Tuesday, May 19: A caller reported at 10:10 a.m. that there were two suspicious-looking men at an unoccupied house on Tahanto Trail. The responding officer determined that the men had been hired to do some work at that property. At 4:41 p.m. a caller reported that there was a man putting something in mailboxes on Ann Lee Road. Police located the man and told him to stop.
Wednesday, May 20: A Bolton Road resident reported at 7:45 a.m. that there was a car parked on his lawn. Officers determined that it belonged to someone attending a sleepover at a neighbor’s house, and asked the person to move the vehicle. Someone called from the Bromfield School at 8:01 a.m. to report that a pickup truck had been driving on the walkway there. Police located the vehicle and advised the driver, who had just dropped off his sister at the school, to be more careful. A Mass. Ave. resident reported at 2:50 p.m. that a Subaru had driven over some brush piled on his lawn, causing some damage to his property, and had left the scene. Police did not locate the vehicle; the case is under investigation. At 11:38 p.m. an officer on patrol contacted the Department of Public Works to request removal of a branch from the middle of Slough Road.
Thursday, May 21: At 7:24 a.m. someone stopped at the police station to turn in a license plate that had been found on a road. The owner was notified and picked it up. At 10:24 a.m. a caller reported seeing a man hiding behind a tree on Lovers Lane. The man was not found. Police called Verizon at 11:31 a.m. to take care of a phone wire in the road on Still River Road. A fire officer was sent to investigate the smell of propane at an Old Shirley Road address at 5:49 p.m. The officer advised the owner to contact the propane company. A caller reported at 8:15 p.m. that a youth was going from house to house on Prospect Hill Road soliciting for a company called Inter-City Sales. Police notified the company to pick up the youth, and gave him a ride to Dunkin’ Donuts to await pickup.
Friday, May 22: Suspicious activity on Poor Farm Road reported at 10:51 a.m. turned out to be technicians from Charter Communications working on utility poles in the area. At 5 p.m. a caller reported that two vans—one gray and one light-colored—were driving erratically, heading south on Interstate 495. The vans were not located. An Old Littleton Road resident reported at 8:10 p.m. that someone had stopped a vehicle in front of her house and put a television at the end of her driveway. She was unable to provide police with a description of the vehicle or a license plate number. Police confirmed that there was a TV at the end of her driveway, but did not find a vehicle in the area. At 9:09 p.m. police stopped a car going the wrong way on the Route 2 on-ramp. The driver said he was lost; the officer provided directions and set the driver straight. No citation was issued. A caller reported at 11:17 p.m. that young girls riding in a car on Old Shirley Road were screaming out the window and sounded distressed. Police located the car and found the girls playing loud music and acting boisterously.
Saturday, May 23: At 1:39 a.m. Boxborough police requested the assistance of Harvard officers with a motor vehicle stop on I-495. A Shaker Road resident reported at 9:32 a.m. that someone had vandalized his property, smashing a window in the garage, and using red spray paint to mark the garage with graffiti. Police received calls from residents on Old Shirley Road at 12:47 p.m. and 2:50 p.m. reporting a continuation of the vandalism spree, which included a smashed car window and red spray-painted graffiti on mailboxes and a stop sign. The case is under investigation. A Poor Farm Road resident called at 7:22 p.m. to express concern about youths skateboarding in the road. Police did not locate the skateboarders. At 9:33 p.m. Harvard police assisted Boxborough police, who had requested help with a motor vehicle stop.
Monday, May 24: A sum of money found near an automated teller machine was turned in at the police station at 9:45 a.m., and is being held pending claim by the owner. The drivers of three cars parked near the cemetery on South Shaker Road were told by police at 11:33 p.m. to move along.
Monday, May 25: A caller reported seeing an abandoned bicycle on Poor Farm Road at 1:18 a.m. Police checked the area and located the bike’s owner. At 1:15 p.m. a caller reported concerns about a doe and its fawn, who were trying to cross Mass. Ave. The mother had crossed, but a car had scared the fawn, which remained on the side of the road looking for its mother. The caller waited near the fawn until a police officer arrived. The officer advised the person to leave the area, so the doe would return for her fawn. At 1:42 p.m. a caller reported that there was a small dog in traffic on Ayer Road. Police did not locate the animal. Someone reported a gray Chrysler being driven erratically on Old Shirley Road at 6:41 p.m. Police did not locate the vehicle. At 7:32 p.m. Boxborough police requested the assistance of Harvard police in locating a man who was reported late in returning from a walk at the Bellevue Cemetery. They later called to report that the man had returned home safely. At 9:43 p.m. the ambulance was called to respond to an accident on Route 2 when a car collided with a moose. The call was later canceled because other area ambulances responded to the scene.
The police log is written by a Harvard Press reporter based on information gleaned from daily police logs and interviews with police staff. The Press reports names of people arrested except in cases of domestic abuse.
