Police Report

Compiled by SCOTT MERZBACH

Published on June 05, 2009

Amherst Police

* Edwin R. Hernandez, 38, of Edgehill Place, was arrested Tuesday at 2:21 a.m. on Main Street on charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and failure to use care in turning, police said.

* Joelle Sanford, 22, of Puffton Village, was arrested Monday at 3:55 p.m. at her home on a charge of domestic assault and battery after she grabbed a woman and tried to physically remove her from a vehicle, police said. The victim didn't require any medical attention, police said.

* Jennifer A. Salcido, 27, of Providence, R.I., was arrested Sunday at 3:52 a.m. on East Pleasant Street on charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and operating a motor vehicle with a lights violation after her vehicle was stopped for being operated with no headlights or taillights, police said.

* Scott C. Barnard, 45, who provided an address as the streets of Amherst, was arrested Sunday at 3 a.m. at the police station on an outstanding warrant from Eastern Hampshire District Court on charges of uttering a false check and larceny by check under $250, police said.

* Melaku M. Belay, 21, of Salem Place, was arrested Sunday at 12:33 a.m. at a Pelham Road home on an outstanding warrant from Winchendon District Court for unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, police said.

* A North Pleasant Street home was reported broken into May 30 at 9:59 p.m. through an unlocked rear window while the resident was out. The resident told police a pearl necklace valued at $50, a glass globe valued at $75 and a $50 laptop bag were missing.

* A 30-year-old Amherst woman will be summoned to court on two counts of malicious destruction of property over $250 and charges of malicious damage to a motor vehicle and domestic assault and battery following an incident reported by her landlord at a West Street home May 29 at 3:38 p.m., police said.

The woman allegedly broke a dresser, television and door, damaged a vehicle and had earlier struck a man with whom she has been in a dating relationship, police said.

* An Amherst College student who broke into a Pelham Road residence early on the morning of May 27 was arrested after the homeowner returned and found him eating a sandwich in her kitchen, police said.

Ryan R. Brainard, 19, of Cheektowaga, N.Y., was arrested at 4:49 a.m. on a charge of breaking and entering during the nighttime to commit a felony, police said.

Brainard told police he was traveling from Provincetown to his home in New York when he stopped on Pelham, Road, walked into the woods, and then got lost. When he finally found his way out the woods, he said he was looking for a place to stay for the night, and, finding a door to the home unlocked, went inside. There, he made himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

When the woman who lives at the home came back and noticed the intruder, she called police. Her husband was asleep upstairs at the time of the break-in, police said. There were no signs of forced entry, according to police.

* Eric Ruggles, 23, of West Brookfield, was arrested May 28 at 1:45 p.m. at the police station on an outstanding warrant from West Brookfield police related to a domestic incident in their town, police said.

* Police are investigating an incident at the CVS Pharmacy on North Pleasant Street in which a man stuffed 12 boxes of Crest White Strips valued at $300 into the pockets of his jacket and fled the store May 27 at 3:53 p.m.

* Police took a report May 26 at 11:01 a.m. that three laptops, an X-box game console, a GPS navigational system and two guitars were all stolen from an Edgehill Place home entered through an open window, police said.

* A Duxbury woman and a Quincy woman, both 21, will be summoned to court on charges of burning personal property after they set a Dumpster on fire on Hobart Lane between the night of May 22 and morning of May 23, police said.

* Between May 26 and June 2, police recovered a jacket, two wallets, a watch, a purse, a key chain and two passports. Police checked the well-being of three residents, provided two courtesy escorts and escorts for two funerals, stopped vehicles on Amherst streets and issued three warnings for operating without headlights, one warning for operating with a defective brake light, three warnings for inspection and registration sticker violations and two warnings for failure to stop at stop signs, and delivered mail to members of the Select Board.

Police responded to false alarms at seven businesses, four residences, the parking garage, the high school and Wildwood School and checked on vehicles parked at Groff Park, Mill River Recreation Area and Mount Pollux Conservation Area and on Sunderland Road, South Prospect Street, Wildflower Drive, Spring Street and Railroad Street.

Hadley Police

* An asparagus farmer on Cemetery Road reported May 29 at 10:23 p.m. that some of his crop was missing. The farmer told police he observed fresh footprints from the road to the field, police said.

* Stephen Cutting, 53, of Northampton, was arrested May 29 at 6:18 p.m. at a Route 9 store on a charge of enticement of a child after he allegedly tried to entice a 9-year-old girl at the business, police said.

* Stanley Zalewski, 25, of West Springfield, was arrested May 29 at 10:04 a.m. on Route 9 on an outstanding warrant, police said.

* Alvin K. Chan, 20, of Middle Street, was arrested May 24 at 11:07 p.m. at a Hadley residence on a charge of being a minor in possession of alcohol following an incident in which police responded to a loud party with an open fire, police said.

* A vehicle parked near Hampshire Mall was reported broken into May 23 at 10:06 p.m., with a GPS navigational unit stolen from it.

UMass Police

* Tiffany R. Hill, 19, of Cambridge, was arrested May 21 at 3:56 p.m. at Chadbourne dormitory on charges of breaking and entering a building during the daytime to commit a felony and larceny under $250, police said.

Day-by-Day Amherst Police Calls

TUESDAY, MAY 19

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

* 12:37 p.m. - Police are searching for a homeless man living in the vicinity of the Amtrak station on Railroad Street. The following day at 1:41 p.m., police took a report of a plywood door ripped off a shed owned by New England Central Railroad, as well as other damage, possibly caused by this homeless man, at Leader Home Center.

LARCENY

* 6:41 p.m. - A person who drove off without paying for gas at the Hess gas station on West Street was located and will return to make restitution.

MOTOR VEHICLE

ACCIDENTS

* 12:46 a.m. - The hood of a vehicle came unlatched and opened up while it was being driven on the Route 116 bypass, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and strike a guardrail, police said. The vehicle had to be towed, but no personal injuries were reported, police said.

* 3:45 p.m. - One driver was issued a citation for failure to use care in turning following a minor two-car accident with no personal injuries occurred on Amity Street, police said.

* 4:40 p.m. - One driver was issued a citation for failure to use care in stopping after a minor two-car accident with no personal injuries took place at the corner of Northampton Road and University Drive, police said.

* 8:07 p.m. - Haja Fofana, 20, of Northampton, was issued a citation for failure to keep in the right lane after the vehicle she was driving on Sunset Avenue collided with the door of a vehicle driven by Henry Drapalski, 23, of Longmeadow, police said. No personal injuries were reported and damage was minor, police said.

TRAFFIC

* 9:05 p.m. - Police pursued a vehicle on West Street into South Hadley whose occupants may have been responsible for a shoplifting incident at the Wal-Mart in Hadley. The pursuit continued by South Hadley and Chicopee police before the vehicle was lost.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20

CITIZEN ASSISTANCE

* 3:10 p.m. - A Village Park woman told police she received three text messages from someone making inappropriate comments directed at her and her children.

LARCENY

* 12:12 p.m. - Two rings were stolen from a woman while she was attending a party on McClellan Street.

* 6:15 p.m. - A bicycle valued at $200 was reported taken from Pomeroy Lane.

NOISE COMPLAINTS

* 7:02 p.m. - A loud stereo playing at a Carriage Lane home was turned off and a bonfire was extinguished following a police response.

ANIMAL COMPLAINTS

* 9:40 a.m. - Loose cows at a North Amherst farm were reported to police. Officers determined the animals were close to the road but not in it and were protected by an electric fence.

* 11:42 a.m. - A woman told police a brown dog charged at her while she was walking on Main Street. Police will try to identify the dog and speak with its owner.

* 3:13 p.m. - Police assisted in removing a large turtle in the middle of Stony Hill Road.

* 8:34 p.m. - A Hulst Road resident told police a bear and cub were in the back yard eating from a bird feeder. Police advised the resident to remove the bird feeder once the animals had left.

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS

* 1:07 p.m. - Jennifer M. Barbaro, 21, of Peabody, was issued a citation for failure to use care in stopping after the vehicle she was driving on West Street near the Notch collided with a vehicle driven by Sheila R. Demers, 56, of Granby, police said. Demers' vehicle was towed, but no personal injuries were reported, police said.

* 2:09 p.m. - A minor two-car accident with no personal injuries took place on East Pleasant Street, police said.

* 3:35 p.m. - The driver of a vehicle was issued a traffic citation after striking a bicyclist on North Pleasant Street at Butterfield Terrace, police said. The bicyclist was not injured, police said.

* 7:45 p.m. - One driver was issued a citation for failure to yield to another vehicle following a minor two-car accident with no personal injuries at the intersection of East Pleasant Street and Eastman Lane, police said.

THURSDAY, MAY 21

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

* 8:24 a.m. - Police identified a man who has repeatedly been seen acting suspiciously in the area of Wildwood School. Police determined the man is just watching his own children to make sure they are getting to school safely.

CITIZEN ASSISTANCE

* 7:20 p.m. - A fight was reported at Echo Village Apartments, but when police got there they only found a man who had fallen and cut his upper lip. At 8:28 p.m., officers responded again to the complex for another reported disturbance and yelling. All was quiet when they got to the scene.

DISTURBANCES

* 6:43 p.m. - Police responded to an Aubinwood Road home to remove a teenage boy who is dating a girl living there. The boyfriend agreed to leave.

VANDALISM

* 11:44 a.m. - Police took a report of damage to one of the greens at Cherry Hill Golf Course.

BREAK-INS

* 11:05 a.m. - An unlocked car parked in a Pelham Road driveway was entered and 100 compact discs, a chessboard and a power cord were all stolen.

* 12:16 p.m. - Pry marks were found on the metal frame surrounding the back door of a College Street business, but no entry was gained.

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS

* 1:06 a.m. - Robert Chapin, 27, of Enfield Road, Pelham, was riding his motorcycle on Dickinson Street when it was rearended by a car, causing him to be thrown from the bike, police said. The driver of the car then turned off its lights and fled the scene, police said.

Chapin suffered unspecified injuries as a result of the accident. Police said they are investigating the accident and trying to locate the vehicle.

* 5:04 p.m. - Vehicles driven by Mihai Ivan, 49, of Wilmington, and Shari L. Murray, 58, of Fitchburg, collided on Pelham Road when Murray attempted to make a left turn onto Allen Mill Road, police said.

Elena Ivan, 49, of Wilmington, and Aurel Yelicanu, 50, of Revere, both passengers in Mihai Ivan's vehicle, complained of neck pain and were checked at the scene by Amherst Fire Department paramedics, police said. Both vehicles were towed from the scene, according to police.

* 5:56 p.m. - A minor two-car accident with no personal injuries took place on College Street, police said.

FRIDAY, MAY 22

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

* 1:14 a.m. - Police issued a warning to a person walking with an orange traffic cone on North Pleasant Street and told him to return it to a nearby construction area.

* 1:38 a.m. - A man and woman inside a vehicle parked at Groff Park were sent on their way after being notified the park is closed at night.

* 3:18 a.m. - Police encountered a man looking into vehicles parked at Puffton Village, possibly to enter them. He told police he had been watching ducks at Brandywine Apartments and was just on his way back home.

* 7:17 a.m. - Management at Cherry Hill Golf Course told police a man has been going onto the golf course early in the morning without paying any membership fees or obeying course rules. When confronted, the man yelled at an employee. Police are assisting in having a trespass order issued against the man.

* 12:29 p.m. - Police are investigating an incident in which a woman reported a man was hiding a digital camera under a textbook and taking photographs of her and her friends while they were sunbathing at Puffer's Pond.

* 3:02 p.m. - People jumping from the rocks into Puffer's Pond were removed from the cliff. At 8:18 p.m., police sent 10 people swimming at the pond after dark on their way.

CITIZEN ASSISTANCE

* 8:51 a.m. - A man found asleep in an office in the Jones Library was issued a trespass notice to stay out of the building. Staff members told police the man may have slept there all night.

* 12:45 p.m. - A woman told police she was verbally assaulted by the driver of another vehicle while at the CVS Pharmacy parking lot on University Drive.

* 3:29 p.m. - A Belchertown Road resident reported getting into an argument with another person over a damaged mailbox.

* 10:10 p.m. - Three skateboarders who set up ramps in the middle of parking areas at Townehouse Apartments were advised to remove the ramps and leave the area.

DISTURBANCES

* 3:35 p.m. - Police took a report that more than 30 college students drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and cursing while on the beach at Puffer's Pond. All were behaving themselves when police got there, but several parking tickets were issued to vehicles parked facing traffic on State Street.

VANDALISM

* 2:03 a.m. - Two women who started a Dumpster on fire at Hobart lane were identified and are expected to face charges as a result of their actions.

TRAFFIC

* 4:41 p.m. - Police stopped a vehicle with an expired registration on Lincoln Avenue and issued the driver a written warning before having it towed.

* 5:47 p.m. - A vehicle parked on the Nutting Avenue sidewalk was issued a ticket.

SATURDAY, MAY 23

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

* 1:53 a.m. - An intoxicated homeless man on North Pleasant Street told police he would make his way to a tent in the woods off University Drive. At 4:03 a.m., the man was found asleep in a Blue Hills Road yard and was awoken and sent on his way.

* 3:59 a.m. - A man who tried to get into a Rolling Green Drive residence through the window on the front door was not located by police.

* 5:19 a.m. - A 30-year-old Amherst man was placed into protective custody after he was found heavily intoxicated on University Drive.

* 7:38 p.m. - A Brandywine Apartments woman told police she is concerned that a man took a bag full of bank statements and credit card receipts that she had placed in a Dumpster at the apartment complex. Police spoke to a friend of the man, who said he was only looking for reusable items thrown out by college students at the end of the semester.

* 9:26 p.m. - Two suspicious men were seen loitering on Lawrence Circle, and ran into the woods when observed by police. No vandalism or damage was discovered.

RECOVERED PROPERTY

* 10:28 p.m. - A 2002 Nissan Altima stolen from Holyoke in April was recovered at Echo Village Apartments.

FIGHTS

* 12:21 a.m. - A fight outside the downtown bars ended when police got there. None of the combatants wanted to press charges.

* 1:07 a.m. - An intoxicated man fell to the ground unconscious during a shoving match with another person on Pray Street. The man suffered only minor injuries and was brought to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton for treatment.

ASSAULTS

* 1:05 a.m. - Police took a report that a person was pushed to the ground on Main Street.

NOISE COMPLAINTS

* 12:13 a.m. and 10:58 p.m. - Police issued verbal warnings to North Prospect Street and Amity Street residents holding loud parties.

* 12:28 a.m. - Cosby Avenue and Fearing Street residents were spoken to by police about loud noise from their gatherings.

* 1:46 a.m. - Police issued a verbal warning to Amity Street residents talking loudly and using a megaphone to project their voices.

* 4:56 a.m. - A verbal warning was issued by police to a Colonial Village resident playing loud video games.

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS

* 5:28 p.m. - A vehicle parked in the Boltwood parking lot sustained minor damage when it was struck by a second vehicle, police said.

* 5:48 p.m. - A vehicle went off an access road at Village Park and struck a tree, causing heavy damage to the back end of the vehicle, police said.

TRAFFIC

* 10:03 a.m. - An unregistered motor vehicle was stopped on University Drive. The driver was issued a citation and advised to park the vehicle until it was properly registered.

SUNDAY, MAY 24

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

* 12:55 a.m. - A 25-year-old Lynn man was placed into protective custody after he was found heavily intoxicated on Pray Street.

* 11:51 p.m. - A Dumpster fire was reported at The Boulders.

CITIZEN ASSISTANCE

* 1:29 a.m. - Police assisted a Main Street resident clear out 150 party-goers who were inside the residence and hanging out on the lawn.

* 1:49 a.m. - Gilreath Manor residents agreed to put out a bonfire in their yard.

DISTURBANCES

* 2:48 a.m. - Trash was strewn about the parking lot at Brandywine Apartments, but the people who had been smashing things and causing the damage were not located.

* 10:29 p.m. - A patron at a downtown bar was punched in the face by a person who came into the establishment and then fled. The victim refused to provide police any information about what happened.

LARCENY

* 3:26 a.m. - A stolen Bank of America ATM card was recovered, but the person who found it may have used it prior to returning it to a Meadow Street resident. Police are investigating.

* 10:04 a.m. - A rental car was reported stolen from Nutting Avenue after someone entered the home and took the residents' keys.

* 9:27 p.m. - Management at a downtown restaurant reported a customer walked out on a $45 bill.

FIGHTS

* 1:01 a.m. - Two people pushing each other outside the downtown bars were separated and sent on their way.

NOISE COMPLAINTS

* Between 12:01 a.m. and 2:27 a.m. - Police issued verbal warnings to North Pleasant Street, Tan Brook Condominium, Pine Street and Main Street residents holding loud parties. The Pine Street residents were also advised to remove broken glass from the road that had been thrown there by guests.

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS

* 1:53 a.m. - A car went off Leverett Road near the intersection with East Leverett Road and crossed the front lawn of a residence, causing minor damage and no personal injuries, police said.

* 12:04 p.m. and 4:36 p.m. - Cars parked at Puffton Village and in the Big Y Supermarket parking lot sustained minor damage when they were struck by other vehicles, police said.

* 3:17 p.m. - One driver was issued a citation for failure to use care in stopping following a minor three-car accident with no personal injuries at the parking garage, police said.

* 6:35 p.m. - A minor two-car accident with no personal injuries took place at Puftfon Village, police said.

MONDAY, MAY 25

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

* 2:45 p.m. - A person firing a gun in the area of Poets Corner was not located.

* 7:33 p.m. - Two men went into the Big Y Supermarket and attempted to confuse a cashier into giving them cash in what police are describing as a "flim-flam" scheme. The men were not located.

DISTURBANCES

* 6:53 p.m. - Two teenage boys who had been kicking the door to a home at The Boulders and also yelling at the tenant fled before police got there.

LARCENY

* 4:22 p.m. - A sign for Rao's Roastery was reported stolen from North Pleasant Street.

* 7:50 p.m. - A bicycle was stolen from the Amherst College campus.

* 7:51 p.m. - Management at Amherst Nursery on Belchertown Road told police four apple trees valued at $50 apiece were stolen from the location.