In the past week, police made 64 motor vehicle stops, 36 resulting in verbal warnings and 25 in written warnings or citations. Officers also checked on a disabled vehicle, made two well-being checks, and responded to one false burglar alarm.
Tuesday, May 5
At 7:35 a.m. there was a crash on Route 2 eastbound in which a person was injured; state police had jurisdiction. At 3:30 p.m. a Stow Road resident called, saying old tires had been dumped on her property. An officer found a discarded tire in the woods near her house. While there, he also helped open a difficult can lid for her. At 3:58 p.m. a caller reported a tree branch down on Still River Road; the Department of Public Works was asked to deal with it.
Wednesday, May 6
At 5:42 a.m. there was a two-car collision on Ayer Road; no one was injured, but both cars had to be towed. After the collision, one driver needed a ride to work, which Ayer police provided. At 6:13 p.m. on Ayer Road, a 49-year-old Leominster man received a summons for driving with a suspended license and failing to stop for a stop sign.
Thursday, May 7
At 12:01 a.m., at the request of the state probation office, a Harvard officer made a well-being check on a resident who had missed an alcohol-monitoring appointment that day and was not answering the phone. At 2:12 a.m. police served an arrest warrant on the 58-year-old resident for violating the terms of her probation. At 8:30 a.m. she was transported to Middlesex District Court in Ayer for a hearing. At 1:23 p.m. someone came to the police station, wishing to file a complaint against an officer. At 3:26 p.m. a woman came to the station to report her Social Security number had been used to open a National Grid account in another town, and National Grid said the account was now about $7,000 in arrears. A police detective is investigating the scam.
Friday, May 8
At 8:26 a.m. a caller said an erratic driver had almost passed a stopped school bus on Still River Road, despite the bus’s flashing lights. The bus driver said the person appeared inebriated. But the car had left the area, and police were not able to locate it.
Saturday, May 9
At 12:33 p.m. an officer was checking the area near the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge and saw that some trash and a number of plastic items had been burned in the parking lot at the end of Still River Depot Road. The vandalism is being reported to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Sunday, May 10
At 12:49 a.m. Boxborough police received an anonymous call about a disturbance on Meadow Lane there. The caller claimed a woman outside was screaming that she wanted to hurt herself and was pouring gasoline around. Boxborough police asked Harvard for assistance, and officers went to the address the caller had reported. However, they found nothing amiss there. Police concluded it was a case of “swatting,” with the caller wanting to harass occupants at the reported address. At 12:46 p.m. someone brought a misdelivered package to the police station, and an officer took it to the intended recipient. At 4:14 p.m. a Still River Road resident complained about a speeding green Kawasaki side x side, but the vehicle was gone when police arrived. At 7:26 p.m. an apartment resident on Paddock Lane in Boxborough called 911, saying an upstairs neighbor had threatened him with a pocketknife during a dispute. Officers from Boxborough, Harvard, and Littleton restored the peace.
Monday, May 11
At 10:32 a.m. a caller reported a fallen tree limb on Bolton Road, and an officer removed it. At 11:33 a.m. someone on Park Lane complained about two young people who were going door to door on behalf of a religious group. They were gone when police arrived. At 1:45 p.m. police received another complaint from Park Lane. This time the door-to-door solicitor worked for a business; he was told he should register with police. At 2:55 p.m. a caller asked for a well-being check on an Ayer Road resident who had sent some concerning text messages and made emotional phone calls. Two officers and the co-clinician responded and found the person was just very tired. More unrelated complaints about soliciting came in at 6:15 p.m. from Harris Lane and at 6:47 p.m. from Babbitt Lane. In the latter case, the caller was concerned because three men had spoken with his young son. In both cases, the solicitors were gone when police arrived.
The police and fire logs are written by a Press reporter based on dispatch logs and interviews with police and fire staff. Decisions to publish or withhold the names of people arrested will be based on our need to balance the privacy of individuals with our responsibility to report news of significance.