Former Celtic Chris Herren to Speak at DA's School Safety Conference

Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett will host his annual school safety conference at the DoubleTree Hotel in Danvers April 11.

Blodgett Talks Deadly Consequences of Texting and Driving With Rotarians

Blodgett was the guest speaker at the Peabody Rotary's meeting.

[The following was submitted by Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett's office.] Essex District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett spoke before the Peabody Rotary Club about the public safety issue of texting while driving at its weekly breakfast meeting on Thursday, Sept. 27, at Red’s Kitchen & Tavern in Peabody. “Statistics show that if you are texting while driving, you are 23 times more likely to be involved in an accident,” said Blodgett, who urged the Rotarians to talk with their spouses and children about the dangers of texting and driving. “As I always say, if it’s predictable, it’s preventable.” Tragically, District Attorney Blodgett’s office was the first in the nation to prosecute a motor vehicle homicide that involved texting …

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Blodgett Elected VP of National DAs Association

Peabody native Blodgett lauded as "true leader" among his peers across the country.

The following was submitted by Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett's office.] District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett was elected to serve as Vice President of the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA) at the group’s annual board meeting. He previously served as a Director-at-Large. Scott Burns, Executive Director of the NDAA and former head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy praised the selection. "Jonathan Blodgett is a true leader of America's 39,000 prosecutors, as evidenced by his selection of Vice President of the National District Attorneys Association. I have known Jon for a decade and look forward to working with him more closely to address reducing crime and helping victims." The NDAA is the oldest…

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DA Talks Danger, Powerful Addiction of Crystal Meth

DA Blodgett says only a matter of time before the ruinous drug starts showing up more frequently on the North Shore.

Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett says the only reason crystal methamphetamine hasn't taken root on the North Shore as it has in many other areas of the country is because heroin is still cheaper here. But, Blodgett says, that situation may change in the future with drug users switching over to the highly dangerous substance, and he wants to get out in front of it with education and coordinated efforts by law enforcement agencies -- the incident at Holiday Inn may even be a sign of worse to come. Blodgett, a Peabody native, has been warning about crystal meth for the past five years, as New England was the only region not have to been hit by it yet. He was interviewed recently by the Salem News and explained how devastating …

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DA Says Scam Artists and Scoundrels Prey Upon Elderly

Blodgett says Essex Anti-Scam Task Force formed to share information between law enforcement agencies on current scams. DA says public also needs to be more aware of organized scam tactics.

[The following was submitted by Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.] There is a knock at the door. A young man explains that he and his uncle just finished paving a driveway down the street. They notice that your driveway is in disrepair and he offers to fix it with his left over material. He says it will cost about $300. After doing the work, he comes back. It seems that your driveway was worse off than expected and involved more work. So now it costs $1,500. Now what? Often, this scenario and others like it are treated as civil complaints when in fact, this is a crime perpetrated by a member of an organized criminal enterprise. These thieves, who tend to target the elderly, are skilled at tricking people into giving them their …

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