CHARLTON — On Wednesday, November 5, 2025, Detective Ronald Obuchowski of the Charlton Police Department was assigned to investigate a past larceny that had originally been reported to the Charlton Police Department on April 29, 2025.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Statement of Facts of Detective Ronald J. Obuchowski Jr. and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“The initial investigation was conducted by Detective Eric McNeely of the Charlton Police Department, who determined that the victim, Ronald V. Peterson, owned a business in Charlton while residing in Sturbridge,” Det. Obuchowski said. “Detective McNeely’s investigation revealed that a former employee of Mr. Peterson had gained unauthorized access to financial records located both at his business and his residence. Detective McNeely completed the investigation before learning that the proper jurisdiction for the offense was the Town of Sturbridge.”
On Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, Detective Obuchowski met with Detective McNeely at the Charlton Police Department. During the meeting, Detective McNeely said he had spoken with Ronald Peterson, the owner of Peterson Attachments: Hydraulic Hammer and Breaker Parts, located in Charlton.
“According to Mr. Peterson, he believed that Zulin Ortiz Alvarado stole approximately $40,000.00 from his personal and business accounts with TD Bank. Mr. Peterson stated that he contacted the TD Bank branch in Sturbridge, and with the assistance of the branch manager, Lisa Mills, identified a total of 43 fraudulent purchases made from his account,” Det. Obuchowski said. “Mr. Peterson identified Zulin Ortiz Alvarado as the woman he had hired to clean both his business in Charlton and his private residence in Sturbridge.”
According to police, Zulin M. Ortiz Alvarado, 50, is a resident of Webster, MA.
Detective McNeely told Detective Obuchowski that Peterson provided several documents he had received from Mills, the bank manager of the TD Bank branch in Sturbridge.
“These documents included nine pages of transaction records reflecting funds withdrawn from two TD Bank accounts belonging to Mr. Peterson,” Det. Obuchowski said. “Within the records, two individuals were identified as having authorized the purchases or payments: Ursula Alvarado and Zulin Ortiz-Alvarado. Additional documents identified the dates on which the purchases were made, as well as the associated vendors: Amazon Corp, SYF, Kelly & Ryan MU, Capital One, Wayfair, Westlake Services, Safety Insurance, Comenity Pay, National Grid, and MassDOТ.”
On Nov. 23, 2025, at approximately 12:00 p.m., Detective McNeely conducted a scheduled meeting with Ortiz Alvarado at the Charlton Police Department, according to Detective Obuchowski.
“Because Ms. Ortiz Alvarado primarily speaks Spanish, Sergeant Charlie Williams of the Warren Police Department was present to provide translation during the interview,” Det. Obuchowski said. “Upon Ms. Ortiz Alvarado’s arrival, she was escorted to an interview room where Sergeant Williams advised her of her Miranda rights and informed her that she was free to leave the interview at any time.”
Ortiz Alvarado acknowledged that she understood her rights and agreed to speak with Detective McNeely and Sgt. Williams. She subsequently signed the Miranda rights form.
“During the interview, Ms. Ortiz Alvarado confirmed that she was employed by Mr. Peterson, cleaning his place of business in Charlton and his private residence in Sturbridge,” Det. Obuchowski said. “For services rendered, Mr. Peterson would pay Ms. Ortiz Alvarado with a personal check. During the course of her employment, Ms. Ortiz Alvarado had access to financial records that would confirm the TD Bank accounts and routing number that Ms. Ortiz Alvarado would fraudulently use for personal reasons.”
Detective McNeely then showed Ortiz Alvarado the transaction lists obtained from TD Bank that identified her through the tracer numbers associated with each transaction.
“Detective McNeely then asked about her mother, Ursula Alvarado. Ms. Ortiz Alvarado stated that her mother was 86 years old and lived in Puerto Rico,” Det. Obuchowski said. “She further claimed that Mr. Peterson’s wife…had given her permission to use the bank accounts to assist with Ms. Ortiz Alvarado’s move from Southbridge to Webster.”
Detective Obuchowski said that, as the interview progressed, Ortiz Alvarado “became emotional and began to cry.”
“She admitted that neither Mr. nor Ms. Peterson had given her permission to use their bank accounts and that all of the listed transactions were fraudulent,” Det. Obuchowski said. “Ms. Ortiz Alvarado explained that due to financial difficulties and health concerns, she became desperate as her financial burdens increased. She stated that she initially made small purchases, and when her activity went unnoticed, she increased the transactions to include larger purchases.”
At the conclusion of the interview, Ortiz Alvarado agreed to complete a written statement in Spanish, according to Det. Obuchowski.
Officer Marc Widing of the Sturbridge Police Department acted as a translator and documented Ortiz Alvarado’s statements, including an admission that she made several purchases using Ron Peterson’s account while she was employed by his wife, Detective Obuchowski said.
“Ms. Ortiz Alvarado stated that she was struggling financially and had abused the trust of Julie and Ron. She apologized for her actions,” Det. Obuchowski said. “In closing, Ms. Ortiz Alvarado admitted to making purchases from Amazon, Wayfair, and Capital One.”
Detective Obuchowski said that, based on the investigation conducted by Detective McNeely, there was probable cause to believe that Ortiz Alvarado carried out 38 fraudulent transactions by accessing Peterson’s finances.
“I have confirmed with Lisa Mills from TD Bank in Sturbridge that Mr. Peterson was not out any money when all of the transactions were reversed,” Det. Obuchowski said. “Amazon Corp, SYF, Kelly & Ryan MU, Capital One, Wayfair, Westlake Services, Safety Insurance, Comenity Pay, National Grid, and MassDOT have failed to report their respective losses.”
Detective Obuchowski requested a clerk magistrate hearing in Dudley District Court, and court records show that a criminal complaint charging Zulin M. Ortiz Alvarado with larceny over $1,200 by single scheme was issued on Nov. 26, 2025, with an arraignment scheduled for Dec. 30, 2025.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the arrest in this story took place in November, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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