Friday, May 17, 2013
Henry Papuga, former Milford Water Company manager, was sentenced Friday to five years of probation and 250 hours of community service. In a statement, he apologized for his actions.
WORCESTER — Henry Papuga stood before a Superior Court judge Friday and admitted he had added a chlorine bleach to water samples on Aug. 15, 2009, an action he said he could not remember for some time afterward. In his sentencing hearing, one day after his conviction on eight charges relating to tampering with water samples in 2009, Papuga apologized for his actions that day. Papuga, 62, the former head of the Milford Water Company, was sentenced Friday to a year in jail, but that sentence is suspended for five years of probation. He also must not work in the drinking water industry, and has to perform 250 hours of community servce in the next five years. He will pay no restitution. "I truly apologize for that instantaneous moment, I …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Henry Papuga, the retired former manager of the Milford Water Company, was found guilty Thursday of deliberately tampering with water samples in 2009. He will be sentenced Friday.
WORCESTER — Henry Papuga, the retired former manager of the Milford Water Company, deliberately tampered with water samples in 2009, and made false statements about the integrity of those samples, a Superior Court judge ruled Thursday. The four-day trial in Worcester Superior Court ended with a verdict from the bench. Superior Judge David Ricciardone said he found the state's circumstantial evidence to be convincing. "I am convinced beyond a reasonable doubt of the defendant's guilt," Ricciardone said. "... to do otherwise, I'd have to believe in a stunning series of coincidences." Sentencing will be at 11:30 a.m. Friday. Papuga was found guilty of six counts of tampering with environmental monitoring device or method, and two counts of …
The trial of retired Milford Water Company manager Henry Papuga is expected to finish Thursday. Closing arguments are expected this afternoon.
WORCESTER — Scientists, lab technicians, public safety officials and Milford Water Company employees have all testified this week in the trial of former Water Company manager Henry Papuga. The testimony is expected to be completed Thursday, with closing arguments tentatively set for Thursday afternoon. Papuga is charged with six counts relating to tampering with drinking water samples, and two counts relating to making false statements on a chain of custody form. State prosecutors contend he was under so much pressure to put a stop to the boil water order of August 2009, that he intentionally tampered with a round of water samples to make sure they came out "clean." The boil water order required 27,000 residential and business customers of…
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Milford Police Chief Thomas O'Loughlin testified Monday at the trial of Henry Papuga, the former manager of the Milford Water Company.
WORCESTER — Milford Police Chief Thomas O'Loughlin testified Monday that the cost of distributing bottled water to town residents, following the 2009 boil water order, was borne by the Milford Water Company. And the private utility also paid for the $45-an-hour police details needed to keep traffic flowing smoothly and tempers in check, as thousands of people turned out at Milford High School to collect free gallons. The first day alone, he said, 6,000 vehicles pulled through the high school. Nearly all received just one gallon of water. The four pallets of water initially purchased by the Water Company for the distribution were gone in the first hour. "It was a loggerjam," O'Loughlin said. "The response was just simply unbelievable, the …
Monday, May 13, 2013
Henry Papuga, the former head of the Milford Water Co, waived his right to a trial by jury Monday and chose instead to have his case heard by a judge.
WORCESTER — Testimony in the criminal trial against the former head of the Milford Water Company began Monday, after the defendant, Henry Papuga, waived his right to a trial by jury. Instead, a judge will determine whether Papuga is guilty, or not guilty, of eight charges filed against him by the state Attorney General's Office. Papuga is charged with six counts relating to tampering with drinking water samples, and two counts relating to making false statements on a chain of custody form. Prosecutors contend he intentionally tampered with drinking water samples to lift the burden of a boil water order imposed on Milford in August 2009. The state-imposed boil water order required the 27,000 customers of the private water company to boil …
Monday, March 4, 2013
The trial of Henry Papuga, former Milford Water Company manager, has been postponed again, this time at the request of the defense attorney.
A series of rescheduled court dates has pushed the start of the trial of Henry Papuga to mid-May. Papuga, the former Milford Water Company manager, is charged with six counts of tampering with environmental monitoring device or method, and two counts of making false statements. State prosecutors say he intentionally added a chemical to Milford drinking water samples in 2009, acting under pressure to resolve the problem of a two-week boil water order. Following his indictment, Papuga pleaded not guilty to the eight charges and was released from custody, pending trial. His trial has been rescheduled three times in the past four months. Jury selection had been scheduled to begin Monday, but the case was rescheduled to May 13, at the request …
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66 Dilla St, Milford, MA
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Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Updated: Henry Papuga, who for years was the public face of the Milford Water Company, will be tried on state charges that he intentionally tampered with drinking water samples.
Updated: the trial of Henry Papuga, former manager of the Milford Water Company, will begin with jury selection on Nov. 28, according to the state attorney's office. The trial had been scheduled to begin Monday, but was rescheduled due to conflicts. Original post: Three years ago last summer, when Milford residents were told to boil their drinking water for two weeks, the general manager of the Milford Water Company was under tremendous pressure to fix the problem, according to public officials. Was Henry Papuga, of Milford, under so much pressure that he intentionally added a chemical to drinking water samples, to lift the boil water order? That's the contention of state prosecutors. Papuga will be tried next week on six counts of …
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Henry Papuga, the former manager of the Milford Water Company, pleaded not guilty to eight charges relating to tampering of water samples, in Worcester Superior Court Thursday.
The former manager of the Milford Water Company pleaded not guilty to eight charges in Worcester Superior Court Thursday and was released on personal recognizance. Henry Papuga was indicted in September on eight charges relating to tampering with water samples, following a 2009 boil water order. Both Papuga and William Kettlewell, his Boston-based criminal defense attorney, declined to comment following the arraignment hearing. Judge James Lemire accepted the pleas and set the date for a pretrial conference of Nov. 14. Papuga, who lives in Milford, was allowed to return home on personal recognizance. Papuga, 61, retired from the private utility company in 2009. He was indicted Sept. 22 by a Worcester County grand jury on six counts of …
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Milford Water Company
66 Dilla St, Milford, MA
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Thursday, September 22, 2011
Henry Papuga, the former manager of the Milford Water Company, was indicted Wednesday by a grand jury for allegedly tampering with drinking water samples following the 2009 boil water order in Milford.
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Thursday, September 22, 2011
UPDATED: An arraignment hearing on the charges has been scheduled for 9 a.m. Oct. 6 at Worcester Superior Court. Editor's Note: Henry Papuga could not be reached at his home Thursday afternoon for comment. The following press release was issued Thursday by the office of state Attorney General Martha Coakley. The Milford Water Company is a private utility company. An indictment is not a finding of guilt, it indicates a grand jury found enough evidence to move the case forward: The former manager of the Milford Water Company has been indicted for allegedly tampering with contaminated water samples during a boil water order and for making false statement about the samples, Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office announced today. Henry …
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Milford Water Company
66 Dilla St, Milford, MA
/articles/ex-water-company-manager-indicted
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bzriley
5:59 pm on Monday, May 20, 2013
Why is my original comment dated 5/17 deleted? My response to Jennifer's post is here but not my actual comment to the news--who deletes remarks. and why??? more ›