If you go to the official web site of the Massachusetts Republican occasion, you will see that no point out of the occasion’s candidate for state auditor, Anthony Amore.
You will, nonetheless, discover an endorsement of the GOP candidate from the First Bristol and Plymouth Senate district, one Russell Protentis of Lakeville.
Does the identify ring a bell? Probably not, however you could have seen a surveillance photograph of the GOP statesman on the Facebook web page of the Hanover Police Department, with “IDENTIFIED” slapped throughout it.
Or you could have seen this Geoff Diehl marketing campaign contributor’s identify in a narrative from Channel 25:
“Man faces charges after committing lewd act at Hanover YMCA.”
Actually, that ought to say “allegedly” committing lewd act. He was charged with open and gross lewdness and annoying a member of the alternative intercourse.
Reached for remark, candidate Protentis adamantly denied exposing himself and stated he plans to combat the costs in court docket Nov. 1 – 5 days earlier than the election.
But he does admit to a part of what the Hanover cops stated about him of their report – that he gave two false names to the workers on the Y after they confronted him.
“Yeah, that’s true, as a result of once they accused me, I may see how this factor may go sideways.
“In retrospect, that probably wasn’t a smart thing to do, but I hadn’t done anything, and it was a Friday afternoon. If I hadn’t given those fake names, I would have been arrested and spent the weekend at the Plymouth County House of Correction, and I didn’t want to have to be dealing with this thing from a pay phone at the jail.”
According to the Hanover PD, on July 15 a 52-year-old girl and her 27-year-old daughter had been swimming on the YMCA pool when the older feminine noticed an aged man within the pool.
“She immediately noticed the man had pulled his penis out of the top of his bathing suit and was blatantly exposing his penis to her and anyone else that might be in the area.”
Protentis says he did no such factor. By the best way, this was not a marketing campaign occasion. Hanover is kind of a distance from his senatorial district.
“(The mother) stated she was ‘shocked,’” the police report says, “and that it clearly appeared as if the male party was doing this intentionally so that she and anyone else nearby would see.”
According to the police report, the girl then went to the Y workers they usually tracked Protentis down.
“He did not admit to exposing himself but stated to staff ‘this could ruin my career’ and indicated he was running for political office. When asked his name the male party first said it was Thomas Peterson and that he was a member at the Middleborough YMCA and a public official.”
A public official! The workers checked up on “Thomas Peterson.”
“After staff was unable to find a record for a member by that name the male party said his name was Jack Price, a member of the Quincy YMCA. Staff was also unable to find a member under that name… They asked the male party to leave and he did so without incident.”
Then the Y referred to as the cops and pulled the surveillance video, which the HPD posted on-line with an pressing request for help from law-abiding residents in figuring out the alleged perv.
“On Tuesday I got a call from someone from my church and he asked me if I knew I was on the police department website.”
This was in July, and Protentis was quickly arraigned at Hingham District Court. Apparently no person on the state GOP cared, or perhaps seen, as a result of the occasion has changed into a Jonestown-style cult, solely involved with destroying Anthony Amore for his sin of doing what all of the state GOP’s cult leaders have completed prior to now – sucking as much as Gov. Charlie Baker for photographs with him and money from his political committees.
We’ll take care of all that on Friday. Today let’s focus on the GOP’s formally endorsed candidate in opposition to Sen. Michael Rodrigues of Westport, the Senate chairman of Ways and Means.
Protentis is thisclose to state GOP chairman Jim “Jones” Lyons and Geoff Diehl. He was with them on major election evening. He says he had his image taken with Diehl and Fred Smerlas.
Protentis wasn’t precisely operating a big-budget marketing campaign even earlier than he made the cops’ BOLO web site. According to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, he’s raised precisely $250, $100 of which he loaned his personal marketing campaign.
According to his personal web site, Protentis believes in “protecting the sanctity of women’s rights” and “funding our police,” to not point out “bringing integrity back to Massachusetts.”
Did I point out that his home-page photograph is taken in entrance of… the White House?
The most fascinating factor to me is that his endorsement was up there on the GOP web site when severe state Senate candidates like Rep. Shawn Dooley (who ran in opposition to Jim Jones Lyons for the chairmanship) had been completely MIA on the positioning till Monday.
“I will wear this omission as a badge of honor,” Dooley posted earlier than he was lastly added.
Full disclosure: I do know Protentis just a little bit. He was a federal agent for a very long time. His exploits included, amongst different issues, the takedown means again when of one among Mafia thug Larry Baione’s kinfolk who was working out of a dive bar on Shawmut Avenue that I used to be vaguely aware of.
Earlier this yr Protentis wrote a ebook about his profession in legislation enforcement and requested me for a blurb. What the hell, I referred to as it a “fascinating memoir.” You may look it up on Amazon.
You know, sooner or later I could must be just a little extra cautious about these sorts of endorsements. They can come again to chew you, I’m coming to study.
But if Protentis beats the rap subsequent month, when you stay within the First Bristol and Plymouth Senate district, please think about voting for Thomas Peterson, er, Jack Price, er Russell Protentis.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”