07-28-11 issueWEB - North Fairhaven

Fairhaven official arrested for A&B impersonating police officerFairhaven Police Press ReleaseFairhaven Police responded to theSeaport Inn and Marina Friday night,7/23, after receiving a call from a maleparty who claimed he had just beenassaulted by a police officer. Whenofficers arrived, they quickly deter -mined that the suspect in this casewas not a police officer, but rather anemployee of the Seaport Inn, identi -fied as Joseph Morra. The victim inthis case was a handicapped man whorequires the use of a cane to walk.According to the victim, he washaving a difficult time parking hisvehicle in a space designated forhandicapped motorists. The problemstemmed from another vehicle, whichwas neither equipped with a handi -capped license plate nor a placard,that was taking up two handicappedparking spaces.The victim explained to police thathe began taking photographs of theoffending vehicle with his cell phone.He stated as he was, he wasapproached by Morra, who was thevehicle owner. The victim informedpolice that Morra displayed a badgeto him and ordered him off theproperty while uttering severalinsulting expletives. Morra thenallegedly poked the victim in thechest and sternum several times,then shoved him, nearly knockinghim to the ground.As the victim attempted to takeMorra’s photograph with his cellphone, Morra reportedly slapped itfrom his hand, causing it to break intoseveral pieces on the pavement.While officers were speaking withthe victim, Morra came out of theSeaport and yelled at them to get thevictim off the property, using abarrage of profanity and derogatoryremarks. Morra, who is an electedmember of the Fairhaven PlanningBoard, an appointed associatemember of the Fairhaven Board ofAppeals, and a constable appointedby the New Bedford City Council, wasarrested Monday evening andcharged with assault and battery on adisabled person, intimi da tion of awitness, impersonating a policeofficer and malicious destruc tion ofproperty valued at over $250.Morra’s arrest came after a warrantwas issued Monday morning by aclerk magistrate from Third DistrictCourt for these offenses. He is alsoscheduled to appear in court laterthis week to answer to felonyBig doin’s in the neighborhoodvandalism and larceny charges whichstem from a separate incident thatoccurred in August of last year, whenhe allegedly stole steel fence polesfrom Jerry’s Auto, which abuts theSeaport property.Morra, who is not, nor has everbeen, a police officer was arrestedwithout incident by Officers MatthewBotelho and Daniel Dorgan.He was arraigned in Third DistrictCourt on Tuesday, 7/26, and releasedon $1,000 cash bail.Joseph Morra, elected to the FairhavenPlanning Board and appointed to theFairhaven Board of Appeals, was chargedwith assault & battery on a disabled personat the Seaport Inn, where Mr. Morra is theMarina & Function Manager. Photo by theFairhaven Police Department.A family from Brookline MA will soon occupy their part-timesummer residence in this new pre-fab cottage by on Balsam Streeton West Island which went from a concrete slab on stilts to arecognizable house in a matter of days. LEFT TOP: Workers puttogether a pre-fab house (BOTTOM) on West Island on Monday,7/25/11. ABOVE: The big crane is visible from the West IslandCauseway. Photos by ML Baron. See them in color atwww.NeighbNews.comFairhaven Neighborhood News Thursday, July 28, 2011 Page 3