court October 19 for a pre-trial hearing. Defense counsel was Peter Lemire.
Singh said that on Saturday Foley placed homemade “stop strips†under the tires of a neighbor’s car. The strips were made from paint stirrers affixed with epoxied nails. Singh also said Foley smashed a neighbor’s window and shouted racist slurs.
“The hateful language used by this defendant as she committed several offenses in front of neighbors was inexcusable. Hate speech is not always illegal in our country, but it is always unwelcome in the Town of Winthrop,” said Chief Delehanty. “Incidents like this demand a response, and these types of incidents and hatred are part of the reason the Winthrop Police Department has a dedicated Civil Rights Officer. We must respond to these incidents and make it clear that this kind of hatred is not acceptable to our community.”
“On behalf of the Town of Winthrop, I condemn these acts of hate,” Town Manager Marino said. “I ask all of Winthrop to join me in rejecting hate and doing everything in our power to ensure we are a welcoming, caring community that is not afraid to speak up along with our neighbors in the face of hatred.”
“I would like to join Town Manager Marino and Chief Delehanty in making it abundantly clear that the Town of Winthrop rejects hatred in all of its forms,” said Town Council President James Letterie. “Our thoughts are with those who were targeted by these awful acts, and I pledge the Town of Winthrop will always do everything possible to combat hatred and to offer our hearts and assistance to all who face it.”
“No one who supports fair and just communities can ignore or accept these types of hate-based crimes. They corrode the very underpinnings of a civil society. Whether they’re committed by a single individual or an organized group, these actions are a direct assault on our democratic principles,†Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said.
These are all allegations. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty.