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New Bedford Voc Tech has spent thousands in legal fees to fight access to public records related to student killed in January
Earlier this week, we reported that the investigation into the death of a New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School student is still open and active. But Fall River Reporter has also learned that the school used its legal team to seemingly prevent Fall River Reporter from gaining access to personnel files related to a former employee who was in the car with that student, Jacob Pothier, when it crashed in January, killing Pothier.
Pothier, then 18 and a student at the New Bedford high school, was found outside a crashed 2022 Honda Accord in the area of Gulf Road in Darthmouth this past January. 44-year-old Kathleen Martins of Dartmouth was also found outside the car on site. Pothier died as a result of his injuries and Martins was critically injured.
The city of New Bedford issued a statement in the weeks after the accident when rumors began to circulate online about a connection between Pothier and Martins. Despite a statement from New Bedford Voc Tech Superintendent Michael Watson about the death of Pothier, Watson failed to mention that Martins herself was a former employee of the high school.
Fall River Reporter learned that Martins was employed at New Bedford Voc Tech after a tip from a former student. We sent an email to Watson who confirmed that Martins was employed as a security officer at the high school from August 23rd, 2021 until March 6th, 2023 when she resigned.
In an effort to learn more about Martins and her time working for New Bedford Voc Tech, Fall River Reporter submitted two records requests to the school district: one for the personnel file of Martins and the second for all emails regarding Martins in the weeks after the accident.
Rather than comply with the request for information, the school district enlisted the services of Norris, Murray and Peloquin, LLC, attorneys at law who in turn, attempted to charge Reporter fees totaling over $1,000 in order to meet the request for information. Fall River Reporter submitted an appeal with the Secretary of the Commonwealth which the school continued to fight.
In the meantime, we submitted a request for documents detailing how much the school has paid to fight us for our request for these public records. In an email response from the school district, the district revealed that to date, they have spent close to $5,000 in legal fees in their effort to prevent ease of access to public records.
We intend to start a new set of requests for information related to this case in the near future. In the meantime, if you have any information related to this story, you may email us at fallriverreporter.com.
A fan
May 31, 2024 at 1:46 pm
Jess, keep up the good work.
Jake Perry
May 31, 2024 at 2:47 pm
This reminds me of a song by Tommy James.
Jen
May 31, 2024 at 3:14 pm
Don’t let this go under the radar! She needs to be exposed!!
Fans
May 31, 2024 at 3:51 pm
Why is it anyone’s business about her employment there? Why is it actually anyone’s business what they were doing together?
Let his parents and family mourn him.
Ken Paiva
May 31, 2024 at 6:49 pm
If, and I say if, an adult school employee was having an intimate relationship with a minor, you are fine with that happening? Might as well let every schoolteacher have sex with students if they want right? The blame here wouldn’t be on the deceased if true.
Mark
June 1, 2024 at 2:15 pm
Well he was 18 at time of death so technically not a minor. It was probably going on before then though but it really shouldn’t matter because age of consent is Massachusetts is 16. School employees really shouldn’t be in a relationship with a student but he was 18 he knew what he was doing. He’s not some little 11 year old who doesn’t understand, he was old enough to know exactly what he’s doing. I don’t understand why people treat 18 year olds like babies they’re grown and they know what they’re doing. There’s more important things going on in the world than some 44 year old lady’s relationship with some 18 year old.
Joe Silvia
June 1, 2024 at 6:24 pm
Classic gaslighting and example of a soy boy throwing himself on his white knight sword.
If this was an 18-year-old girl who was a student and she was with a 44-year-old male teacher you’d be singing a different tune, calling him a creep and a perv, talking about the patriarchy and toxic masculinity. You’re a white knight NPC who isn’t intelligent enough to know that people can be concerned about this story AND more important things.
Blank
June 2, 2024 at 8:58 pm
I just want to pop this in there, there was allegations a few years ago that were covered up between these two individuals, he was under 18 then.
Jesus Trup
June 1, 2024 at 4:11 pm
It said the poor guy was 18. But if they were doing the dirty before his passing for how long was it taking place. And the age of consent in Massachusetts is 16, but I’m sure all that changes when the elder works at the school with the kid
Robert Costa
May 31, 2024 at 7:12 pm
Why did she resign? Why was she (age 44) out in the middle of nowhere on a Friday night with a student (age 18)? These are legitimate questions that the public is being told please don’t ask. Sounds like they had a relationship outside of school. Why the cover-up?
Mark r
May 31, 2024 at 8:26 pm
Because Voke doesn’t want to get sued along with the City and the Teacher which she should, be!
Jesus trump
June 1, 2024 at 4:14 pm
It says she resigned in the beginning of 2023. And this tragic event happened the beginning of 2024…. is what I’m under the impression.
But yes this probably should be checked out if she was doing not the right stuff while employed at the kids school. If is key word, I’ve never actually seen this sad story until I just got the email for it
C L Souza
May 31, 2024 at 9:02 pm
Whatever was going on had to be going on when he was a minor. She should be held accountable. Shame, shame on her.
Jesus trump
June 1, 2024 at 4:15 pm
Age of consent is 16. But I’m sure that changes and way different rules about it if it’s someone employed at a kids school