Lt. Detective Joel T. Johnson of Kingston Police and Senior Special Agent Michael P. Cashman of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency were honored

The mother of a Kingston girl who died from a heroin overdose spoke about the dedication of the two law enforcement officers who brought to justice those that supplied the drug.Gayle Brady spoke at the Victims Rights Award ceremony, held at the Rockingham County Attorney's office Thursday morning. The two, Lt. Detective Joel T. Johnson of Kingston Police and Senior Special Agent Michael P. Cashman of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency were honored for their part in the investigation, arrests and convictions of the men involved with the death of 18-year-old Caitlyn Brady.Both men are undercover drug investigators and could not be photographed.
Caitlyn died on March 15, 2006.Gayle Brady talked first about how she believed immediately that it was Caitlyn's long-time boyfriend Dante Silva, 21 years old at the time, who had injected her daughter with the deadly dose. She said she went to Kingston Police and was elated that they believed her and said they were starting an investigation."I will be forever grateful to them for Caitlyn and for all the others they may have saved," said Gayle Brady. "You are my heroes."
Silva, Jay Simes, then 23, and Robert Drew, then 22, were convicted for their part in Caitlyn's death. Deputy County Attorney Tom Reid said they are still working on the extradition of Arturo Sanchez, a Massachusetts man, for his involvement in the crime.Victim Advocate Tara Longo said she met Caitlyn just before she died. She called her "sweet and full of life.""Gayle became Caitlyn's voice, and she put her faith in this office," said Longo. "She told me one of her fondest memories was of Caitlyn dancing with her in their kitchen. When I saw her today, that's what popped into my mind."Tim Pettigrew, DEA New England spokesperson, said they are always pleased when one of their agents gets recognized for the hard work they do every day.
"In this case Mike did a great job," said Pettigrew. "Saying that, it would not have been possible without the assistance of the Kingston Police Department and the Rockingham County Attorney's staff."Also receiving an award was Michael A. Wagner Ph.D., an assistant laboratory director at the New Hampshire State Police forensics lab.His award was for his work in the State V. Charles Ellis, a negligent homicide case.The awards are part of Victims' Rights week. County Attorney Jim Reams said this year's theme is "Justice for Victims, Justice for All."He talked about how the justice system has evolved over the years, giving victims a voice in the process."The criminal justice system focuses on the rights of the defendant and that's what they are supposed to do," said Reid. "We need to stand up for the victims. With this year's theme, we wanted to honor people who work directly with victims, those motivated with helping victims reach justice."

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