TEMPLETON — On Monday, March 23, 2026, at approximately 9:31 p.m., Templeton dispatch received a 911 call from a resident of Patriots Road.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Nicholas Malnati and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“Harvey stated he could hear banging coming from inside his home, and he was worried it could possibly be his daughter Sarah Chasse, who he has an active 209A protection order against,” Templeton Police Officer Nicholas Malnati said.
According to police, Sarah K. Chasse, 34, has the same Patriots Road address in Templeton, Massachusetts, on file as the residence her father told police he lives at. Court documents indicate Chasse is separated from her husband and unemployed.
“At approximately 9:40 p.m., I arrived at the residence,” Officer Malnati said. “Officer [Daniel] Donahue had arrived a minute prior.”
Officer Malnati said that after speaking with Harvey, he and Officer Donahue checked the outside of the residence.
“There was a coating of fresh snow around the residence, Officer Donahue and I checked the area around the house,” Officer Malnati said. “There were no visible footprints or tire tracks in the snow around the house.”
Officer Donahue and Malnati then advised Harvey of what they observed outside.
“Harvey stated that if there was nothing outside, he was certain someone was inside the residence,” Officer Malnati said.
Officer Malnati said that Harvey again stated he heard banging and that a set of keys had gone missing at some point that day.
“Harvey was visibly upset and scared,” Officer Malnati said. “Officer Donahue and I advised Harvey that we would check the residence for him.”
The officers then went to the second floor of the residence and entered the first bedroom on the right-hand side, which was Chasse’s room.
“Officer Donahue and I observed a TV on in the bedroom and it was very loud,” Officer Malnati said. “Harvey stated he can’t figure out how to turn off that TV.”
Officer Malnati said he unplugged the television so he and Officer Donahue could hear each other.
“Officer Donahue then noticed between the mattress and the wall was a male party who was later identified as Edward Cochran hiding under a blanket,” Officer Malnati said. “Officer Donahue ordered Edward to his feet. Edward stated that Sarah let him in the residence and he had been there for a few days. When asked about Sarah’s location, Edward stated that she left for the methadone clinic a few days prior.”
Officer Malnati said Harvey, who was present during their exchange with Cochran, was visibly upset and stated that he wanted to press charges.
“I asked Edward to find his shoes at this time. Edward went over to the side of the bed and lifted a pair of shoes from underneath a large women’s purse. I then placed Edward into handcuffs and sat him down on the bed,” Officer Malnati said.
Officer Malnati told Officer Donahue that he believed Chasse was also present because of the large purse on top of Cochran’s shoes.
“Edward was asked again if Sarah was present, and he stated not to his knowledge,” Officer Malnati said. “At this time, Officer Donahue looked under the bed. Officer Donahue observed a female party who was later identified as Sarah Chasse, hiding under the bed.”
Officer Donahue ordered Chasse out from under the bed.
“Sarah began to plea with her father Harvey and stated she will go to a sober program tomorrow,” Officer Malnati said.
Officer Malnati said Chasse was advised of the 209A abuse prevention order violation, and she was placed into custody.
“The Templeton Police Department has had multiple recent dealings with Harvey and Sarah,” Officer Malnati said. “Sarah knows she is not welcome at the residence and was served the restraining order when issued. Harvey knew Edward by name, and yelled at him in the kitchen, stated he knows he is not welcome there, and he must have broken into the home.”
Officer Malnati said Cochran and Chasse both stated that they used Chasse’s keys to enter the home a few days earlier.
“Officer Donahue and I transported both Edward and Sarah back to the Templeton Police Department for the booking process,” Officer Malnati said.
Edward H. Cochran, Jr., 35, of Fitchburg, was charged with the following:
- Trespassing
Sarah Chasse, 34, of Templeton, was charged with the following:
- Abuse Prevention Order Violation
- Trespassing
Cochran’s bail was set at $500 and Chasse was ordered held without bail on the abuse prevention order violation.
Cochran was arraigned in Gardner District Court on March 24, 2026. Following his arraignment, he was released on bail. On March 27, 2026, Cochran attended a pretrial hearing during which he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three days in the house of correction with credit for three days having already been served.
Chasse was arraigned in Gardner District Court on March 24, 2026. Following her arraignment, she was released on $100 bail. She then attended a pretrial hearing on May 21, 2026, which was continued to June 3, 2026, and continued again to June 26, 2026.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in March, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
To learn more about News Link Live’s unique business model, please read the following:
An online business model that could replace local newspapers
Why The Leominster Champion Failed
The Medium is the Message by Marshall McCLuhan
The Ego and the ID by Sigmund Freud
