Week in Review: Mansfield at the Marathon, Local Girl Goes Viral, and More

Family of Mansfield Marathon Runner Fortunate to Escape Injury

If Marsha Whitman was a few minutes slower or if her family stayed in the stands, the Mansfield resident’s day at the Boston Marathon could of been a lot more tragic.

Crossing the finish line with a time of 3:46:42 at 3:32 p.m., Whitman was able to finish the race about 18 minutes before the first explosion went off near the finish line on Boylston St. She was the 13,015th person to cross the line and only a little more than 4,500 runner make it to the finish line after her.

Shortly after completing the marathon, Whitman was leaving the athletes' area to regroup with her family in the family meeting area on St. James Ave. when the explosions began to go off behind her.

“When the first explosion went off, the person in front of me asked the police officer at the exit what it was. He speculated that it was from a construction site close by,” Whitman said. “When the second explosion went off, I turned to him and asked what they were saying. He said ‘They’re calling for help.’”

Mansfield Girl Becomes Hannah Montana in Viral Video

A video of a Syracuse student from Mansfield has gone viral after her mother took video of her after getting her wisdom teeth removed.

After the procedure, Hannah Melton of Mansfield was rambling like many do from the anesthesia but unlike other, she appeared to believed she was a different person.

In the video taken,, Melton convinced she is Hannah Montana, even singing the hits of Hannah Montana actress Miley Cyrus.

The video became a hit online after a friend from college was assigned a project in her social media class to make a video that can go viral.

One of Two Charges Against Mansfield Man in Child Porn Case Reduced

One of the two charges against a Mansfield man accused of sending an undercover state trooper a video of children in sexually explicit poses has been reduced according to the Sun Chronicle.

William B. Koury, a Level 2 sex offender, had the charge of dissemination of child porn reduced by Assistant District Attorney Erin Aiello after Koury's lawyer asked to dismiss the case due to delays in obtaining an indictment or conducting a probable cause hearing.

Despite the reduced charge, prosecutors are still investigating Koury and may still seek a grand jury indictment.

Selectmen Nearly Nix Antique Car Flea Market

The South Shore Antique Auto Club’s Trading Bee has been in Mansfield for over 20 years but it wasn’t until recently that town officials became aware of the problems at the event held yearly at the Comcast Center. 

“I was not aware of the nature of this event prior to a few years ago. When my crew got out there they said ‘Wow you need to see what’s going on,’” Fire Chief Neil Boldrighini said.

Despite issues surrounding the management of 1,500 vendors, an expected crowed of over 6,000 people during a two day period, and the behavior on display at the event, the selectmen voted 3-2 at their April 17 meeting to allow the auto club to hold their annual antique car parts flea market. Doug Annino and Jess Apowitz voted against the event.

Small Equipment Explosion Hits Mansfield Business

Early Thursday morning, Mansfield Fire responded to a small explosion in a building located in the Cabot Business Park.

At 5:50 a.m., Mansfield FD received a report of an explosion at Smith and Nephew on Forbes Blvd. that resulted in an evacuation of the 50-60 employees inside the building at the time and a small fire.

According to Fire Chief Neil Boldrighini, the cause is still under investigation but the fire is believed to have resulted from a malfunctioning piece of equipment.

Firefighter were able to put out the flames located near the center of the building about 10-15 minutes after arriving on the scene,