IT director: Fired town manager ordered public documents deleted

SAUGUS – Information Technology Director James Rivers informed the Board of Selectmen Wednesday night that he had been instructed last month by former Town Manager Scott Crabtree to delete documents considered to be public records.”I felt like there was a form of intimidation,” he said.Rivers said he knew he could not follow Crabtree’s directive.”The people have a right to know,” he said, adding that he had been told by two other town employees not to disclose any information to the selectmen.Rivers also presented the board with a journal that he had been keeping from Sept. 8 through Oct. 9. Rivers said he had additional information beyond Oct. 9, however, it was not included in his documentation.Rivers said Crabtree had “tried to jailbreak his phone, that rendered the phone completely useless.”According to the Macworld website, “jailbreaking is the act of changing the iPhone software to remove any limitations placed by Apple.”Rivers said that a report had never been filed, saying that the phone was damaged. The internal damage to the device was confirmed by Verizon and Apple, he said.Rivers said Crabtree had instructed him to delete all the emails and files from his iPhone and laptop. Rivers said he complied, however, unbeknownst to Crabtree, Rivers had copied the documents and saved them in a secure location elsewhere on the town’s server.”As far as he knows, they were deleted,” said Rivers.Selectman Vice Chair Maureen Dever said it is against state law to delete documents that are public record.Rivers said that Crabtree never turned in his iPhone 4 or iPad after being terminated on Oct. 29.After listening to Rivers’ presentation, the board voted 5-0 to launch an investigation.”It seems like the onion is being peeled back,” said Selectman Paul Allan. “My biggest concern is how far does this go?”Selectman Debra Panetta asked for additional clarification. “I’m trying to understand why he would want you to delete everything,” she said.Panetta also urged Chairman Ellen Faiella to consult with Town Counsel John Vasapolli rather than hiring an outside investigator at the town’s expense. However, Faiella and Dever both disagreed, saying that outside counsel is needed in this case.Dever also recommended that Rivers meet with temporary Town Manager Robert Palleschi “as soon as possible.””I think these are very serious statements,” said Faiella, who lauded Rivers for taking action.”Fortunately, Mr. Rivers, you were smart enough not to comply with that request,” she said. “I can’t thank you enough for having the courage to come forward.”Selectman Stephen Castinetti said he was “proud” of Rivers.”This is not an easy thing for you to do,” he said. “People have been abused long enough, they’ve been beaten into submission long enough.”Crabtree could not be reached for comment.