This week police made 16 traffic stops, which resulted in nine citations, four verbal warnings, four summonses, and one arrest. The ambulance crew responded to two medical emergencies and took one person to the hospital; one person refused treatment or transport to the hospital. Police assisted one motorist in regaining entry to a locked car.
Tuesday, Sept. 15
A motorist called at 3:13 p.m. to report traveling behind a car being driven erratically on Massachusetts Avenue. The car turned onto Littleton Road; officers were unable to locate it. At 4:59 p.m. two people called to report that a landscape truck with its hazard lights on was parked in a dangerous spot on West Bare Hill Road. The vehicle was gone when police arrived to investigate.
Wednesday, Sept. 16
An officer checking a building at the Department of Public Works at 5:42 a.m. saw someone there and stopped to investigate. Police say the person was a department employee who had arrived to work early. An East Bare Hill Road resident called 911 at 5:56 p.m. to report having just returned home from work and finding the basement door open. The caller said she also heard a noise coming from the basement. Police went to the home and checked out the basement but found no sign of an intruder. Someone stopped at the station at 6:19 p.m. to say he had been abandoned by his work crew. An officer called a cab to take the man home to Worcester.
Thursday, Sept. 17
At 8:41 p.m. a Depot Road resident called to request police assistance with a verbal altercation between family members. At 11:30 p.m. Arlington police called to ask Harvard officers to watch for a certain car and check for signs of fresh damage to the vehicle. Police say the car was located in the Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot, but no damage was found.
Friday, Sept. 18
Someone called at 9:31 a.m. requesting that police do something to slow down tractor-trailer trucks traveling on Still River Road. Someone stopped at the station at 11:07 a.m. to turn in an iPhone found on Massachusetts Avenue. The device was still at the station as of Sept. 22. Someone called at 12:23 p.m. to report suspicious activity at the Department of Public Works. Police checked the area and found a .22-caliber shell casing in the parking lot. At 1:37 p.m. a caller reported that two horses were on the loose on Brown Road. The animal control officer was notified, and two officers went to the location. However, the owners had already rounded up the animals. At 5:55 p.m. an officer on patrol gave chase to a motorcycle speeding on Ayer Road at more than 100 miles per hour. The bike did not slow down, and the officer called off the chase due to the high speed involved. The officer notified Ayer and Littleton police that the motorcycle could be headed in their direction, but police say the vehicle was not found. An officer on patrol at 9:25 p.m. stopped to investigate a car parked behind the Bromfield School. The officer subsequently issued summonses to the four occupants, all minors, for trespassing and transporting alcohol.
Saturday, Sept. 19
At 1:38 a.m. an officer stopped a car in the town center for speeding on Still River Road and failing to stop at the stop sign. The officer arrested the driver, Jonathan Michael Timothy, 28, of Gardner, for operating under the influence of liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, failing to stop, and speeding at 55 mph in a 20-mph posted area. A resident on East Bare Hill Road called at 10:38 a.m. to report a sick-looking raccoon in the yard. The animal control officer was notified. Someone stopped at the station at 2:11 p.m. to speak with an officer about a civil matter. At 9:37 p.m. firefighters were called to a structure fire in progress on Depot Road; subsequent calls also went out to fire departments in Ayer, Devens, and Lancaster. Police say the abandoned cabin was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived and was a total loss. The fire was finally extinguished by 1:30 a.m. (see story)
Sunday, Sept. 20
Nothing of significance to report.
Monday, Sept. 21
At 2:02 a.m. a motorist called to report that her car was out of gas and pulled over on Ayer Road and that an AAA service truck was on the way. An officer went to the car and stood by until the truck arrived. At 12:47 p.m. an Old Mill Road resident called to report that the family dog had been struck by a gray vehicle that was speeding on Old Mill Road.
