WINCHENDON — On Saturday, June 8th, 2024 at approximately 9:20 p.m., Winchendon dispatch received a call from the ranger station at the Lake Dennison campground stating that a woman was at the station alleging a 209a Abuse Prevention Order violation.
Officer Alexander Favreau and Officer Justin Smith of the Winchendon Police Department responded to the scene.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narratives of Officer Favreau and Officer Wironen and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
When he arrived at the contact station at the front entrance to Lake Dennison campground, Officer Favreau said that he was met with a female later identified as Cassie [last name redacted].
“Cassie was sitting on the floor in the back room of the station holding a flashlight and crying,” Officer Favreau said. “I asked Cassie what happened. She said her husband, Mark Persson Jr. was here at the camp in violation of the restraining order she has against him. I asked her why she believes this and she said she observed Mark walking around her campsite the day before and again tonight around 8:30 p.m.”
According to police, Mark S. Persson, Jr., 30, is a resident of 130 Barre Road, Templeton, MA.
Cassie informed Officer Favreau that Persson had visited her campsite the day before, Friday, June 7, 2024. She said that during this visit, he attempted to speak with her, but she ignored him.
Cassie reported that, while walking that evening with a man named Richard [last name redacted], who was staying at a nearby campsite, she noticed a campfire burning at her campsite, number 92, which she hadn’t started. She told Officer Favreau that she assumed the fire at her campsite was started by Persson, so she walked to the contact station to seek assistance.
“Officer Smith asked her if the restraining order was active and she said yes,” Officer Favreau said. “Cassie also stated she knew he was here because someone had delivered a phone that was found in the bathroom next to Cassie’s campsite. Cassie provided Officer Smith with Mark’s phone number, which he called using a department cell phone. The phone that was found began to ring. Dispatch advised us the [abuse prevention] order was active and Officer Smith confirmed it again with his MDT [mobile data terminal] in his cruiser.”
After confirming the restraining order, Officer Smith and Officer Favreau went to campsite 14 to speak with Richard.
Richard told police that he saw Persson at and around her campsite and told Cassie to go to the contact station at around 9:00 p.m.
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After speaking with Richard, the officers went to campsite 92 – Cassie’s campsite – and searched the area for Persson.
“We saw a bike at the campsite which Cassie later stated did not belong to her,” Officer Favreau said. “We searched the site; I looked inside the tent and observed a bed and clothing but no visible persons. Officer Smith and I searched the roads and bath houses leading back to the contact station at the entrance to the campground.”
Officer Favreau told Officer Smith that he knew of a path near Cassie’s campsite that leads to the day use section of Lake Dennison that he wanted to search.
“Officer Smith stayed with Cassie and I searched the day use area,” Officer Favreau said. “I made contact with two visitors in the day use area who stated they had not seen anyone in the area. I searched the area and then returned to Officer Smith at the contact station.”
At 10:16 p.m., Officer Favreau assisted K9 Officer James Wironen, who used K9 Blitz to try to track Persson using his scent from the bicycle he allegedly rode to the campground.
“I attempted a track at approximately 10:16 p.m. by creating a scent article off of a bicycle that the suspect allegedly rode to the camp ground,” Officer Wironen said. “I deployed K-9 Blitz at the road as we did not have a PLS [place last seen] and Mark had allegedly left his cell phone in the bathroom which was across the street from the campsite. K-9 Blitz showed odor recognition and tracked out to the main entrance but did not show good tracking behavior any further. After a long attempt at tracking with no results, I returned K-9 Blitz to the cruiser kennel. I then cleared from the campground.”
Officer Smith and Officer Favreau then spoke with Cassie and the campground employees and Cassie decided she was going to retrieve her belongings and move to a different campsite at the Otter River campground.
“We advised Cassie on the status of our search and that we would be applying for an arrest warrant on Monday,” Officer Favreau said. “I left the park and returned to the police station.”
At around 11:00 p.m., while Officer Wironen was driving on Baldwinville State Road, dispatch notified him that Cassie had located Persson under the mattress in her tent.
“I returned to the campsite and was first on scene,” Officer Wironen said. “As I was by myself, I brought K-9 Blitz out on a four-foot waist lead and put him in a down stay [position] approximately 20 feet from the tent. I gave K-9 announcements to Mark. ‘Police with a K9, come out now or I will send the K-9 in and he will bite you.’ I said this two complete times, and on the third time, Mark started to open the tent.”
Officer Wironen ordered Persson to show him his hands, which he did.
“I then ordered Mark to lie on the ground on his stomach with his hands on his head which he did,” Officer Wironen said. “I told Mark not to move or he would be bit by the K9. I also ordered Mark to remain in this position until my partners arrived. Mark replied, absolutely sir.’ As Mark was being cooperative, I called K9 Blitz to a heal so I would have two points of control with him, the leash and his harness handle.”
At around 11:18 p.m., Officers Smith and Favreau returned to the scene.
“I returned to campsite 92 where K9 Officer Wironen had Mark in the prone position [prone means lying face down on one’s stomach] in front of the tent,” Officer Favreau said. “Officer Smith handcuffed Mark and placed him under arrest.”
After Officer Smith searched Persson for weapons and read him his Miranda rights, Persson chose not to speak with police.
“Due to Mark making verbal contact with Cassie at camp the day prior, his phone being found within 40 yards of her campsite, and finding him inside Cassie’s tent in violation of the conditions of a restraining order in which he is the defendant, Mark was arrested and charged with MGL. 209A section 7 Violation of an Abuse Prevention Order,” Officer Favreau explained.
Officer Smith placed Persson in the back of Officer Favreau’s patrol car and Officer Favreau transported Persson back to the station where he was booked.
Persson was arraigned in Winchendon District Court on June 10, 2024.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from June, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to get the court documents for the incident. FOIAs are time consuming.
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