Compiled by
Scott Merzbach
Staff Writer
Arrests & summons
Amherst Police
• A Whately woman involved in a two-car crash on the afternoon of Oct. 11 is facing drunken driving and child endangerment charges, according to police.
Cayla J. Sicard, 30, of Mieczkowski Circle, was arrested at 3:52 p.m. at the intersection of Belchertown and Gatehouse roads on charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, failure to use care in stopping, possession of an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle and child endangerment while under the influence of alcohol, police said.
During the response to the accident, police located Sicard’s 2-year-old son inside her vehicle.
Sicard’s arrest came after the 1993 Pontiac Bonneville she was driving collided with a 2000 Toyota Solara, Forcum said. No injuries were reported, but Sicard’s vehicle was towed from the scene.
• Zachary B. Fried, 38, of Bridge Street, was Oct. 11 at 12:39 a.m. Sunday on East Pleasant Street on charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and operating a motor vehicle with a defective headlight, police said.
• Allan R. Tremblay, 24, of Valley View Lane, Sunderland, was arrested Oct. 10 at 2 a.m. on North Pleasant Street on charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs, negligent operation of a motor vehicle to endanger and failure to yield at an intersection, police said.
Tremblay is also facing four counts of possession of a class B substance, ecstasy, after police found on Tremblay, during booking, a plastic baggy containing about nine grams of a white powdery substance, another plastic baggy with the same powdery residue and two dollar bills with the residue, police said.
• Alexander Forrest, 26, of Northampton, was arrested Oct. 10 at 12:38 a.m. on North Prospect Street on charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation of a motor vehicle to endanger and failure to use care in starting, police said.
• A 33-year-old Springfield resident will be summoned to court on charges of larceny of a motor vehicle and larceny under $250 after allegedly taking a vehicle from a Rolling Green Apartments resident and not returning it or the keys in an incident reported Oct. 9 at 5:31 p.m., police said.
• Yusef B. Awad, 43, of Pine Street was arrested Oct. 9 at 12:52 a.m. at the intersection of East Pleasant and Pine streets on charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation of a motor vehicle to endanger and failure to stop at a stop sign after the vehicle he was driving north on East Pleasant went through a stop sign, crossed both lanes on Pine Street and crashed into a concrete barrier, police said.
• Charles Good, 67, of South Prospect Street. was arrested Oct. 7 at 7:50 p.m. at his home on a warrant, police said.
Hadley Police
• Carlos Cruz, 34, of Springfield, and Madeline Lopez, 44, and Matthew Atchison, 27, both of Holyoke, were all arrested Oct. 10 at 1:30 p.m. on Bay Road at East Street on charges of larceny over $250 after allegedly taking purses valued at more than $400 from Marshall’s at Mountain Farms Mall, police said.
Cruz was also arrested on a charge of operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, police said.
The passengers attempted to discard the purses from the vehicle prior to police stopping it, according to police.
day-by-day
police calls
MONDAY, OCT. 5
SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY
• 3:38 a.m. — Police determined that a cat roaming inside likely set off an alarm at a North Amherst home.
• 10:07 a.m. — A homeless man sleeping outside a Shumway Street business was awoken and sent on his way.
LARCENY
• 8:54 p.m. — Police took a report that a person’s Verizon account was hacked and a new smartphone was ordered and was to be shipped to a downtown Amherst property.
ASSAULTS
• 9:42 p.m. — A woman reported a passenger touched her inappropriately while they were on a PVTA bus near a South Amherst apartment complex.
MOTOR VEHICLE
ACCIDENTS
• 4:58 p.m. — A motorcycle was towed after it was struck from behind by a car at the intersection of Belchertown and Gatehouse roads, police said.
No personal injuries were reported, according to police.
TRAFFIC
• 9:53 p.m. — Two Amherst men, ages 20 and 21, were issued $20 tickets for riding unlit bicycles on College Street after they drew the attention of police by having their bicycles in the middle of the road.
TUESDAY, OCT. 6
SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY
• 4 a.m. — Police were unable to find a person who either knocked on a window or threw an object at it at Mill Valley Estates.
• 5:44 p.m. — A cover was removed and wires were exposed on a traffic light at the intersection of Amity and South Pleasant streets. The Department of Public Works was notified.
• 11:42 p.m. — Puffton Village residents reported providing personal information and billing statements to solicitors claiming to be from the power company. Police said it was uncertain if the solicitors were engaged in illegal activity.
LARCENY
• 3:55 p.m. — A resident reported the illegal withdrawal of $700 from a Bank of America ATM that police recently found had a skimming device and camera attached to it.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 7
SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY
• 5:43 p.m. — Solicitors at a Puffton Village home who used obscenities while speaking to a resident fled before police got there.
CITIZEN ASSISTANCE
• 5:36 p.m. — Police contacted a Chicopee woman who borrowed an Amherst resident’s vehicle more than two weeks earlier and hasn’t yet returned it.
DISTURBANCES
• 7:37 p.m. — Police kept the peace between housemates at a downtown residence arguing over the level of noise they were each making.
• 8:58 p.m. — People pushing and shoving each other at a Sunderland Road location were separated and agreed to go their own way for the rest of the night.
RECOVERED PROPERTY
• 10:56 p.m. — Police seized marijuana, a scale and a grinder from occupants of a vehicle stopped on South East Street.
ANIMAL COMPLAINTS
• 11:14 a.m. — A small animal trapped in the window well at a North Hadley Road building was removed and relocated by the animal welfare officer.
• 11:41 a.m. — People walking a small dog off leash at Sweetser Park were warned about the town’s leash law.
• 12:45 p.m. — A Sunderland Road farmer was warned about potential fines if goats continue to get out of the field into the road. The goats had been loose the previous day at 10:33 a.m.
THURSDAY, OCT. 8
SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY
• 1:25 a.m. — College-age people walking with an orange traffic barrel on North Pleasant Street near Eastman lane agreed to put it back on the crosswalk where it had previously been located.
• 8:12 a.m. — People parking their vehicles, drinking coffee and engaging in a conversation daily at the end of Hobart Lane told police they we are just friends who decided to meet up every day before work.
• 10:32 a.m. — A woman reported she was followed by a man from the bus they had ridden on together to her home in South Amherst. Police were unable to locate the suspect, who had allegedly hidden in bushes to observe the woman.
CITIZEN ASSISTANCE
• 9:36 p.m. — Police assisted a man get his ID back from a downtown bar which confiscated it after a bouncer determined it was fraudulent.
DISTURBANCES
• 4:55 p.m. — A Colonial Village resident reported two unwanted women, both heroin addicts, refusing to leave the home. They were not at the apartment when the resident called, though police were informed they might return later in the day.
LARCENY
• 7:53 p.m. — A Village Park resident reported the unauthorized withdrawal of money from a bank account.
FRIDAY, OCT. 9
SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY
• 7:03 p.m. — A man and woman going door to door who claimed they were soliciting for the electric company at Hawkins Meadow were not located by police. The same people were at the Northampton Road apartment complex again the following day at 6:17 p.m., but fled before officers got there.
• 7:35 p.m. — Four teens causing problems while refusing to pay to attend the high school football game left after speaking to officers.
• 9:45 p.m. — Police took a report of a man grabbing and shaking the exterior doors at Fort River School. Police determined the suspect was an employee locking the building for the long weekend.
DISTURBANCES
• 3:14 a.m. — Roommates involved in a disturbance at a Tyler Place home told police they were just goofing off.
LARCENY
• 4:11 p.m. — Police are investigating an incident in which a resident reported allowing another person to borrow her car and upon its return discovered a checkbook missing and several checks had been fraudulently cashed.
• 8:25 p.m. — A vehicle was reported stolen from a Main Street parking lot, possibly after its owner lost her keys. Police are investigating,
VANDALISM
• 10:27 p.m. — A window was smashed out from a vehicle parked at the high school.
FIGHTS
• 1:45 a.m. — Two men about to start a fist-fight outside the downtown bars agreed to end their argument and go home.
NOISE COMPLAINTS
• 11:17 p.m. — Police issued a verbal warning to Mill Valley Estates residents whose children were playing loud video games.
TRAFFIC
• 9:48 p.m. — The Department of Public Works was contacted to remove a tree that fell across Mount Pleasant.
SATURDAY, OCT. 10
SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY
• 2:14 a.m. — A man screaming for help on South Pleasant Street was just seeking a ride home. Officers gave him directions to the UMass campus.
• 8:30 a.m. — A homeless man and his chihuahua sleeping inside an ATM on Amity Street were removed.
• 5:39 p.m. — Police located a man loitering on Main Street and using the newspaper boxes as a drum set and cursing at passers-by. He was sent on his way.
NOISE COMPLAINTS
• 1:09 a.m. — Police cleared out a loud party on Curtis Place.
• 6:39 p.m. — A verbal warning was issued by police to South Whitney Street residents playing loud music.
• 11:49 p.m. — People talking loudly at a Lincoln Avenue home were issued a verbal warning from police.
MOTOR VEHICLE
ACCIDENTS
• 7:11 p.m. — A motorcyclist crashed on North East Street after losing control while coming around a curve, police said.
Information about whether the motorcyclist needed medical attention was not available.
SUNDAY, OCT. 11
SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY
• 12:42 a.m. — A man on South Pleasant Street carrying signs related to an upcoming road race was advised to put them back where he found them.
• 1:19 a.m. — Two people who walked through a Hulst Road yard were located a short time later and told police they were returning home after being at a friend’s residence. They were given a courtesy escort to their home.
• 6 p.m. — Youths tossing a football across North Pleasant Street in the area of Kellogg Avenue were advised to use more common sense in finding a place to play.
• 9:31 p.m. — A car alarm went off at the Valley Main Street Apartments after a man allegedly tried to break into it. He fled before police got there.
CITIZEN ASSISTANCE
• 4:39 p.m. — A man with dementia missing from The Arbors returned home safely after police did an extensive search for him, including going to the Hampshire Mall in Hadley where he was found the last time he was missing.
NOISE COMPLAINTS
• 12:43 a.m. — Police issued a $300 ticket for violating the town’s noise bylaw to a 21-year-old Holliston woman after police responded to a College Street home for a loud party with more than 30 guests hanging out inside a garage. One guest was arrested for being a minor in possession of alcohol, police said.
• 2:28 a.m. — Brandywine Apartments residents playing loud video games hooked up to a stereo system were advised to quiet down.
• 11:27 a.m. — Officers responded to Colonial Village for loud noise and determined that several children were playing inside the home.
• 10:28 p.m. — Police issued a verbal warning to Southpoint Apartments residents playing loud music.
MOTOR VEHICLE
ACCIDENTS
• 7 p.m. — One driver was issued a citation following a two-car crash with no personal injuries at the intersection of College and South Pleasant streets, police said.