Monday, February 6

 Lesson learned: Always get the rent up front

  The manager of a Hamilton Street gas station called police to report that someone has allegedly drove off with a 2004 Honda Oddessy by a man named “Richie”. The registered owner stated he didn’t know his license plate number but did know that Richie was the man who rented a work bay at the gas station and was paying to have his car fixed. That’s when the gas station owner realized that “Richie” had allegedly cut the pad lock to the bay garage door and not only took the car without paying for the bay, but the gas station’s tools valued at $2,000 as well.

 

She may have been getting a second wind

  A Vinegar Hill Drive resident alerted police to a motor vehicle parked on her street whose occupant was allegedly slumped over the steering wheel. According to the report, the caller stated that when she approached the vehicle she detected a strong odor of alcohol after the driver rolled down her window. The vehicle then sped off towards Fairmount Avenue. After providing a license plate to police, a dispatched officer arrived at the registered owner’s home and discovered the vehicle, but without the driver. Feeling the warm hood of the vehicle, the officers decided to perform a well-being check after discovering an open door to the residence. Officers later reported the driver was found to be safe and a relative had taken control of the vehicle. Emergency services were not required.

 

Time to enlarge the “school zone” signs and write some citations

  A school crossing guard alerted police to reports of speeding vehicles during school hours on Dudley Street at the Ballard School. The ongoing issue has reports of vehicles driving above the 20 mph limit in the morning and afternoons when the kids are leaving school. Lt. Thomas Coogan was dispatched to the scene.

 

The crook stole her Nook

  A caller alerted police to an unarmed robbery while waiting for the bus at the Kohl’s Plaza on Broadway. A woman stated that a white male dressed in a dark hooded sweatshirt grabbed her Barnes & Noble Nook Reader from her hands and took off running. The woman said she ran after him but lost sight of the thief on Walnut St. heading towards Water Street. An area search by police failed to find the suspect.

 

Tuesday, February 7

 Now that’s no way to travel

  The town’s animal control officer reported that a motor vehicle had crashed into the building housing a local travel agency on Central Street. According to the report, emergency crews responded to discover there wasn’t a driver involved when the vehicle struck the building. The vehicle was towed back to the owner’s house. It must have strayed away from the garage!

 

At that value you’d think she would pay more attention

  A woman walked into police headquarters reporting that while trying on rings at a store in the mall, she left her 18K gold ring valued at $3,000 on the counter. Realizing she had left her ring behind, she contacted the store approximately 20 minutes later. According to the report, the management stated that they could not find her ring. Police contacted the store’s loss prevention who stated that they did not have any video surveillance of the incident.

 

Wednesday, February 8

 Chemical leak closes elementary school for the day

  Emergency crews were dispatched to the Ballard School on the report of an aerosol can of Mod Podge, a sealant, exploding inside the school after a teacher dropped it. The teacher picked up the ruptured can and ran from the building in order to protect the students. The building was evacuated and the teacher was transported to the hospital. According to the report, the principal did an excellent job transporting the children to an alternative site at the Veterans School, as they were calm and playing games with the teachers. Despite a slight odor in the building, all readings from tests performed by city officials were normal and the spill was cleaned by an environmental company. The school was closed for the day.

 

Thursday, February 9

 An $800 designer purse, $4,000 cash, and an E.B.T. card do not go together

  A woman called police to report that her unlocked vehicle had been entered and her purse was stolen while parked at a local donut shop parking lot on Broadway. According to the report, the woman stated to police that among the items in her Coach purse valued at $800 was $4,000 in cash, a 2.5 carat diamond ring, a Pandora bracelet, a Sony digital camera, several credit cards, a driver’s license, house and auto keys, and a Mass. state Electronic Benefit Transfer card (EBT) – a plastic debit card given to people who need temporary assistance – or commonly known as “people who do not carry $4,000 cash, diamond rings, and credit cards in a $800 Coach purse”. Ya’ get my drift?

 

Hazmet

  Police were dispatched to the area of Curtis Road for the report of two hypodermic needles in the street. The items were found and brought to the station for disposal.

 

Sunday, February 12

 I went for wings and a hockey fight broke out

  A police officer reported that he was flagged down by a party at a northbound route one restaurant and was told that a fight broke out with persons with hockey sticks at a southbound side restaurant parking lot. Dispatched officers were told by the manager of the restaurant that a group of individuals with hockey sticks battled in the upper parking lot but left the area before police arrived. There was no score.

 

A whole new level of depravity lives in an apartment building

  A man called police to report that someone had stolen a bouquet of flowers valued at $150 which he had purchased for his sister’s funeral. According to the report, the man brought the flowers to his mother’s Newhall Ave. apartment building and after leaving the bouquet in the lobby to park his car, he discovered the bouquet had been taken. The man stated that he never saw anyone leave the building so he knocked on apartment doors on all three floors of the building with an officer but to no avail.

 

Crime prevention begins at his (new) home

  A Shore Rd. man called police stating that he is a new home owner and while he was performing some work on the interior, a black Ford Mustang drove by slowly looking toward the home. According to the report, when the man saw the owner inside the home, he took off. The resident believes that since the home had been without electricity prior to his purchase, he was afraid that someone may have been planning to steal the wiring. The man requested police surveillance.