Police Report

Compiled by SCOTT MERZBACH

Published on December 11, 2009

Amherst Police

* A resident at Alpine Commons on Belchertown Road reported Monday at 5:14 p.m. that his gray 2000 Buick LeSabre was stolen sometime after 1 a.m.

* Police are investigating break-ins to two Pine Street homes reported Sunday at 5:42 p.m. and 6:18 p.m. In the first break-in, there was forced entry, but nothing was removed from the residence. In the second break-in, a rear window and door were pushed open. The residents at the second home have not yet provided police information on what was taken.

* William H. Waldron, 64, of High Street, was arrested Sunday at 3:57 p.m. at an Amherst home on charges of domestic assault, malicious damage to a motor vehicle and malicious destruction of property over $250, police said.

Waldron was arrested after he chased a woman and threatened to harm her, and then caused considerable damage to her vehicle, including tearing off the sideview mirror, police said.

* Two people are being summoned to court on charges of larceny under $250 after they stole two Christmas wreaths from an Amherst store and were found walking with them near the Hampshire College campus Sunday at 3:32 a.m., police said.

* Wayne A. Beach, 21, of Russell Street, Hadley, was arrested Sunday at 2:51 a.m. on South East Street near Eveningstar Drive on charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and speeding, police said.

* Three laptops, a PlayStation 3 and a Nintendo Wii were reported stolen Dec. 5 at 10:19 p.m. from a Townehouse Apartments home entered through an unlocked door.

* A man who was hunting in the woods off Flat Hills Road told police Dec. 5 at 11:51 a.m. that he returned to his vehicle after six hours and found a passenger-side window smashed out and a backpack and $20 in cash stolen.

* Matthew F. Connors, 21, of Tyngsborough, was arrested Dec. 5 at 3:05 a.m. on Strong Street on charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and failure to stay within marked lanes after the vehicle he was driving went off the road and struck a utility pole, destroying the vehicle, police said.

Daniel Hong, 22, of Acton, Daniel Michniewicz, 21, of East Sandwich, and Rebecca Moran, 21, of Lowell, all passengers in Connors' vehicle, suffered minor injuries and were transported by Amherst Fire Department ambulance to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton. Hong and Michniewicz were both treated and released, according to a hospital spokeswoman, but the hospital had no record of treating Moran.

Connors' vehicle was towed from the scene, police said.

* Quinton A. Sales, 19, of Hadley Road, Sunderland, was arrested Dec. 5 at 2:27 a.m. on South Pleasant Street on charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, failure to stay within marked lanes and being a minor in possession of alcohol, police said.

* A man suffered a three-inch laceration over his left eye and another laceration to the back of his head following an assault outside the downtown bars Dec. 5 at 12:01 a.m. The victim went to Cooley Dickinson Hospital for treatment. Police are investigating.

* A 57-year-old Shutesbury man will be summoned to court on charges of reckless operation of a motor vehicle to endanger and failure to wear a seat belt after the pickup truck he was driving was pulled over on Triangle Street Dec. 4 at 4:44 p.m., police said.

The pickup truck was stopped after officers observed two 15-year-old girls riding in its bed and being tossed around when the vehicle came to a sudden stop, police said.

* Tova B. Cotton, 20, of Needham, was arrested Dec. 4 at 3:02 a.m. on Smith Street on charges of being a minor in possession of alcohol, violating the town's open container bylaw and possession of a fake ID after she was found walking on the residential street, police said.

* Shawn A. Eddy, 33, of Hartford, Conn., was arrested Dec. 4 at 2:27 a.m. on North Pleasant Street on charges of unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and speeding and on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in Roxbury District Court, police said.

* Two 19-year-old men from Narragansett, R.I., and North Attleboro and two 18-year-old men from Florence and Jamaica Plain will all be summoned to court on charges of wanton destruction of property under $250 after they knocked over a mailbox on North Pleasant Street Dec. 4 at 1:53 a.m., police said.

* Stefanie M. Kaczenski, 25, of Greenfield, was arrested Dec. 4 at 12:22 a.m. on North Pleasant Street on charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and operating a motor vehicle with no headlights, police said.

* A 42-year-old Northampton man will be summoned to court on a charge of intimidating a witness after he made a phone call to a man who has a restraining order against him Dec. 3 at 6:29 p.m., police said.

* Tyrus Stinson, 24, of Echo Village Apartments, was arrested Dec. 3 at 2:37 p.m. on Kellogg Avenue on a charge of violating the town's open container bylaw after police observed him drinking a beer outside a restaurant, police said.

* A 48-year-old Sunderland man will be summoned to court on charges of operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, failure to notify the Registry of Motor Vehicles of an address change and operating a motor vehicle that does not meet safety standards following a traffic stop on Boltwood Walk Dec. 3 at 12:55 a.m,, police said.

* Police took a report from an Echo Village Apartments resident Dec. 2 at 1:26 p.m. that the home was entered two days earlier and a vacuum cleaner and frying pan were stolen. Police are investigating the break-in.

* A Southpoint Apartments resident reported Dec. 1 at 9:19 p.m. that the home was broken into and a PlayStation 3, $6,000 in cash and five pairs of shoes were stolen. Police said there were no signs of forced entry to the residence. The incident is under investigation.

* Between Dec. 1 and Dec. 8, police issued 149 warnings to vehicles parked on Amherst streets in violation of the winter parking ban, which extends from 2 to 6 a.m. daily.

* Police recovered two cell phones, a wallet, two ATM cards, a license and a bicycle and took reports of a lost license, a lost wallet and a lost cell phone. Police checked the well being of three residents, provided one courtesy escort, one escort for a funeral, assisted one person locked out from a home and one person locked out from a vehicle, checked for speeding vehicles on Main Street, Harvard Avenue and Bay Road and stopped vehicles on Amherst streets and issued three warnings for failure to stay within marked lanes, two warnings for operating with expired inspection stickers, three warnings for operating without headlights and two warnings for license plate light violations, and delivered mail to members of the Select Board.

* In addition, police responded to false alarms at one residence, two businesses and the high school and checked on vehicles parked on Sunderland Road, Webster Court, Pine Street, West Street and Phillips Street and at The Boulders and Big Y Supermarket.

Hadley Police

* Police took a report Dec. 1 at 5:27 p.m. that a vehicle parked near the Cinemark Theatres at Hampshire Mall was broken into and a stereo system was stolen from it.

* The manager at a Route 9 fast food restaurant told police Nov. 30 at 11:22 a.m. that money was missing from the safe.

Pelham Police

* A Belchertown motorist who struck a tree after suffering a heart attack Nov. 24 survived the incident, in part, because of the fast actions of two nurses who witnessed the accident and the prompt response of a local policeman.

Mark McCullough, 52, of Belchertown was stopped at the intersections of Old Enfield, Amherst and Meetinghouse roads shortly before 3 p.m. when he suffered the heart attack, according to Pelham Police Chief Gary Thomann. The attack caused McCullough to step on the gas and speed across Amherst Road and into a tree, Thomann said.

Two nurses traveling behind McCullough witnessed the accident, Thomann said. They rushed across the road, pulled McCullough from his vehicle and began administering CPR. Thomann arrived moments later, providing emergency medical assistance with a defibrillator.

McCullough was transported to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield and eventually released in good condition, Thomann said.

* A Shutesbury woman will be charged with operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license and operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol after she drove off the road and hit a telephone pole, splitting it in half .

Adrienne Boulais, 32, of West Pelham Road in Shutesbury was traveling north on Buffam Road on Nov. 28 at 4:39 p.m. when she swerved off the road and hit a telephone pole, causing the pole to snap in half and fall across the road. The top half fell to the ground with the telephone wires still attached. Boulais was transported by Amherst Ambulance to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton with minor injuries.

The fallen telephone pole closed Buffam Road for five hours as police waited for a crew from Verizon to arrive and remove the pole. When the expected crew did not appear, Fire Department personnel were left to clear the road. No electrical wires were present, according to Pelham Police Chief Gary Thomann.

UMass Police

* Angel V. Villanueva, 32, of Holyoke, was arrested Dec. 5 at 6:53 p.m. on University Drive on charges of unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and operating a motor vehicle with a lights violation and on an outstanding warrant, police said.

* Anthony T. Gooding, 25, of Boston, was arrested Dec. 5 at 2:48 a.m. at Coolidge dormitory on charges of disorderly conduct and assault and battery, police said.

* Jillian M. Greaves and Rachel M. O'Shea, both 20 and of Medfield, were both arrested Dec. 5 at 12:38 a.m. in lot 32W off Massachusetts Avenue on charges of breaking and entering to a vehicle, police said.

* Sam M. Reffsin, 22, of North Whitney Street, Amherst, was arrested Dec. 4 at 3:51 p.m. in Lot 11 off Stadium Drive on a charge of possession with intent to distribute a class B substance, police said.

Day-by-Day Amherst Police Calls

TUESDAY, DEC. 1

VANDALISM

* 12:50 a.m. - Four mailboxes on Pelham Road were knocked over, but police were unable to locate the people causing the damage.

BREAK-INS

* 9:39 p.m. - An unlocked vehicle parked at The Brook was entered, but nothing was removed from the vehicle.

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS

* 11:06 a.m. - One driver was issued a verbal warning for failure to use care in stopping following a minor two-car accident with no personal injuries on West Street, police said.

* 3:18 p.m. - One person complained of neck and back pain following a two-car accident with minor damage to both vehicles on Main Street, police said.

Amherst Fire Department paramedics responded to the scene to check on the injured person, police said.

* 4 p.m. - Police said they located the driver of a hit-and-run vehicle on West Street a short time later and warned her of the consequences of leaving.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 2

CITIZEN ASSISTANCE

* 11:40 a.m. - A gas pipe was struck and possibly ruptured on Chestnut Street when a person was digging a hole for a mailbox post. Police assisted firefighters in clearing out residents until the gas company arrived to turn off the gas.

DISTURBANCES

* 11:05 a.m. - Police calmed down a woman at Village Park who was upset about a police response to an earlier incident with a neighbor, as well as the condition of her apartment. At 2:51 p.m., police went back to the complex after the neighbor's son was allegedly kicking the woman's vehicle. The following day at 6:34 p.m., police mediated a dispute between the woman and her neighbor. Police determined the dispute is the result of a vehicle sale that happened several months earlier.

VANDALISM

* 8:14 p.m. - A Dana Street resident reported that someone drove through 24 bags of leaves placed at the side of the road, causing the bags to break open and the leaves to scatter.

THURSDAY, DEC. 3

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

* 2:42 p.m. - Two men going to downtown businesses attempting to sell auto-glass replacements were not located by police.

BREAK-INS

* 1:57 p.m. - A laptop computer was stolen from the unlocked trunk of a vehicle parked on Cottage Street. Police said there were no signs of forced entry.

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS

* 8:39 a.m. and 12:24 p.m. - Vehicles parked at Village Park and a University Drive business sustained minor damage when they were struck by hit-and-run vehicles, police said.

* 9:43 a.m. - Marianna Marguglio, 62, of North Valley Road, Pelham, was issued a citation for failure top use care in starting after the vehicle she was driving from the Cumberland Farms parking lot onto Belchertown Road collided with a vehicle driven by Daria A. Boratyn, 23, of Whitinsville, police said.

Marguglio's vehicle was towed, but no personal injuries were reported, according to police.

FRIDAY, DEC. 4

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

* 10:45 p.m. - Puffton Village residents told police that someone tried to pry open the screen door while they were watching television. Police were not able to locate any suspects.

* 11:13 p.m. - A college-age man walking in the middle of North Pleasant Street near Puffton Village refused to leave the roadway when a cruiser honked at him and officers asked him to move to the sidewalk. Instead the man began flailing his arms and yelling at officers. When he was determined to be under 21, several cans of beer were confiscated from him.

CITIZEN ASSISTANCE

* 1:36 a.m. - Police assisted a woman who fell and injured her arm while in a downtown bar. She was brought to the downtown fire station for evaluation, but declined transport to the hospital.

DISTURBANCES

* 2:06 p.m. - A drunken homeless man bothering patrons parking in the CVS Pharmacy parking lot on North Pleasant Street was sent on his way. The following day at 8:01 p.m., the man was inside a downtown restaurant seeking refuge from the snow and was disturbing customers as he was drinking alcohol from a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bog. Store management obtained a trespass notice and he was removed.

* 11:01 p.m. - Management at a downtown restaurant told police a homeless woman was inside yelling at employees. The woman was not located when police got there.

LARCENY

* 6:25 p.m. - A license plate was reported stolen from a vehicle parked at Colonial Village.

* 9:44 p.m. - A Belchertown Road woman told police a check was stolen from a letter inside her mailbox. The woman told police she believes other personal information was taken from the mail. Police are investigating.

VANDALISM

* 12:58 p.m. - Graffiti was found inside the elevator at the parking garage, along with remnants from possible drug use.

BREAK-INS

* 1:30 p.m. - A 32-inch flat screen television valued at more than $500 was reported stolen from a residence at The Brook. Police said the intruders likely got in through an unlocked back door.

FIGHTS

* 1:12 a.m. - Two men fighting in front of the downtown bars were calmed down and sent on their way.

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS

* 11:15 p.m. - Patrick K. Kayego, 24, of Springfield, was issued a citation for failure to use care in turning after the taxi cab he was driving from College Street into a driveway collided with a vehicle driven by Stephanie A. Cole, 20, of Belchertown, police said.

Cole's vehicle was towed from the scene, but no personal injuries were reported, police said.

SATURDAY, DEC. 5

CITIZEN ASSISTANCE

* 7:11 p.m. - A teenage girl missing from Village Park returned home safely at 10:22 p.m.

DISTURBANCES

* 6:17 p.m. - Police responded to an argument between neighbors at Echo Village Apartments over recent incidents involving a dog that may have been bitten people. The dog owner reported a man has now threatened to kill his dog in retaliation for the incidents.

LARCENY

* 1:35 a.m. - An iPod was stolen from an Amity Street home.

VANDALISM

* 2:49 a.m. - Several people were found breaking chairs taken from an apartment on Meadow Street. The victims told police they did no want to press charges.

* 8:21 a.m. - A window at a College Street business was struck with a brick, but the glass did not break and no entry was made.

BREAK-INS

* 12:51 p.m. - A Village Park home was broken into since 1 p.m. the previous day, but nothing was taken.

ASSAULTS

* 1:51 a.m. - A man suffered injuries, including swelling to his face and head, after being attacked by several people at a Pelham Road home. The man was uncooperative in telling police what happened and later went to the hospital for treatment.

* 2:31 p.m. - Police took a report of a past assault on North Pleasant Street.

NOISE COMPLAINTS

* 12:17 a.m. - Two officers spent 10 minutes clearing out a party with more than 300 guests from an East Pleasant Street home. At 12:34 a.m., two officers responses to Hobart Lane to send more than 200 party-goers on their way.

SUNDAY, DEC. 6

DISTURBANCES

* 2:09 a.m. - Police responded to the corner of North Pleasant and Fearing streets where an argument between a taxi cab driver and a customer refusing to pay a fare was taking place. The issue was resolved after the fare was paid in full.

* 9:42 p.m. - Police kept the peace between two men arguing at Southpoint Apartments. One of the men threatened to beat the other man up. The incident started when one of the man dropped a piece of paper on the ground.

LARCENY

* 1:23 a.m. - A wallet and other items inside a purse were reported stolen from a woman while she was at a downtown bar.

* 10:15 a.m. - A vehicle parked in the CVS Pharmacy parking lot on North Pleasant Street overnight was stolen when the person came to get it. Police located the vehicle in a parking lot on Amity Street at 10:23 p.m. and determined that the owner had likely forgotten where it was parked.

BREAK-INS

* 5:22 a.m. - North Pleasant Street residents reported someone got into the home and walked around it. Police weren't able to locate any suspects.

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS

* 6:31 p.m. and 7:02 p.m. - Vehicles parked on Boltwood Avenue and Rolling Green Drive sustained minor damage when they were struck by hit-and-run vehicles, police said.

MONDAY, DEC. 7

LARCENY

* 9:04 a.m. - Police received a report from a downtown merchant that youths have been stealing candy from the store. Additional patrols may be in the area during after-school hours.

* 6:46 p.m. - Several homemade signs stating opposition to an affordable housing development on Longmeadow Drive were reported stolen.

VANDALISM

* 8:44 a.m. - Two school buses parked in a College Street lot were damaged by vandals during the previous weekend. A stop signal and mirror were bent on one of the buses, causing enough damage that the bus will not be able to pick up schoolchildren until it is repaired.

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS

* 9:02 p.m. - One driver was issued a written warning for failure to sue care in stopping following a two-car accident with no personal injuries at the intersection of West Street and East Hadley Road, police said.

One vehicle sustained extensive front-end damage and was towed from the scene, according to police.