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 (aka blotters) in our suburbs.
OH, YUCK
On April 21, Natick firefighters rescued a woman who found herself in a particularly sticky predicament: After her dog became stuck in a muddy marsh at the Hunnewell Town Forest on Oak Street, the woman tried to rescue the animal and soon found herself unable to get out as well. Someone happened to walk by, saw the situation, and called 911. Firefighters arrived at the scene at around 3:20 p.m. and saw the woman waist-deep in water, approximately 50 feet out in the marshland. Firefighter Rob Stevenson donned a survival suit and helped her and her canine to dry land. Neither was injured.
MORE TALES OF THE TRAPPED
On the morning of March 18, Northborough police went to a home on Maynard Street where someone was reported locked inside a room, unable to get out. Police set the trapped one free. The cause? A malfunctioning doorknob. At 4:35 p.m. March 27, Beverly police received a report that someone was locked inside a Thai restaurant on Cabot Street. Police responded, but in this case, firefighters got the person out. At around 7:30 a.m. April 10, Walpole police learned that two deer seemed to be trapped inside the fenced-in area at a South Street site where the new police station will be built. The animal control officer and firefighters opened a gate to set the pair free, but they chose to hop over the fence instead, thank you very much.
BIRD CALLS
At 6:46 p.m. April 3, someone came into the Stow police station to report that several turkeys were chasing people away from a Citizens Bank branch on Great Road. Officers responded and found two turkeys hanging out in the common area of the shopping plaza, all right, but they weren’t pestering humans. The report does not note whether the birds were whistling nonchalantly as officers approached. At 2:15 p.m.April 17, a Ward Street resident told Salem police that a pigeon was sitting on her front steps and “did not appear willing/able to move.’’ The responding officer found this to be true, collected the bird, “and moved him to a more suitable perch.’’
ANIMALS CROSSING
You never know what sort of four-legged creature might pop up on the roadway before you as you drive — a deer, a squirrel, someone’s wayward pet. But how about a pair of donkeys? That’s what happened at 5:46 a.m. April 4, when Stow police were told two such animals were on Sudbury Road near Honey Pot Hill Orchards. By the time officers got there, though, no donkeys were to be found. Soon, though, police were alerted that (a) the animals were almost a half-mile down the road, and (b), their owners were on the way to fetch them. Two days later, Stow police received a call reporting two alpacas were standing on Maple Street. The responding officer found that the creatures had returned to their yard, but the fence surrounding it was broken. The dispatcher called the owners to tell them of the breach.
NEED ANOTHER REASON NOT TO SMOKE?
At approximately 5:45 p.m. April 8, Transit Police officers near an entrance to the MBTA’s Quincy Center Red Line station noticed a man conspicuously smoking a cigarette near a sign forbidding the practice. When officers asked for identification, they report, he gave them a false name. Apparently with cause: The 37-year-old Quincy man was wanted by Plymouth District Court for possession of a Class B substance. Police also found that he was carrying a plastic baggie that appeared to contain heroin.
CHURCHGOERS OF A DIFFERENT KIND
On April 9, Newton police were sent to the former St. Philip Neri church on Beacon Street in Waban when a caller reported seeing four men exiting a red Audi with bags and entering the rear of the church. Arriving officersfound such a car in the rear parking lot with four 18-year-olds inside. In the building, officers found two fire extinguishers tampered with and two windows broken. Police confiscated beer, knives, and fake IDs from the teens, who hailed from Topsfield, Brookline, Needham, and Newton. Police said they would seek charges of breaking and entering and possessing alcohol against all four, with two additionally to face charges of possessing fake IDs.
ROAD RAGE
At 7:13 a.m. April 17, someone told Peabody police that a man was removing tires from a car while “screaming obscenities.’’ Was the guy stripping someone else’s vehicle? Hardly: He was merely changing a tire on his own wheels.
Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney.
