Dorchester

A Weymouth man who allegedly put a Boston cop in the hospital by dragging him with his car yesterday made bail yesterday, met his lawyer and a probation officer in court today and then skipped out before his case was called, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Dorchester District Court Judge Robert Baylor issued a bench warrant for Eric Nelson, 46, after he failed to answer when his name was called, the DA's office reports, adding Nelson made the initial $1,000 bail set after his arrest yesterday.

Two men who forced two Livingstone Street residents back into their home at gunpoint Thursday briefly made off with a safe that contained more than $400,000 from the family business, a police source says.

The Suffolk County District Attorney's office confirms that when Randy Soto and Victor Baez-Lara were arrested, police found a safe in Baez-Lara's car. Officers also found jewelry, alcohol, a laptop and cash and phones from the two victims in the car, the DA's office says.

The two were arraigned Friday on charges of armed home invasion, unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition. Prosecutors asked for $500,000 bail for each and that they be placed under house arrest if they made bail; a Dorchester District Court judge set bail at $100,000 each, declined to order house arrest but did order them to stay away from the victims.

The two were arrested not long after the incident when an officer noticed a car matching the description of the getaway vehicle in the parking lot of the Geneva Avenue Stop & Shop. A third suspect remains at large.

Innocent, etc.

An city street worker, who is supposed to keep young teens away from gangs and violence, is scheduled for arraignment today in Dorchester District Court on charges of illegal possession of a firearm, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and engaging in sex for a fee, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Boston Police report a Weymouth man spotted buying heroin off Columbia Road in Dorchester around noon Sunday stopped for pursuing police, then drove away - dragging an officer down the street.

The officer was taken to Boston Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, police say.

Police say the incident began around noon at Devon Street and Vaughn Avenue, when undercover drug officers observed an individual, operating a silver motor vehicle, pull over and buy illegal narcotics.

UPDATE, 11:25 p.m.: Man removed without injury to anybody.

Police and firefighters are swarming around 38 Brookview St., where a man who may have a Molotov cocktail is refusing to come out of an apartment. Brian D'Amico reports police have begun evacuating surrounding buildings - and have brought in MBTA buses to provide shelter for displaced residents.

Boston firefighters are at 5 Everett Ave., where a fire called in around 4:15 p.m. trapped two people.

Firefighters got them out, suffering smoke inhalation, the Boston Fire Department reports. one was promptly put in an ambulance to Children's Hospital. The fire, in a six-unit, three-story building, went to three alarms before firefighters got it under control.

The department says 16 people were displaced and estimates damage at $500,000. Investigators are now on scene, trying to determine the cause.

On Dec. 25, 2010, a two-alarm fire did roughly $400,000 damage to 9 Everett Ave.

Boston Police report arresting two local men on charges they forced people leaving a Livingstone Street apartment yesterday morning back inside at gunpoint, ordered them to lay on the floor and then ransacked the place. A third suspect remains at large.

Randy Soto, 22, and Victor Baez-Lara, 21, were arrested not long after the 10 a.m. incident at the Geneva Avenue Stop & Shop after an alert patrolman noticed a car in the parking lot that matched the description broadcast by officers on Livingstone Street, police say. They were charged with armed home invasion, unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition. Baez-Lara was also cited for possession of marijuana. A third suspect ran into the store and escaped.

Innocent, etc.

Two Dorchester men were ordered held in lieu of $500,000 bail each today after police say they found nine weapons, 1,000 rounds of ammunition and 250 grams of cocaine in individually wrapped packages in a raid Tuesday morning, according to Boston Police and the Suffolk County District Attorney's office.

The Dorchester Reporter reports the state Department of Revenue has turned the volume down on Hi-Fi Pizza.

UPDATE: A second Red Line train died at Alewife; another Green Line trolley gave up the ghost, bollxing up outbound C and E service. Commuter rail? You don't want to know.

In this young year, the Red Line is now 2 for 2 in morning-commute delays due to dead trains, this time at JFK/UMass, but today has the extra bonus of delays due to "weather-related issues."

Meghan C. reports it took her 75 minutes to get from Braintree to MGH.

The Green Line was also having problems, due to a recalcitrant train at Kenmore. There was also a dead train on the Blue Line.

It was a different story on the Orange Line. At 7:24, Joe Growhoski tweeted:

Orange line nice warm and smooth ..... So far

By pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter for the 2003 death of Aston Dwayne Thompson, Linrose Woodbine received a sentence of 15 years, rather than risking another conviction that could have sent him to prison for the rest of his life, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

With credit for time served, Woodbine will be out of state prison in six years - and then be handed over to the feds for deportation to his native Jamaica - according to the DA's office.

The Clapp Pear in Edward Everett Square this afternoon.

If you're one of those people who thinks Starbucks would be much improved if all the hipsters disappeared, you'll love this karmic post.

Brian D'Amico reports two people pulled knives on each other at 23 Corona St. around 4:45 p.m. Both got the other; both were taken away with minor injuries.

For the past two years, a vexed citizen has complained to the city about the same three postal workers double parking in he bicycle lane outside the Talbot Avenue post office. Yesterday, the city marked one of the complaints "closed" and noted:

Officer spoke to post office workers about parking out front. they were warned. we will go by daily.

Now, this was the same car at the same location the city ticketed a year ago. Did the postal worker learn the lesson? Apparently not, since a new complaint was filed this morning:

Black pontiac 415 NJO double parked in bike lane. This is the second time in 2 days. I've reported this guy dozens of times over 2 years. The postal employees have been spoken to, but they don't care about btd or the residents of our fair city. Stop being nice and hand out some tickets!!!

UPDATE: Truck recovered in Mattapan.

Seems somebody up and stole a Boston Parks and Recreation dump truck outfitted for snow removal from a lot on American Legion Highway at Franklin Park Wednesday night, Boston Police report.

The vehicle is described as a white 2004 Chevrolet pick-up, Massachusetts registration #MB1410. The truck has a large plow attached to the front and a sander loaded on the back.

If you see it, contact B-3 detectives at 617-343-4712.

A pair of alleged street punks are charged with using a loaded gun to rob somebody of his iPhone around 12:20 p.m. on Dec. 24 at Carruth and Minot streets, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports:

John Cesar, 20, and Antiowane Davis, 19, were arraigned today in Dorchester District Court on charges of armed robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm. Judge Robert N. Tochka ordered $5,000 bail for Cesar at $10,000 for Davis, the DA's office reports.

The DA's office provided this account:

Casey Shockley shows off his rendition of the Red Line at the Andrew-JFK/UMass tunnel, done a year ago at Karma Tattoo in Somerville. He explains he used to live in the Polish Triangle in Dorchester. See it larger.

He joins Dot rat Adam Myerson, who has the Ashmont line on his leg (more) and Josh DeCosta, who has the Orange Line at Sullivan Square on his arm.

Kaitlin Maud, meanwhile, has the entire MBTA map on her arm - both subway and commuter rail (in the photo, north is at the bottom, Green Line on the right):

Dan Ryan spotted this cheery holiday bag on Neponset Avenue, across from the Garvey, in Dorchester. All it's missing is some red ribbons for that festive seasonal touch.

And thanks to the Animal Rescue League of Boston, the answer will continue to be "no." Just ask Tommy the Dorchester Cat:

MBTA Transit Police report a Red Line rider and her cash were reunited this holiday season thanks to an honest fellow passenger.

Last Friday afternoon, police say, a guy on his way into town who was about to sit down at JFK/UMass started to move what he thought was some trash on the seat:

In doing so he noticed a five dollar bill protruding from the envelope. He then looked inside, the envelope was filled with cash. Unfortunately there was nothing to identify who the money belonged to. The gentleman asked all passengers within proximity if the envelope was theirs, NOT one MBTA patron attempted to falsely claim the money as theirs. The gentleman got off at South Station and immediately sought out police and handed over the envelope. The envelope contained $584.

On Tuesday, police continue:

[T]he rightful owner, a house keeper at a local hotel and a resident of Dorchester, came to Transit Police HQ, identified certain distinct aspects of the envelope the US Currency was in when lost and they were reunited with their hard earned money.

Boston Police report a gun-toting man refused entry into the Lilla G. Frederick Middle School on Columbia Road by officers Monday afternoon snuck back in to continue a beef with somebody at basketball tryouts there.

On seeing officers again, this time outside the school gym around 3:45 p.m., the man and three accomplices tried running away, police say. Officers caught one of them, but the man and two others escaped - at least until officers on patrol on Devon Street noticed two guys matching a broadcast description from the school:

Boston Police report they are investigating a string of housebreaks from Ashmont to the Southeast Expressway between Friday and today.

In all cases, the thieves got nothing, either because they were confronted by homeowners or because they broke into empty units, police say.

The Globe has a very good and very sad look at Geneva/Bowdoin, as told through the lens of Big Nate, Trina and their 14-year-old son Nicholas, stalked and gunned down for no good reason. The point at which I almost lost it:

Later, Big Nate gathered up some rags, filled a bucket with water and went to the street corner. He wanted to wash away his son’s blood, as though in a final act of care. But he could find no blood to clean. He stood with his bucket and rags, stood through the night until the sun came up and there was nothing left to do but go home.

Dot Rat recalls the events of Dec. 11, 1990 at Boston High School - and thinks about what they mean today:

That morning I remember hearing a scuffle in the hallway that seemed to drag on for a bit. Once we heard screaming the entire class ignored the teacher and dumped into the hallway. I remember some of the students coming back in with their hands covering their mouths in shock….a few with tears in their eyes. ...