Taking the road less traveled turns into a crash landing
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.
WHERE DID HE THINK HE WAS GOING?
A motorist in Cambridge got in trouble for driving where he wasn’t supposed to be. It happened at 12:30 a.m. June 23, when an SUV drove through the lower busway tunnel in Harvard Square — which is only supposed to be used by MBTA buses — and crashed into a pole. MBTA Transit Police said the 33-year-old driver appeared to be intoxicated and suffered a minor knee injury. He was arrested on charges of operating under the influence and operating to endanger.
‘TOXIC SMELL’
At 7:38 p.m. June 19, the manager of the REI sporting goods store at the Derby Street Shops in Hingham called police to report “a toxic smell” coming from the computer room in the store. The manager was advised to have everyone evacuate as a precaution. According to the log entry, the source of the odor was due to “a malfunction with a battery charger” and REI notified its IT department so it could fix the problem.
TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE
At approximately 6:23 p.m. May 31, a resident of Lincoln Street in Franklin reported being scammed out of $125. The victim reported being contacted by an entity calling itself “Publishing Clearing House,” bearing the happy news of a $15 million reward. But there was a catch: In order to claim the cash prize, the victim was told to provide a $125 Visa gift card to one of the company’s representatives. It was only after the victim followed those instructions that the realization struck, triggering the scam report. Police said the incident is under investigation.
SNAKE SIGHTINGS
At 8:19 p.m. June 18, Peabody police were dispatched to a home on Washington Street to assist the homeowner, who had found a snake in a stove. An officer looked around for the snake but couldn’t find it, and advised the resident to call MassWildlife or an exterminator.
At 11:56 a.m. June 25, Stow police got a call from a woman on West Acton Road who reported finding a “snake trapped in a bucket in her basement.” The animal control officer was notified.
BATHROOM BREAKAWAY
Police in Dartmouth recently shared a photo of a man pushing an orange shopping cart containing a large cardboard box that he was allegedly stealing from Home Depot. What was inside the box? A toilet. “DPD is once again looking for some help identifying [expletive] who thought that it was ok to stroll out of Home Depot yesterday without paying for a toilet,” Police wrote on Facebook on June 24 ... you are strongly encouraged to either send us a private message or call Detective Kyle Costa at 508-910-1755.” Police said people can also submit tips anonymously on the department’s website, dartmouthpd.org.
Emily Sweeney can be reached at emily.sweeney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney and on Instagram @emilysweeney22.