New council member found dead at home
Staff writer
A little more than three months after joining Peabody City Council, member Rodney Hague was discovered dead in his home Tuesday morning.
He was in his 70s.
An ambulance was dispatched to the block of 600 W. Division St. at 10:19 a.m. and arrived at 10:39. Ambulance personnel reached Hague about a minute later and found him dead. A coroner was called.
Hague joined the council May 25 as Peabody struggled with vacancies that had left it without enough members for a quorum.
“It’s time to roll up the sleeves and just get the work done,” Hague said after his appointment. “Instead of being part of the problem, maybe I can help be part of the solution.”
Hague said he wanted to improve the appearance of Peabody by addressing overgrown lawns, neglected properties, and inoperable vehicles.
“Once a city cleans itself up in that manner, it tends to have more pride in the whole community,” he said at the time.
No cause of death has been reported.