Year-in-Review: Stoughton Woman Wins Song of the Year, Human Remains Found, Ex-Housing Director Admits to Pill Theft

In March, four people, including two from Stoughton were charged in a kidnapping in Millis. After an overnight assault in the parking lot of an apartment complex, a caller reported the incident to police. A van with the four defendants was stopped a short distance from the lot. Police also found a hammer, a shoe believed to belong to the victim, the victim’s pants, and some blood inside the van.

That story would go on to become the most viewed post on Stoughton Patch in 2015.

In 2015, readers of Stoughton Patch clicked on stories about a Country Music Award winner, a principal doing the whip and nae nae, and a former housing director who admitted to stealing medication from an elderly woman.

Here are the top 10 stories for 2015 on Stoughton Patch:

1. Stoughton Men Charged With Attempted Murder and Kidnapping - In March, four people, including two men from Stoughton, were arraigned in Wrentham District Court on kidnapping, attempted murder, and assault charges. All the charges stemmed from an overnight assault in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Millis. Shortly after 1 a.m., a caller reported the incident to police. Based on information obtained by police, a van with the four defendants was stopped a short distance from the lot. Police also found a hammer, a shoe believed to belong to the victim, the victim’s pants, and some blood inside the van.
2. Ex-Housing Director Admits to Stealing Pills from Elderly Woman - In December, former Stoughton Housing Director Gregory Bartlett admitted to using a key to enter the home of a 90-year-old and stealing pills from her. He was sentenced to two years of probation and must remain alcohol and drug-free through drug testing, can’t work with an elderly housing program, seek mental health/substance abuse counseling, and can’t contact the victim or her family.
3. Human Remains Discovered in Stoughton - In August, a jawbone that was found in Stoughton that belonged to a man who went missing in 2009. The Norfolk County District Attorney’s office confirmed that the remains were those of Ilya Lastovkin, who lived near Memorial Drive and disappeared nearly six years ago.
4. Lori McKenna Wins Song of the Year - In November, Stoughton native Lori McKenna, Hillary Lindsey, and Liz Rose picked up the Song of the Year award at the Country Music Awards as the writers of ‘Girl Crush’ by Little Big Town. The song has been one of McKenna’s biggest hits, selling nearly 2 million copies, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, and peaking at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100. In December, ‘Girl Crush’ picked up three Grammy nominations, including Song of the Year.
5. Stoughton IKEA Evacuated - In August, police evacuated IKEA after receiving a bomb threat. The threat ended up being false, with a local teen confessing after police compared his handwriting to a note from the case.
6. Watch Stoughton High Principal Julie Miller Whip, Watch Her Nae Nae - At the 2013 Stoughton High School Thanksgiving prep rally Principal Julie Miller recited a poem. In 2014, she sang. This year, no words were needed to get the Black Knights ready for their annual holiday showdown against Canton, just a whip and a nae nae.
7. Stoughton HS Grad Turned Terrorist Killed in Iraq - In June, a Stoughton High School graduate turned terrorist was apparently killed while fighting for the Islamic State in Iraq. Ahmad Abousamra, 33, was reported dead after an airstrike by Iraqi warplanes west of the largely ISIS-held province of Anbar. Abousamra, a 1999 graduate of Stoughton High School, fled the country in 2006. He was placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list in late 2013.
8. Dorchester Man Charged With Threatening to Shoot Strip Club Employee - In September, a Dorchester man threatened to shoot an employee at Alex’s before taken in custody for drunken driving. An employee of the establishment told police that the man came into the club and demanded a drink. When service was denied because he appeared to have been drinking before arriving, he threatened to shoot staff at the club.
9. Man With Knife Shot by Stoughton Police Officer - In February, a man was shot after he came towards the officer with a knife after the chase on Central Street and Buckley Road. The officer was taken to Norwood Hospital for chest pains while the suspect was transported to Boston Medical Center.
10. Stoughton Animal Control Officer Michael Boundaway Dies - In May, Michael G. Boundaway died at the age of 44. Boundaway worked as the Animal Control Officer for the Stoughton Police Department. Previously, he worked at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo as the mammal supervisor.