BALDWINVILLE — On Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at approximately 7:41 a.m., Sergeant Derek Hall of the Templeton Police Department said he spoke with a woman on the phone about a possible restraining order violation.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Sergeant Derek Hall for the incident and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“[The reporting party] advised that she has a full no contact restraining order against James Galvin who was her boyfriend and they lived together,” Sgt. Hall said. “It should be noted that the Templeton Police Department has responded to [# redacted] Oak Street where [the reporting party] and James live on numerous occasions.” (Templeton police responded because Baldwinville is a village within the town of Templeton, Massachusetts.)
According to police, James Walter Galvin, 38, is homeless in Lawrence, MA.
“[The reporting party] advised me that she was told James was at Cumberland Farms in Baldwinville just hanging around and asking people for a job,” Sgt. Hall said. “[The reporting party] was concerned that she was at work and James might try to go back to the house while she was not home.”
Sergeant Hall said the reporting party informed him that she was presently located at the Baldwinville Post Office on Elm Street with her children.
“[The reporting party] advised that she was keeping them with her…until they had to go to school and she would drive them to school,” Sgt. Hall said.
Sergeant Hall said he told the reporting party that he would respond to the area and check to see if Galvin was around.
Upon arriving in the area of Elm Street, Sergeant Hall saw Galvin standing on the corner of the Cumberland Farms building at 35 Elm Street, which is directly across the street from the post office.
“James was standing to the left side of the door facing Elm Street,” Sgt. Hall said. “I had contacted and confirmed with my dispatcher that there was a full no contact order in effect and it expires January 21, 2026.”
Sergeant Hall said he called Officer Rob Deschenes, who was working the same shift, and asked if he would respond to the scene to assist.
“After Officer Deschenes arrived, we exited from our cruisers and spoke with James,” Sgt. Hall said. “We advised him why we were here and he acknowledged the restraining order and Officer Deschenes agreed that he served him in hand. James was advised that he had to stay away from [the reporting party’s] work place and 100 yards from her at all times. We agreed and kinda joked about 100 yards because James is very involved with sports and coaching and definitely knows what 100 yards in distance is.”
Sergeant Hall said Galvin did not deny the fact that where he was standing was directly across the street from where the reporting party was located.
“James was advised to turn around and place his hands behind his back and he was under arrest for violation of a restraining order,” Sergeant Hall said. “James slightly resisted and tensed up, but I was able to handcuff James behind his back.”
Sergeant Hall said that as he was pat frisking Galvin, the reporting party] drove out of the post office parking lot with her kids and headed in the direction of Templeton Center.
Sergeant Hall said he pointed out the reporting party’s vehicle to Galvin, stating, once again, that he was within 100 feet of her.
“I showed James this and confirmed…he was within 100 yards,” Sgt. Hall said.
Sergeant Hall then escorted Galvin to the rear seat of his cruiser and transported him to the Templeton Police Department for booking.
“James was booked and advised of his applicable rights pertaining to this arrest,” Sgt. Hall said. “James advised me that he took a screen shot of [the reporting party] looking at his Instagram account. James was advised I would document this and he should address this issue in the court with the judge. [The reporting party] was later advised of the situation with James and she was asked to fill out a voluntary statement about her side of the story. [She] was also asked to identify who told her James was at Cumberland Farms and asking for a job.”
James Walter Galvin, 38, is homeless in Lawrence, was charged with the following:
- Abuse Prevention Order, Violate
After he was booked, Galvin was transported to Gardner District Court for his arraignment.
Following his arraignment, Galvin was released on personal recognizance.
Galvin’s next court date was a pretrial hearing scheduled for Feb. 17, 2026.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in January, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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