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Monday, July 14, 2008

[MA] Firefighter Tobias still on force, now up to attempted murder

[NOTE: Please see letter to the editor - and the editor's reply - in the comments section - correcting wrong information, tying Tobias additionally to cocaine and burglary crimes. Also I am updating this post accordingly.]

NEWTON FIREFIGHTER JEFFREY ALAN TOBIAS HAD A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CHARGE IN 2006,
2 IN 2007,
AND NOW ATTEMPTED MURDER.
HE'S NOT TAKING RESPONSIBITLITY - HE BLAMES PTSD. HE'S WORKED HIS WAY UP FROM CHARGES OF ASSAULTING HIS WIFE, HER FATHER, AND HER PREGNANT SISTER - TO BEING CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER.

WHAT'S NEXT?

[WHY IS TOBIAS STILL A FIREFIGHTER?... STILL WEARING THE UNIFORM OF PUBLIC HEROES?]

From As a Man Thinketh, by James Allen, published in 1902:
As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to those acts called “spontaneous” and “unpremeditated” as to those which are deliberately executed... A man does not come to the almshouse or the jail by the tyranny of fate or circumstance, but by the pathway of groveling thoughts and base desires. Nor does a pure-minded man fall suddenly into crime by stress of any mere external force; the criminal thought had long been secretly fostered in the heart, and the hour of opportunity revealed its gathered power. Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself... A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life. And as he adapts his mind to that regulating factor, he ceases to accuse others as the cause of his condition, and builds himself up in strong and noble thoughts; ceases to kick against circumstances, but begins to use them as aids to his more rapid progress, and as a means of discovering the hidden powers and possibilities within himself...

FIREFIGHTER FACES ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGE
THE DAILY NEWS TRIBUNE
BY CHRISSIE LONG
JUL 10, 2008
NEWTON - A NEWTON FIREFIGHTER IS FACING CHARGES OF ATTEMPTED MURDER AND ASSAULT AND BATTERY, POLICE SAID. JEFFREY ALAN TOBIAS, 36 WAS ARRAIGNED SUNDAY, JUNE 30, AND HELD ON $5,000 CASH BAIL. THE DETAILS OF THE INCIDENT ARE STILL UNCLEAR, BUT POLICE REPORTS SAY A CALL CAME IN FROM CHERRY STREET ON FRIDAY, JUNE 27, BETWEEN 7:30 P.M. AND 8 P.M. REPORTING A DOMESTIC SITUATION. AT 2:30 THE FOLLOWING MORNING, TOBIAS, OF 126 WESTLAND ROAD, CAME INTO POLICE HEADQUARTERS TO TURN HIMSELF IN, ACCORDING TO REPORTS. TOBIAS HAD ALREADY BEEN ON LEAVE FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, ACCORDING TO LIEUTENANT ALLAN LEONE.. TOBIAS WAS HIRED BY THE NEWTON POLICE DEPARTMENT IN 2002. HE SERVED A 14-MONTH STINT IN IRAQ AND KUWAIT IN 2003. A FEW WEEKS AFTER HIS ARREST IN BILLERICA, TOBIAS WAS INVOLVED IN A DOMESTIC INCIDENT WITH HIS WIFE. ALLEGEDLY, HE PUT HIS HANDS ON HIS WIFE'S CHEST AND HELD HER DOWN ON A BED IN THEIR NEWTON HOME. WHEN HER SISTER AND FATHER TRIED TO COME TO HER AID, HE PUSHED THEM OUT OF THE WAY, ACCORDING TO PUBLISHED REPORTS. THE CITY OF NEWTON HAS SCHEDULED A DISCIPLINARY HEARING FOR TOBIAS ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 16. ACCORDING TO THE NEWTON DISTRICT COURT, A PROBABLE CAUSE HEARING WILL BE HELD ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 8.

RELEVANT SECTIONS OF 2007 ARTICLE:

3 FROM FIRE FORCE FACING CHARGES
BURGLARY, ASSAULT AMONG ALLEGATIONS
BOSTON GLOBE, MA
BY CONNIE PAIGE
APRIL 12, 2007
..."IT'S NOT REALLY A COMMON THING," SAID JENNIFER MIETH, SPEAKING FOR STATE FIRE MARSHAL STEPHEN COAN. "IT IS DISTRESSING BECAUSE WE DO EXPECT A LITTLE BIT MORE FROM OUR FIREFIGHTERS." MIETH ADDED THAT BECAUSE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES ENJOY A "CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TRUST," ANY CRIMINAL ACTIVITY ON THEIR PART "BETRAYS THAT TRUST"... JEFFREY A. TOBIAS, WAS CHARGED WITH AGGRAVATED ASSAULT AND BATTERY, TWO COUNTS OF ASSAULT AND BATTERY, AND WITNESS INTIMIDATION... TOBIAS WAS SUSPENDED FROM THE FORCE, WITHOUT PAY, PENDING THE OUTCOME OF HIS TRIAL... TOBIAS WAS THE ONLY ONE OF THE THREE WHO COULD BE REACHED FOR COMMENT. WHILE DECLINING TO DISCUSS THE DETAILS OF HIS CASE, HE EXPRESSED REMORSE ABOUT THE EFFECT IT HAS HAD ON HIS FAMILY. "ALL I REALLY WANT TO DO IS BE A HUSBAND TO MY WIFE AND A FATHER TO MY CHILDREN," HE SAID IN A TELEPHONE INTERVIEW. TOBIAS, 35, SAID HE SERVED IN IRAQ AND KUWAIT DURING A 14-MONTH STINT IN THE MILITARY STARTING IN 2003, AND COULD BE SUFFERING FROM POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. HE WAS HIRED AS A NEWTON FIREFIGHTER IN 2002. TOBIAS WAS ACCUSED ON FEB. 8 OF PUTTING HIS HANDS ON HIS WIFE'S CHEST AND HOLDING HER DOWN ON A BED IN THEIR NEWTON HOME, A POLICE REPORT SAYS. WHEN SHE BEGAN SCREAMING, HER FATHER AND HER PREGNANT SISTER, WHO ALSO WERE IN THE HOME, TRIED TO INTERVENE. TOBIAS ALLEGEDLY PUSHED BOTH THE FATHER AND THE SISTER OUT OF HIS WAY, ACCORDING TO THE REPORT. IN APPLYING FOR A RESTRAINING ORDER AFTER THE INCIDENT, TOBIAS'S WIFE SAID HIS ACTIONS MADE HER AFRAID FOR HER SAFETY AND THAT OF THEIR TWIN SONS, THEN ALMOST 2. TOBIAS, WHO IS DUE IN COURT NEXT MONTH, ALSO HAD A DOMESTIC ASSAULT AND BATTERY COMPLAINT LODGED AGAINST HIM LAST YEAR. THE CASE WAS CLOSED AT HIS WIFE'S REQUEST. HIS ATTORNEY DECLINED TO COMMENT... [FULL ARTICLE HERE]

6 comments:

  1. http://www.wickedlocal.com/newton/news/opinions/letters/x1542102684/Letters

    Letters
    Tue Jul 29, 2008, 05:08 PM EDT
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    Newton -
    TAB incorrectly implicated Jeff Tobias
    We are writing to express our concern about the reporting in a story published in the July 16 TAB. In the story about a Newton firefighter charged with attempted murder, there was very misleading information alleging that this same firefighter, Jeff Tobias, was also implicated in crimes including burglary and cocaine possession. That information appears to have been quoted from an April 2007 Boston Globe story which, when read closely, makes clear that it was two other different firefighters that were involved with the burglary and cocaine charges, not Mr. Tobias.

    When a person is facing serious charges, and now public knowledge of those charges, it is careless and irresponsible journalism to sensationalize the tragic situation by suggesting additional involvement in entirely unrelated criminal activity.

    We are neighbors of Jeff Tobias and have known him for the past four years. He has devoted himself to service to our country in the Army — including tours in Kuwait and Iraq — and to his community through the fire department. Circumstances of his current legal problems are complex and nuanced, not “black and white.” While the court will have to sort out the facts of the current charges against Mr. Tobias, he certainly deserves a fair trial without further slander of his character by careless journalism.

    We expect the TAB will correct the error in reporting in this story.

    Thank you.
    Michele J. Karel
    Mark P. Green
    Editor’s note: The TAB did, in fact, publish inaccurate information about Jeffrey Tobias’ criminal history in the July 16 issue. We thank Ms. Karel and Mr. Green for bringing it to our attention. We regret any suggestion of Mr. Tobias’ involvement in other criminal behavior.

    ReplyDelete
  2. http://www.wickedlocal.com/newton/news/opinions/letters/x1542102684/Letters

    ReplyDelete
  3. http://www.wickedlocal.com/newton/news/opinions/letters/x1542102684/Letters

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you!

    [MA] Correcting wrong information about Firefighter Jeff Tobias -
    http://behindthebluewall.blogspot.com/2008/08/ma-correcting-wrong-information-about.html

    ReplyDelete
  5. Apparently there has been an additional issue with Jeffrey Tobias assaulting a bank representative in the last month or so, due to the bank being unable to cash his check. Sounds like he is still a ticking timebomb.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Didn't he get aquitted of these charges?

    ReplyDelete

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