NEW BEDFORD - A prominent community activist in New Bedford has been arrested.

New Bedford Police arrested John "Buddy" Andrade on a warrant on Tuesday on South Second Street.

According to court documents, the warrant was issued following an incident in October of 2008. Records show a criminal complaint for breaking and entering in the daytime was filed on October 23, 2008, after James Rodrigues, then-president of the Minority Action Committee at 41 Bedford Street in New Bedford, told police that the front lock on the building had been broken and numerous personal items belonging to Andrade had been left behind. Rodrigues told police Andrade had no affiliation with the Minority Action Committee and in no way should have had access to the building.

Andrade was summoned to court for a hearing on December 11, 2008, but failed to appear, leading to the issuance of the warrant in January of 2009.

Andrade tells WBSM News he was never aware of any charge until he was arrested on Tuesday.

"I was shocked and puzzled because I had no clue that that warrant was even there or that I was even charged for going into our building," said Andrade.

Andrade says he helped the Minority Action Committee acquire the abandoned building at 41 Bedford Street from Morse Cutting Tools in 1996. The building would later become Andrade's current office for the Old Bedford Village Development Corporation.

Throughout the years of the organization's operation, Andrade says there were problems with the Minority Action Committee's leadership, and disputes over the future of the building's use erupted.

Andrade said toward the end of the MAC's operation, the building had once again become derelict, and he was given access to clean the interior.

"One of the board members at the time, Mr. Broderick Carmo, Charlie Carmo's brother, had made the keys and gave me the keys for me to go and look at the building, assess it, because it needed to be totally repaired and cleaned."

Andrade is scheduled to be arraigned on the warrant arrest in New Bedford District Court on Friday, December 1.

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