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AIRLIFT EMERGENCY
Diver in distress near Fort Sewall
IN THIS ISSUE
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EDUCATION
SPOTLIGHTS
See who’s running for School Committee
Meet more local Boston Marathon runners
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MARBLEHEAD, MA PERMIT NO. 25
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April 16, 2025
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VOLUME 3, ISSUE NO. 21
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MARBLEHEADCURRENT.ORG
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ON SOCIAL @MHDCURRENT
COURTS
Mistrial declared in case of former local priest BY LEIGH BLANDER A judge declared a mistrial Thursday in the trial of a former Marblehead priest, Tower School assistant headmaster and Boy Scout leader charged with sexually assaulting a 12-year-old Marblehead boy in 1976. The jury deliberated for about eight hours without reaching a verdict. It’s not clear yet whether the prosecutor will attempt to retry the Rev. Richard Losch, who is 92 years old. The accuser, who is now 64, told the Current that while he’s
disappointed the jury did not come back with a guilty verdict, he added, “I really feel like I can move forward now.” The alleged victim, whom the Current will identify as “Jack,” testified that Losch, then a priest at St. Michael’s Church and the assistant headmaster at Tower School, invited him and three other boys to Indian Pond Reservation Boy Scout Camp, where Losch was director. The camp, in Orford, New Hampshire, had not yet opened for the season. Jack testified that once they arrived at the camp, Losch informed
him that they would be sharing a bed in a cabin. Jack believes the other boys had their own beds in the cabin. “He was in the bed, lying behind me,” Jack said of Losch. “I woke up and his hand was in the front of my underwear. He was fondling my genitals. I was incredibly afraid. I was terrified … so I did everything I could to make him think I was asleep.” Jack continued, “Then he pulled my underwear down. He put one arm around my chest and his other LOSCH, P. A5
CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER
Father Richard Losch, wearing headphones, was accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old Marblehead boy back in 1976. His case ended in a mistrial on April 10.
YOLK’S ON GRAVITY
Kids conquer the egg drop
TOWN MEETING
Board puts MBTA zoning in voters’ court BY WILL DOWD
Mia Casagrande and Cleo Perlman talk as they arrive for the Egg Drop Challenge on Sunday.
BY GREY COLLINS Despite the rain, dozens of Marblehead kids gathered at the Community Center for the third annual Egg Drop Challenge
on Sunday. They watched with anticipation as a firefighter tossed their homemade contraptions from the top of a ladder truck to see which would land safely. Organized by the Recreation
CURRENT PHOTO / GREY COLLINS
& Parks and Fire departments, the event blended creativity, teamwork and community spirit, with gold medals awarded to teams whose eggs survived the fall.
MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5
The Marblehead Planning Board unanimously voted the night of April 8 to favorably recommend Article 23, paving the way for Town Meeting voters to weigh in on proposed zoning changes that would bring the town into compliance with the state’s MBTA Communities Act. The Planning Board’s vote came with very little public comment, a stark contrast to the Finance Committee’s 90-minute debate the night before, which drew sharp opinions and revealed deep divisions over how the zoning changes might affect Marblehead’s character, infrastructure and legal standing. The Finance Committee voted 8-1 to support the measure. Under Massachusetts law, when a zoning article is defeated, any substantially similar proposal cannot be reconsidered within two years unless the Planning Board provides a favorable recommendation. Therefore, the Planning Board’s recent vote on Article 23 was essential to bring the proposal back to Town Meeting for another vote. “Given that it’s a legal mandate, and could easily be changed from unfunded to funded based on the auditor’s own words, it would probably be a tough court case,” said Finance Committee Chair Alec Goolsby, who spoke with State Auditor Diana DiZoglio about her recent determination that the MBTA MBTA, P. A7
COURAGEOUS ADVOCATE
At State House, local woman shares her story of sexual abuse by doctor BY LEIGH BLANDER
Rory McCarthy says her life changed forever when a prominent Boston doctor sexually abused her during a medical exam. “I am a survivor of sexual violence within the Massachusetts medical system. This experience has completely derailed my life and my identity,” McCarthy
BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW
testified at a State House briefing on April 9. McCarthy, 31, is one of more than 200 people who say Brigham and Women’s Dr. Derrick Todd sexually abused them. Todd has been arrested and charged with rape. There is also a civil case against him. Rory suffers from multiple rare autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. “When I met my abuser, I was desperate
for help and to feel better,” she said. “I wanted to live a normal and pain-free life, or at least a life in which my crippling flares were not happening every other week.” McCarthy told the Current that she was groomed by Todd. “Predatory medical professionals lure patients MCCARTHY, P. A3in
COURTESY PHOTO
Rory McCarthy is shown outside the State House on April 9, where she testified about the sexual violence she says she endured at the hands of a Boston doctor.