Every day, police officers respond to reports of all sorts of events and nonevents, most of which never make the news. Here is a sampling of lesser-known — but no less noteworthy — incidents from police log books (a.k.a. blotters) in our suburbs.
GOOD HOME NEEDED
At 10:19 p.m. Jan. 16, a Lynnfield woman called police to report that someone rang her doorbell and left two hamsters in a cardboard box on her doorstep. Animal Control Officer Jon Procurot responded and found that the critters appeared to be well cared for. They were left with their toys and a bag of food, plus a note that Procurot said appeared to have been written by a young person declaring that the owner could no longer afford to keep them. “They’re little tiny things,’’ Procurot said. “I can’t imagine it’s a lot of money to support them.’’ The woman didn’t want them, so Procurot took them home, where he noticed that the toys had been purchased at a Petco. Procurot called the chain’s Danvers store, which agreed to take the hamsters.
BOTHERSOME BIRD
At 12:35 p.m. Dec. 22, Bridgewater police received a 911 call reporting an “out of control’’ turkey. Animal control advised the caller to leave the turkey alone and it would go away.
FROSTY AT LARGE
At 7:49 a.m. Dec. 23, Saugus police received a call from a resident who reported that someone stole his Frosty the Snowman decoration from the end of his driveway overnight. Patrols were notified about the missing snowman, described as about 4 feet tall, (with a stocky build?), and made of plastic.
BUYER BEWARE
A Bridgewater man decided he needed a belt, but instead of going to a store to buy one, or ordering one online, he turned to Facebook. It didn’t turn out well. The man told police he posted a message on a Facebook group stating he was looking to buy a Gucci belt. Someone responded and agreed to sell him one for $100. The seller then showed up at his house, promptly snatched the cash from his hand, and tried to punch him in the face before driving off. At 7:37 p.m. on Dec. 29, the victim called Bridgewater police about the fiasco, which left him $100 short and, sadly for him, without a Gucci belt.
RINGING IN THE NUDE YEAR
Seems like the turn of the New Year brought out the worst in a few Brookline denizens. At 10:40 p.m. Dec. 31, officers were called to deal with a naked man yelling and screaming in the hallways of a building on Harvard Avenue. First, they put some clothes on the guy, then they placed him under arrest. Four hours later, officers made a bigger haul after they responded to an alarm at Brookline High School. There they found an open window and people who appeared to be intoxicated inside. Police identified the group as former Brookline High students, three of whom were expected to be summonsed to court to face charges of trespassing, said Lieutenant Philip Harrington. Then at 4:10 a.m. officers responded to a disturbance on Village Way, where a “heavily intoxicated’’ Brookline man had fallen through a glass door at a home he was visiting. He was taken to the hospital and was also expected to be summonsed to court to face charges of causing malicious damage.
ON THE NINTH DAY
At 10:43 p.m. Jan. 2, Norwood police received a report of Christmas trees in the middle of the road on Lincoln Street. Police moved them off to the side.
MIND YOUR MANNERS
At 12:29 p.m. Jan. 4, Marblehead police received a call from a woman who said a man “threw pieces of old dog poop’’ at her while she was walking her dog. An officer was dispatched to speak to both of them, and a quick refresher course on proper etiquette was provided to both parties.
NOT SO NICE
A woman told Salem police that she returned home on Jan. 4 after being gone for about three hours to discover that fake snow had been sprayed on her front door and two obscene words had been written into the faux snow. She told police she suspected her former roommate might be the culprit. She was advised that a report would be filed.
LOST AND FOUND
At 7:13 a.m. Jan. 8, Norton police received a call from a woman who said she found the head of a Jesus statue on the side of the road. She put the head in her vehicle and told police she would drop it off at the station on her way home from work, “in case the owner is looking for it.’’ Perhaps she changed her mind, as Norton police say they have no record of the head being dropped off at their station.
RIGHT AT HOME
At 7:25 p.m. Jan. 16, Beverly police received a report of a skunk in a basement on Home Street. The resident was advised to call an exterminator.
Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney.
