Tuesday, Oct. 29
A Slough Road resident spotted a bear in his pig pen and called police at 8:54 a.m. Although there were two pigs within the enclosure, the bear seemed more interested in their breakfast. The animal control officer was notified. Police believe that there are two bears at large in Harvard, one weighing about 500 pounds and a smaller one weighing about 200 pounds. The bigger animal has been observed in the Prospect Hill area of town, and the smaller in the vicinity of Route 2 and Poor Farm Road. Neither is believed to be a threat to people or domestic animals, Officer Daniele Fortunato told the Press this week. “Take in your feeders at night and leave [the bears] alone,” she said. At 2:10 p.m. a small bear was spotted by an East Bare Hill resident and reported to police. The same bear was seen at the front door of the Healing Garden on Bolton Road at 2:30 p.m. An iPad found by a resident was brought to the station at 3:17 p.m. The owner was identified and the device returned. At 5:23 p.m. someone reported seeing a black Lexus being driven erratically near the Westward Orchard farmstand as it headed toward Boxborough. The Boxborough police were notified. At 8:10 p.m. a resident reported having struck a deer on Still River Road. An officer checked the area but was unable to locate the animal.
Wednesday, Oct. 30
Police stopped a speeding motor vehicle on Bolton Road at 7:30 a.m. The driver was ticketed for speeding. At 9:29 a.m. a caller reported striking a cat on Ayer Road. The animal control officer was notified. Police returned stolen property from an August theft to its owner, who came to the police station at 3:35 p.m. to retrieve it. At 3:41 p.m. a resident called the police to report a disabled vehicle near the intersection of Stow Road and Codman Hill Road. When an officer arrived, the owner had already arranged for AAA to tow the vehicle. A motor vehicle accident on Brown Road was called in at 10:13 p.m. A Stow resident had struck a rock on the shoulder of the road and swerved into a stone wall. There were no injuries, and the car suffered only minor damage, but the driver was issued a written warning for failure to stay within marked lanes.
Thursday, Oct. 31
Police stopped a car for speeding near St. Benedict’s Abbey on Still River Road at 6:21 a.m. The driver, a Harvard resident, was issued a written warning. At 7:18 a.m. police issued a written warning to a second car speeding on Still River Road, this time near Willard Lane. A 911 call at 10:15 a.m. brought police to a two-vehicle accident at the westbound exit from Route 2 to Ayer Road. Two vans carrying a total of 12 passengers had been traveling together when the second van struck the first. There was no damage to either vehicle, but when passengers complained of pain, the Harvard and Ayer ambulances were called. Three passengers were transported to the Nashoba Valley Medical Center; the director responsible for the occupants of the two vans signed refusals for the remaining nine. At 12:07 p.m. a driver on Still River Road reported a spill on the roadway. When an officer located the substance, it was found to be sawdust and not a hazard. A plugged storm drain at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Still River Road brought a call from a resident at 5 p.m. Police notified DPW of the problem. The afternoon rain had created a large puddle there just as trick-or-treaters were beginning to assemble at the Common. At 5 p.m. four officers, including Police Chief Ed Denmark, arrived at town center with blue lights flashing to keep watch over the scores of creatures and their parents as they arrived to celebrate Halloween. At 10:04 p.m. Officer Scott Hughes found a wallet near the General Store. Police notified its owner, who lives in Bolton.
Friday, Nov. 1
A caller alerted police at 9:20 a.m. to a downed tree that was blocking Poor Farm Road. When an officer arrived, the tree was gone. At 11:29 a.m. a Westcott Road resident reported having seen a bear in the vicinity of her home two days earlier. The observation was duly noted. Responding to a 4:16 p.m. call, an officer removed a tree that had been blocking traffic near the intersection of Stow Road and Codman Road. A motorist phoned police at 9:09 p.m. to complain that a black Audi was being driven erratically on Ayer Road. An officer searched for the vehicle as far as the Ayer Circle, but found nothing.
Saturday, Nov. 2
At 9:09 a.m. a motorist reported seeing a mattress in the middle of Ayer Road near the Smokey the Bear sign. DPW was asked to remove it. An officer stopped a speeding car near Still River and Prospect Hill roads, at 9:36 a.m. The operator, an Ayer resident, was issued a citation for speeding and a warning for operating the vehicle with an expired registration. The vehicle was towed. Police are investigating an incident in which a Harvard bicyclist claimed to have been forced off the road near East Bare Hill Road and Westcott Road by a speeding car driven by a Harvard motorist. The biker called 911 at 10:10 a.m. to report the encounter. At 12:40 p.m., a Harvard resident reported seeing a man dumping trash at the town beach. An officer spoke to the individual, also a Harvard man, about the proper disposal of refuse. A male biker called at 1:42 p.m. claiming to have been struck by a passing car operated by a female driver. The biker and motorist are both from Harvard, and the incident remains under investigation. At 3:02 p.m. an Ayer Road resident reported hearing gunshots near Doe Orchard. An officer investigated, but everything was OK.
Sunday, Nov. 3
Responding to a 911 call, the Harvard ambulance transported a Still River resident to UMass Worcester at 10:22 a.m. At 12:23 a.m. police responded to another 911 call, this one from a Stow Road residence. On arrival, an elderly occupant was found to be deceased.
Monday, Nov. 4
At 1:17 p.m., police stopped a vehicle on Still River Road and cited the driver for speeding. A citizen reported seeing a raccoon behaving oddly in the middle of Eldridge Road. An officer was dispatched at 2:56 p.m. and the animal was put down. The animal control officer was asked to retrieve the body.
