As if on cue . . .
From the Patriot Ledger:
STOUGHTON - A state trooper was high on cocaine and marijuana when he shoved a loaded revolver into his wife's mouth during a heated argument Monday night, a prosecutor said Friday.
Sgt. Timothy White, 39, alleged threatened to kill his wife and himself before finally surrendering to Stoughton police following a 90-minute standoff.
"This is a case of a man's danger to his wife, children and the community," said Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Maria Judge. Judge said White tested positive for cocaine and marijuana after being taken to Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center following his arrest.
Judge Francis Crimmins later ordered White to continue being held without bail and sent to Bridgewater State Hospital for 30 days for a mental-health evaluation. White's attorney, Timothy Burke, had urged the judge to allow his client to be treated at a private psychiatric facility.
The judge said he couldn't ignore a frantic 911 call that White's wife, Maura, made to Stoughton police. The audio tape was played in court for Friday's hearing to determine if bail should be set for the trooper.
"He stuffed a gun in my mouth," Maura White, 41, is heard telling a Stoughton police dispatcher as she wept uncontrollably. "This is the last straw. It's not my fault. Get than gun out of here."
The prosecutor said White, a former public affairs officer assigned to the narcotics unit in Framingham, broke one of his wife's ribs in an incident last July. She said Stoughton Police sought a clerk's hearing to consider possible charges against the trooper for a fight with his wife in December.
White, a trooper since 1987, is charged with assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, intimidating a witness and two counts of assault and battery.
"This is a case that cries out for intervention," said Burke, White's attorney. "He needs help." Burke said he would appeal Judge Crimmins' ruling to Norfolk Superior Court.
Several State Police colleagues and a close friend of White's testified that he was well respected in law enforcement circles. "He has an excellent reputation," said Brockton attorney Ronald Mone, a childhood friend of the trooper's. "I have never known Tim to have a propensity for violence. I know him to be mild- mannered and gentle."
Mone and others said they would take responsibility for him if he were released on bail.
State Police Lt. Michael Kelly described White as an excellent trooper, and always dependable.
State Police Sgt. Edward Lee, who is assigned to the department's employee's assistance unit, testified that he was called to White's home the night of the incident and talked to him on the telephone while Stoughton police remained outside. "He was depressed," said Lee. "He thought this would cause him to lose his children and his job."
Stoughton Police Sgt. Robert Bohn said he believed White was armed with his .38-caliber service revolver.
White's wife, and daughters, 4 and 6, were at a neighbor's while police talked to White about surrendering. Bohn said White volunteered to unload his gun and leave it on a table before walking outside.
"He was totally depressed," said Bohn. "He was concerned about his girls. He said, 'My wife,' and shook his head."
The prosecutor said White was taking medication for depression, but had apparently stopped.
Stoughton Police Detective Sgt. Robert Welch testified that Maura White told him that the couple had argued over the weekend and she had taken their two children to spend the night at a Dedham motel. She returned to their home at about 8:30 p.m. Monday.
Welch said Maura White told him that her husband first took out gun and pointed it at himself, and then said he would kill her instead. White ripped out the batteries of a phone when Maura tried to make a call, according to his wife.
During cross examination, Welch said Maura White told him that her husband was a good father and she didn't believe that he would harm their children.
White is on paid administrative leave. A State Police hearing on his status is scheduled for Monday.