5 Things for Oct. 1: Police Chief Applauds ‘Courage’ of Sex Abuse Victims, Local Athletes Make Headlines, Zoo Animal Puppets and More

Editor's note: Five Things You Need To Know Today is a Patch column that provides readers with essential, daily information at a glance. If you know of something happening in town that did not make our list, please add it in the comment section!

1. Looks Like a Sunny Start to the Week in Foxborough

Today’s weather in Foxborough, according to the National Weather Service based in Taunton, calls for patchy fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 69. West wind 11 to 18 mph. Monday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 51. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph.

2. Chief O’Leary Applauds ‘Courageous’ Efforts of Sexual Abuse Victims

Foxborough Police Chief Edward O’Leary said he couldn’t say enough about the courage shown by the three victims who came forward to help Foxborough Police open an investigation against a former schoolteacher and youth leader in town. Each of the victims told Foxborough Police William E. Sheehan, 73, formerly of 81 Willow St., Foxborough, allegedly sexually assaulted them over 30 years ago when the victims were under 15 years old.

“I think the real [point] of this is the courageousness of people to step up and share with us this horrific thing that happened to them,” O’Leary said, adding that speaking about being a victim of a sexual crime is not an easy thing to do.

“Imagine a young person, a person of authority, a person respected amongst others, takes you aside and treats you nicely and then violates your privacy,” O’Leary said. “To some people it has a shattering impact. It’s suppressed. You don’t want to tell mom and dad. You’re embarrassed, you feel guilt that somehow you’ve done something wrong and you carry that with you. I think that over time changes behavior and choices you make in life.”

It was the courageous efforts of these three victims over 30 years later that enabled Foxborough Police to open its investigation against Sheehan and obtain a warrant for his arrest from Wrentham District Court on Sept. 12. However, due to a medical condition, Sheehan has not been arrested by police but the investigation remains “open,” according to O’Leary.

To read more about the sex abuse case, click here.

3. Foxborough's Kiivone Howard and Liz Homes Make Headlines

Foxborough High School football senior, Kiivone Howard, was recently featured in the Boston Globe for his success on and off the field. Howard, who moved to Foxborough from Washington D.C. in 2011. In the 12-plus months in town he has become arguably the Warriors’ best player and has rededicated himself to learning – raising his GPA from under 1 while attending school in Maryland to 2.4 at Foxborough High, according to the Boston Globe. Division I college football programs have taken notice of Howard, according to the Globe, reporting that Bryant University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst have expressed interest in the 6-foot-1, 190-pound running back. Through four games this season, Howard has already rushed for 11 touchdowns. To read the Globe’s story on Howard in its entirety, click here.

Foxborough High School sophomore runner Liz Holmes won the Division 2 girls race during the Frank Kelley Invitational Cross Country Meet at the Wrentham Development Center Saturday with a time of 18:29.3. To read more on Holmes’ impressive time on the trails, click here.

4. Warriors Game Day:

The following Foxborough High School teams will be in action Monday:

• Boys’ soccer travels to Sharon for a 3:30 p.m. match
• Girls’ soccer hosts Sharon for a 6:30 p.m. match
• Girls’ volleyball travels to Canton for a 4:45 p.m. match
• Field hockey hosts Sharon at 3:45 p.m.
• Boys’ and girls’ cross country competes in the Bay State Invite

For results and expanded schedules, check out Patch's Warriors Scoreboard here.

5. Patriot Place Events:

• 11 a.m. - Fall Fun Event - Creation Station: Join Patriot Place for hands-on art activities that explore a wide range of art media and tools. Today you can make zoo animal puppets.