An enterprising squirrel chews into a trash barrel and can’t get out
Every day, police officers respond to reports of all sorts of events and nonevents, most of which never make the news. Here is a sampling of lesserknown — but no less noteworthy — incidents from police log books (a.k.a. blotters) in our communities.
A TIGHT SQUEEZE
A squirrel got into quite a predicament in Canton recently. “This little guy chewed a hole in a garbage barrel and got himself stuck,” Canton Animal Control wrote on Facebook on June 19. “Thank you to the resident who noticed and called for help. He was pretty easy to cut free but wasn’t happy with the process. Maybe he was embarrassed. It’s ok squirrel…sometimes I forget how wide I am too.” Besides a little scratch, the squirrel appeared to be in good shape after the ordeal, and ran off quickly as soon as he was freed.
HELLO, KITTY
On June 14, the property manager at an apartment complex in Bridgewater contacted police and requested that an officer come by to check on a resident whose water had been running and was leaking into the unit below. Officers spoke with the resident, who turned out to be just fine, and didn’t realize what had been going on. It turned out the resident’s cat had turned on the faucet.
‘DOING DONUTS’
At 8:04 p.m. on May 21,
Stow police got a call from someone who reported that four young men were filming themselves “doing donuts” in a Jeep Wrangler in the the parking lot at the town beach on Sudbury Road. The caller took note of the license plate and passed that information along to the police. Police spoke to the young men about their actions and they agreed to rake over and repair any tire tracks they had made in the dirt. At t 9:17 p.m., police reported that the young men had taken care of any damage they may have caused and were sent on their way.
MAKE WAY FOR TURTLES This is the time of year that turtles in Massachusetts are on the move. Mid-May to early July is prime time for turtles to be crossing roads and other landscapes, so be on the lookout. One example of this was reported on May 21, when Animal Control Officer Francesca Maciejko noted a “turtle invasion” at the Pond Street recreation fields in Norfolk and shared on
Facebook a photo of a turtle heading toward one of the soccer fields while a game was underway. “We have one currently who wants to join the line up,” the Facebook post said. “It is turtle egg laying season and this is normal to see. Please leave laying turtles alone. When they are done with their activities they will return to their home base.” Another turtle sighting was logged by police on June 2, when a large snapping turtle started creating traffic problems in Wilmington as it tried to cross Church Street near the Friendship Lodge. The turtle got lucky when a Good Samaritan stopped and helped it get across the road safely. And last but not least, on June 6, Watertown police shared photos of a turtle that was scooped up from a busy roadway. A woman named Mary thanked Officer Frank Forde for helping her rescue the turtle. “This little guy was crossing Pleasant St. near Stop & Shop and was causing cars to swerve on the road, and nearly getting himself run over,” the Facebook post said. “Officer Forde responded to the strange call and was so kind and helpful and carried him safely back down to the river. So appreciative of the help!” If you have an opportunity to help move a turtle to safety, don’t bring it to another location, because it will very likely try to return to its home and could end up crossing even more roads to get back there.