SPENCER'S AGREES TO KEEP PIPES OFF SHELVES

HANOVER - Two employees arrested on drug paraphernalia charges at a
store that sells water pipes will not be prosecuted.

[Name redacted] 18, of Braintree, assistant manager of Spencer's
Gifts in the Hanover Mall, and [Name redacted] 17, of Halifax were
arrested Jan. 13. The district attorney's office dropped the case
against [Name redacted]after an attorney for Spencer's offered to
keep the items off the store's shelf permanently in exchange for
avoiding prosecution, Hanover Police Chief Paul Hayes said.

"That's really the only reason the complaints didn't move forward,"
Hayes said.

"We needed to pursue removing (the items) from the shelves. Why put
them through the system based on mistakes they made?"

[Name redacted] was ordered into a court diversion program for six
months. The charge against him will be dropped if he completes the
program, and he won't have a criminal record.

The investigation began after a Boy Scout leader told police that
marijuana pipes were being sold at the store. Police confiscated 28
of the pipes. Hayes said he plans to have the pipes destroyed except
for one, which he said will be used for drug education classes.