This week police made 17 traffic stops, which resulted in seven citations, nine verbal warnings, and one summons. The ambulance crew responded to nine medical emergencies and took six people to the hospital, four with Advanced Life Support on board; three people refused treatment and/or transport to the hospital. One person called seeking permission to have an outdoor cooking fire.
Tuesday, Sept. 8
Nothing of significance to report.
Wednesday, Sept. 9
Responding to a 911 call, fire officers went to a home on Poor Farm Road to investigate a “chirping” detector alarm, and after finding no issues in the house that would prompt an alarm, they replaced the unit’s battery.
Thursday, Sept. 10
A Madigan Lane resident called at 10:06 a.m. to report concerns about an occupied car parked in front of the residence. The responding officer asked the parties to move along. A resident on Old Shirley Road called at 11:49 a.m. to report an ongoing problem with construction vehicles speeding in the area. An officer set up a radar detail on the road but did not observe any speeding construction vehicles.
Friday, Sept. 11
At 6:37 a.m. power outages were reported on multiple streets in town, affecting 226 customers, according to police. National Grid was notified. Police say there was no report on what caused the outages. At 10:30 a.m. a caller reported that some property had been stolen from the Sorrento’s Pizzeria parking lot on Ayer Road. Police are investigating the incident and are in the process of reviewing footage from a surveillance video. An officer on patrol at 11:39 a.m. came upon a construction vehicle parked in a hazardous area on Under Pin Hill Road and asked that it be moved. An officer went to a residence on Trail Ridge Way at 2:16 p.m. to assist a resident in shutting off a smoke detector. At 10:57 p.m. a Still River Road resident called to report hearing a woman crying somewhere behind the house. An officer checked the area but did not hear the noise or find anything. Police speculate that the sound could have been from coyotes.
Saturday, Sept. 12
At 8:15 a.m. a caller reported that someone had broken into Harvard Outdoor Power Equipment the previous night and taken cash and some miscellaneous items. Police are investigating and are reviewing a surveillance video from the area. Someone called at 12:40 p.m. to report that a tree had fallen on Lancaster County Road and was blocking the roadway. Two officers moved the tree to the side of the road. At 5:45 p.m. someone reported observing a silver Dodge being driven erratically on Massachusetts Avenue near Interstate 495. Officers were unable to locate the vehicle. After performing a random plate check on a vehicle traveling on Ayer Road at 6:08 p.m., an officer pulled the car over and issued a summons to the driver, a Worcester resident, for driving with a suspended license and an invalid inspection sticker. A resident on Prospect Hill Road called at 7:53 p.m. to report hearing gunshots in the area. Police heard the shots coming from a nearby residence, and upon investigating found that the person who lived there was trying to shoot a coyote that had attacked the family dog. Police say the man was within his legal rights to use a firearm on his own property and did not know if the hunter was eventually successful.
Sunday, Sept. 13
At 12:23 a.m. a caller reported a possible fire in a pumpkin field near Ayer and Old Shirley roads. Police say the blaze was an attended, waning bonfire from the Fall Festival. Someone stopped at the station at 3:21 p.m. to turn in a dog found wandering in the area. The animal was taken into custody by the animal control officer. Police say the dog appeared to be a brown pitbull mix and did not know if the animal had been returned to its owner. At 4:29 p.m. a resident on Mettacomet Path called to complain about an ongoing issue with teens driving all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes on the road. The police who went to investigate found no signs of the teens.
Monday, Sept. 14
Someone stopped at the station at 11:21 a.m. to turn in a ring found on Pond Road. Police say it is being held at the station. State police called at 5:19 p.m. to ask Harvard to be on the lookout for a car involved in an accident. The car was later found by state police in Ayer.
