Teens charged with breaking into Pentucket construction site

Dave Rogers, The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass.
·3 min read

Aug. 17—WEST NEWBURY — Two teens were caught after breaking into the construction site of the new Pentucket Regional Middle-High School and driving a forklift, according to police.

West Newbury police Sgt. Jay Johnson was checking the site Saturday about 1:30 a.m. during his regular patrol when he noticed what Chief Michael Dwyer called "unusual activity taking place."

Upon a closer look, Johnson spotted the teens on the forklift and confronted them.

Sean P. Gallagher, 18, of Groveland was arrested and charged with using a motor vehicle without authority, trespassing and malicious destruction of property under $1,200.

The second teen, Luis-Anthony N. Ciriaco, 18, also of Groveland, fled on foot but was issued a summons the following day for the same offenses.

Dwyer said the teens vandalized the construction site but did not damage the new school.

"I'm just happy there was no damage to the building," Dwyer said, adding that he was also glad there were no injuries.

The new 211,700-square-foot school is expected to accommodate about 970 students when it opens this fall. It replaces the former middle school, which opened in 1967, and the high school, which opened in 1958.

Johnson saw the forklift being used but could not get a good look at who was driving the vehicle, according to court documents.

That prompted him to drive into the former middle school parking lot where he found a Jeep Liberty. In plain view, he saw several empty alcohol containers and noticed the engine was still hot. He ran the Jeep's license plate and discovered it was registered to a member of Gallagher's family.

"I could hear conversation coming from the area of the gate and I began walking back toward the gate," Johnson wrote in his report. "As I approached I could hear two distinct voices and saw one party approaching the gate. They spotted me approaching and fled back into the construction site."

Groveland police and a second West Newbury officer responded. Officers began looking for the two teens in and around the construction site. Officers checked out the forklift and noticed that a fire extinguisher has been used as well. The fire extinguisher left marks on new sidewalks that were then removed.

Groveland police Officer Kyle Elardo spotted Gallagher walking on Merrimack River Road in Groveland and drove him back to the school site.

"I asked Mr. Gallagher if he was one of the persons I heard and observed on the construction site. He admitted that he was but that he was with a friend 'who talked me into making a bad decision,'" Johnston wrote in his report.

A representative for builder W.T. Rich Co. arrived and noticed other than the used fire extinguisher and a pipeline marker that had been run over by the forklift, there was no damage at the site. He also told police the keys were left under the forklift's seat.

Gallagher told police enough about his friend that officers were able to track down Ciriaco and summons him to court.

Dave Rogers is the editor of the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.

Dave Rogers is the editor of the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.