Barnstable County Sheriff's Office

06/06/2026

Great team work. We are proud to work with our law enforcement partners Falmouth Police Department and Mashpee Police Department

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Yesterday, June 4th, 2026, the Falmouth Police Department arrested a suspect in connection with an aggravated burglary and assault that occurred in the Ashumet Valley neighborhood on May 25, 2026.

On May 25, 2026, at approximately 9:41 PM, Falmouth Police Officers were dispatched to a reported assault in progress on Austin Stokes Drive. Upon arrival, officers learned that the suspect had fled the residence prior to police arrival.

Residents reported that an unknown male entered the home through a bedroom window. When the victim entered the room, the suspect assaulted the resident and held them against their will for a brief period of time. A second resident heard the disturbance and approached, causing the suspect to flee the residence through the same window.

The suspect was not known to the residents.

Officers conducted an extensive search of the area with assistance from a K9 Unit from the Mashpee Police Department and a Drone Unit from the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office. Despite the coordinated search efforts, the suspect was not located.

On June 1, 2026, the Mashpee Police Department responded to a reported breaking and entering on Wheeler Road in Mashpee. Shortly after that incident, a suspect was located in the area of Currier Road and Ashumet Road in Falmouth. The suspect, Neil O'Flaherty, 27, of Falmouth, was positively identified as the individual responsible for the Wheeler Road break-in and was arrested by the Mashpee Police Department. O'Flaherty was subsequently arraigned in Falmouth District Court and released.

During the course of their investigation, Falmouth Police Detectives were able to link O'Flaherty to the Austin Stokes Drive incident that occurred on May 25, 2026.

On Thursday, June 4, 2026, Falmouth Police Officers executed an arrest warrant and took O'Flaherty into custody. Detectives, with assistance from the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office, also executed a search warrant at O'Flaherty's residence and seized evidence related to the investigation.

O'Flaherty has been charged with:

• Aggravated Burglary
• Kidnapping
• Assault with Intent to Murder
• Assault and Battery on a Person Age 60 or Older
• Breaking and Entering in the Nighttime for a Felony

O’Flaherty was arraigned yesterday at Falmouth District Court and held.

The Falmouth Police Department would like to thank the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office and the Mashpee Police Department for their assistance throughout this investigation. The department would also like to thank the members of the public who provided information to detectives following the department's request for assistance in identifying the suspect after the May 25 incident.

06/05/2026

WE ARE THE BCSO
𝒫𝒶𝓇𝓉𝓃𝑒𝓇 𝒫𝓇𝑜𝒻𝒾𝓁𝑒

Pier Recovery Center of Cape Cod Outreach Coordinator Rick Palingo is the newest member of the team at The Bridge Center, the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office’s support center for justice involved, at risk or formerly incarcerated people.

Rick’s a well-known professional within the Barnstable court and recovery community. For half a dozen years, he diverted court-involved people to treatment. Through the Gavin Foundation, he worked for Project NORTH and as a Peer Support Specialist at the Barnstable District Recovery Court (a specialty court that offers mandated treatment for people facing charges related to addiction).

In other words, Rick knows how to navigate the courts and maneuver through the recovery system. And he’s been around the block when it comes to treating addiction. Prior to six years working in Barnstable’s halls of justice, he was a clinician at Highpoint Treatment Centers’ Clinical Stabilization Services (CSS) and Detox units.

With 32 years of sobriety, the former advertising and sales manager gratefully spends his days helping people.

He said his current job is to direct those seeking recovery to the PIER Recovery Center of Cape Cod, which offers daily community-building peer-to-peer activities and meetings.

“We put on all kinds of social activities,” he said. “Bowling, whale watches, Duck Boat tours. It’s all peer run. We are doing serious work and we want people to take advantage of it.”

Rick will be at The Bridge Center on Wednesdays from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

06/04/2026

The Barnstable County Sheriff's Office Community Work Crew enables incarcerated individuals to learn vocational skills, get outside, and feel a sense of accomplishment. The work crew helps nonprofits and government organizations with carpentry, painting, landscaping and more. They just shingled the The Cape Playhouse administrative building in Dennis.

06/04/2026

Watch out for spoof websites. The FBI is aware of many fakes. Looking for tickets and information on the World Cup? Protect yourself by typing fifa.com directly into your Internet browser rather than using a search engine. Do not click on links different than "fifa.com". Read more ways to protect yourself FBI - Boston.

⚠️The is warning the public that cyber criminals are conducting spoofing attacks against FIFA websites in advance of the 2026 World Cup. Their goal: to collect personally identifiable information entered by users to sell fake World Cup tickets & hospitality products, & to possibly facilitate other scams. Learn how to protect yourself by reading this public service announcement: https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2026/PSA260527

06/04/2026

As the weather gets warmer, the telecommunicators at the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office work harder. We dispatch and answer 911 for the majority of Cape communities. Be safe out there!

06/03/2026

Need help with substance use recovery?
The Barnstable County Sheriff's Office is proud to announce a coach from PIER Recovery will now be at The Bridge Center on Wednesdays. Walk right in and get help.
⭐PIER Recovery on Wednesdays, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
⭐High Point Treatment Centers on Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
See our full schedule on our website: bsheriff.net

06/02/2026

Statement from Sheriff Donna D. Buckley

The Massachusetts Office of Inspector General’s final report on the Sheriffs’ Offices Budgets and Expenditures was released yesterday. As we have said from the beginning of this process, we look forward to working with the Inspector General and the Legislature to right-size our budget. We welcome the opportunity to improve the way that sheriffs’ offices are funded.

The full report is here: https://tinyurl.com/38cythts

06/02/2026

The Barnstable County Sheriff's Office's Bridge Center is now hosting parenting classes and a playgroup program by the Cape Cod Children's Place. Register for their programs here: https://tinyurl.com/childrensplaceregister

06/01/2026

The Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office will host Flag Sojourn 250, a global journey of one flag that celebrates the 250th anniversary of our nation. Join Sheriff Donna D. Buckley and special guests for a flag raising ceremony on Flag Day, Sunday, June 14, at 1 p.m. at the National Cemetery in Bourne.
The Flag Sojourn 250 https://nationalflagfoundation.org/sojourn-250/ is a project of national unity from the National Flag Foundation (NFF) and America250’s America Waves program, an epic tribute campaign to the greatest American symbol: the American flag.

The Flag Sojourn 250 is a single American flag that has been traveling to all 50 states, U.S. territories, and 26 overseas military cemeteries since last year’s Flag Day, June 14, 2025. The Flag has traveled to distant shores where our soldiers and others who gave their lives in our war efforts are buried, touching all 26 U.S. military cemeteries in ten countries. It also traveled to U.S. territories in the Pacific and the Atlantic. On October 8, 2025, The Flag returned to the U.S. and with the help of The National Sheriffs’ Association, the flag embarked on a domestic passage across the country. The Flag’s journey will conclude in Washington D.C., where the flag will be formally presented to the America 250th Committee. See the Flag’s trajectory via this GIS Map created by our very own MassGis: https://nationalflagfoundation.org/nff-sojourn-250-follow-the-flag/ .

06/01/2026

Join the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office in celebrating Pride Month. The month is dedicated to celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, advocating for equal rights, and commemorating the history of the gay liberation movement.