Ghost hunter arrested at Danvers tells spooky tale

Protected static posted earlier on the arrest of the three ghost hunters at the old asylum of Danvers State Hospital. The grounds are immense and there have been numerous reports of paranormal sightings there. Even without ghosts, the place is haunted with the memories of how the mentally challenged suffered at the hands of the "care givers" with lobotomies routinely performed, the insane warehoused and wards filled with psychotic, dangerous inmates. The Eagle-Tribune in Massachusetts followed up on the story.

Amateur ghost hunter Matthew Doherty said he heard swirling noises and faint screams on the grounds of Danvers State Hospital as he was investigating claims the old asylum is haunted. Then he heard his Miranda rights. Doherty, 33, of 70 Martin Ave. and two friends were charged over the weekend with trespassing on the grounds. Doherty said he and his friends never noticed any "no trespassing" signs when they took a back road to reach the deserted site of the 127-year-old state psychiatric hospital. They were there to make a videotape to send to the Atlantic Paranormal Society, which investigates haunted sites for the Sci-Fi Channel's "Ghost Hunters." snip Doherty, a computer technician, said he and his friends never entered the building, but did experience strange sensations on the grounds that he described as "major discomfort." "Basically, when we were up there, we got the presence," he said. "We felt the energy." snip State police could not provide records on the number of trespassing arrests they have made at the site. But Danvers police said they have arrested 17 people for trespassing at the hospital this year. Sgt. Robert Bettencourt said the site's popularity was fueled by Internet rumors and the 2001 release of "Session 9," a film about a haunted hospital that was shot at the site. The film's star, David Caruso, has said he saw something unexplainable pass by a hospital window during the shoot. He called Danvers "the scariest building in America."

The scariest line, however, is at the end of the article.

AvalonBay, a development company, is buying the property for $20 million with plans to build apartments.

Do you think those apartments will be haunted? More on Danvers State Hospital here and here and here.