Exam scam trial in delay

BOSTON – Unforeseen circumstances have caused the trial involving Peabody Police Lt. Edward Bettencourt to be suspended until further notice.After spending the morning investigating the Peabody Police Station, Bettencourt’s defense attorney Douglas Louison arrived at Suffolk Superior Court Wednesday afternoon and regretfully announced that his client’s father, Manuel Bettencourt of Peabody, had passed away early Wednesday morning after battling an illness.Bettencourt was not able to attend the tour of the Police Station, though counsel and Associate Justice Margaret Hinkle carried on without him, said Louison. He said that the investigation throughout the building went well – and quickly – taking only about a half an hour to complete.Louison said that it is the Bettencourt family’s plan to hold funeral services at the earliest time possible, and the trial will continue thereafter. Hinkle set a tentative resume date for Tuesday, March 18 at 9 a.m.Wednesday would have been the fourth day of court for Bettencourt, who was indicted over a year ago on 21 counts of unauthorized access to a computer. He stands accused of accessing confidential information of 20 fellow police officers and one Salem officer while on duty at the station during the early morning hours of Christmas morning in 2004. It is said that Bettencourt used that information to look up Civil Service Exam scores, which are used for promotional purposes within the station.So far, over 25 witnesses have testified in the case, including Peabody Police Chief Robert Champagne, eyewitness Police Sgt. Michael Breen, Lt. Marty Cohan, and several dispatchers and patrolmen. The only Salem police officer affected by the scam, Sgt. Kate Noftle Stephens testified Tuesday to creating her own personal accounts via her home computer, not from within the Peabody Police Station.Louison requested that the case be dismissed Tuesday for the second time, due to what he believes was intentional false testimony by Breen during the grand jury.Breen testified to first viewing his scores and the scores of other officers on a computer screen in the watch commander’s office while seated next to Bettencourt. He later changed his testimony during Monday’s trial, clarifying that he accessed his score first on his home computer, not with Bettencourt. In addition, he now claims to have viewed the scores of his fellow officers not a computer screen, but handwritten on a piece of paper.If convicted, Bettencourt, father of City Councilor at Large Ted Bettencourt, could face up to $1,000 fine and up to 30 days in the house of correction for each count, totaling $21,000 and nearly two years for all 21 counts.