Richard A. Pond Chronology of the Democrat Candidate for
Plymouth County Sheriff 2010:
(1991 - 2007)
POND’S VISCIOUS ASSAULT & BATTERY ON A RESTRAINED INMATE RESULTS IN A COSTLY CIVIL RIGHTS JUDGMENT ON THE TAX PAYERS
1991
Suffolk County correction officer Richard Pond was listed as a co-defendant in a civil lawsuit filed in the Suffolk County Superior Court
in Boston (civil docket # 91-3176-E) claiming brutality, excessive use of force and civil rights violations resulting from the vicious, unprovoked beating of a
restrained minority inmate, Albert Lewin at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility. According to The Boston Globe (“Suit Accuses Five Jail Guards of Beating Lewin” by Boston Globe
staff writer Doris Sue Wong on May 14, 1991), “Richard Pond stood on the bed [a 200 pound steel bed that was tipped over, on top of Lewin, pinning him to the floor] while
Joseph Fitzpatrick punched and kicked Albert Lewin repeatedly in the head, face and chest…which…left Lewin unable to move for hours, coughing up blood.” The Plaintiff
won his case against Suffolk County in the amount of several hundred thousand dollars, and Officer Pond was personally found responsible for use of excessive force,
assault and battery, infliction of summary punishment and intentional infliction of emotional distress, in violation of the inmate’s civil rights, according to the
Special Jury Verdict and a Boston Globe account of the incident (“Man Cleared of Killing Officer Wins Suit: Lewin, Beaten in Jail, is Awarded $225,000” by Boston Globe
staff writer John Ellement on April 28, 1995). (see Exhibit ‘R’, Exhibit ‘S’,
Exhibit ‘T’, Exhibit ‘U’) Note: Albert Lewin had been arrested for the murder of a Boston Police Detective while serving a ‘no-knock’ warrant in Dorchester on February 17, 1988.
Lewin was later acquitted by jury in 1990 and two Boston Police officers were charged with perjury in the case.
1992
Richard Pond’s second wife, Leslie Ann (MacIsaac) Pond gave birth to twin sons (Rick Pond’s 3rd and 4th children),
Richard Archibald Pond and Gervis James Pond. November 2nd.
QUESTIONABLE DISABILITY CLAIM ARISES DURING LITIGATION
@1995
In the midst of the Lewin lawsuit, Richard Pond claimed a series of work related injuries. First, he claimed to have
‘slipped out of a chair’ while working in central control and allegedly injured his back, for which he initially remained out of work for approximately
a year and a half. As a non-inmate related injury he received only sixty (60%) percent of his average weekly wage.
POND’S SECOND WIFE CLAIMS CRUEL & ABUSIVE TREATMENT
1996
Richard Pond’s second wife, Leslie Ann Pond filed a Complaint for Divorce in the Plymouth County Probate and Family
Court (docket number 96D1436-DV1) against her husband, Richard Pond on the grounds that “On or about July 4, 1996 the defendant (Richard Pond)
was guilty of cruel and abusive treatment on this date and other divers dates and times and the marriage suffers an irretrievable breakdown,
which continues to exist.” The divorce action did not proceed forward and the Ponds are still married. July 31st.
(see Exhibit ‘V’)
ANOTHER DISABILITY CLAIM…THIS TIME PERMANENT!
1997
Richard Pond allegedly ‘recovered’ sufficiently from the 1995 injury, allowing him to return to work. Next, however,
in January of 1997, Pond claimed an inmate related injury, boosting his weekly workers’ compensation rate to one hundred (100%) percent of his
weekly wage! Pond filed a ‘First Report of Injury’ with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department on January 12, 1997 claiming to have sustained a
neck injury in a scuffle with an inmate. In a radio interview on The Ron Van Dam Show AM 1469 WXBR on April 23, 2010 (please do a web search of:
ustream.tv/recorded/6379315), Pond claimed that he had received a “broken neck and shoulder in a riot” at the Suffolk County House of Correction,
and that he had to have a [metal] “rod” surgically implanted in his neck. Pond’s own co-workers dispute his account of that incident, and the
nature and extent of his alleged injury. Furthermore, there is no record or report from the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department indicating that
there had been any “riot” at the correctional facility on that date. Mr. Pond never returned to work, ultimately retiring with a full disability
pension under M.G.L. chapter 32, section 7 effective January 15th 1999. (Letter from Boston Retirement Board dated December 21, 2001).
STILL FAILED TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT AFTER TWO DECADES
1997
Richard Pond’s own Attorney, Robert Jubinville filed a Motion to Correct Judgment in the Suffolk County Probate Court,
acknowledging that Mr. Pond’s aggregate child support “arrearages were set at $14,000.00” but that that Mr. Pond had made payments toward that
amount which “leaves arrearages owed [by Mr. Pond] of $4,990.00”. March 21st. (see Exhibit ‘W’) Note: Fourteen thousand ($14,000.00) dollars constitutes 6 years and 9+ months of unpaid child support payments during which time Mr. Pond
found it unnecessary to support his own children, opting to have them supported by the Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare (i.e. The taxpayers…you
and us!). According to the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance’s public access website, Mr. Pond reported that he spent three
thousand two hundred and sixty-nine 98/100 ($3,269.98) dollars on his Verizon® Wireless™ cell phone bill alone, in 2008. That constitutes more than one
and a half (1.5+) years of child support payments at Mr. Pond’s court ordered rate of just forty ($40.00) dollars per week. Apparently, payment of Mr. Pond’s
cell phone bill was more important to him than the financial support of his own children! (see Exhibit ‘X’)
1999
Richard Pond went out on a full disability retirement pension. Mr. Pond has not worked for almost fifteen (15) years
since his alleged January 12th 1997 injury. (effective MGL c. 32, s. 7 disability retirement date: January 15th 1999)
POND’S GENEROUS POLITICAL CONTRIBUTION TO MITT ROMNEY
2002
According to the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance, now Democrat candidate for Plymouth County
Sheriff, Richard A. Pond (listed as ‘Retired’) and his wife, Leslie (listed ‘Occupation/Employer: Marketing - Boston Globe’), both of 4 Damon
Road, Hanover, MA 02339, each made the maximum allowable five hundred ($500.00) dollar political campaign contributions to then Republican
candidate, Mitt Romney who was running for Governor of Massachusetts against Democrat State Treasurer, Shannon O‘Brien.
(see MOCPF website) July 30th.
2007
Richard Pond launched his campaign for Plymouth County Sheriff touting his virtues of ‘fiscal responsibility and integrity,
as a law enforcement and corrections professional’.