Friday, Feb. 4
At 6:20 p.m., officers were summoned to Kennedy dorm by a RA, who informed them that at approximately 1 a.m. the day before, a student had sprayed her with a fire extinguisher during an altercation. After obtaining witness statements and identifying the suspect, the responding officers issued him a summons to court, where he will face charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, destruction of property under $250, and fire safety violations.
At 7:43 p.m., Matthew Lawrence Rodgers, 19, of 8 McKinley Road, Peabody, Mass., Matthew McCartney, 19, of 5 Alma Terrace, Peabody, Mass., and Nicholas Overbaugh, 18, of 14 Pine Street, Peabody, Mass., were arrested. An officer on plainclothes traffic detail was patrolling Lot 32W when he allegedly noticed four individuals standing at the rear hatch of a vehicle, loading beer into a backpack. Upon making contact with the individuals, the officer requested identification from them, with which they complied. The officer recognized one suspect, Rodgers, whom he recognized from previous dealings, had given him an identification belonging to one “John Rodgers,” the suspect’s brother. Subsequently, Rodgers, McCartney and Overbaugh were taken into custody on charges of being minors in possession of alcohol. In addition, Rodgers was charged with providing false identification.
At 11:29 p.m., Genna Samander, 19, of 11 Beaver Dam Road, Killingworth, Conn., was arrested for OUI. An officer observing traffic on Governors Drive observed a vehicle traveling at what appeared to be a high rate of speed, which he then clocked at 41 miles per hour. After pulling the vehicle over, the officer began to suspect the driver was intoxicated. Samander submitted to a breathalyzer test and allegedly blew a reading of .11. The legal limit for a minor in Massachusetts is .02. The officer took Samander into custody for speeding, OUI and minor in possession of alcohol.
Saturday, Feb. 5
At 7:55 a.m., an officer pulled over a Volkswagen Jetta on Massachusetts Avenue. Upon making contact with the driver, the officer discovered her license to operate was suspended. The individual will be summonsed into court to answer to charges of operating on a suspended license.
At 10:28 a.m., officers received a report of a breaking and entering at a Fine Arts Center classroom. The reporting party stated that among the items taken were a Canon camera valued at $250 and a wireless router valued at $80. Damages and inventory are still being assessed and the investigation is ongoing. Anybody who saw anything suspicious is asked to contact UMPD.
Sunday, Feb. 6
At 12:28 a.m., Belky Rodriguez, 18, of 235 Elm Street, Holyoke, Mass., and Daniel J. Pugliese, 20, of 12 Hillcrest Circle, Hope, R.I., were both arrested on charges of liquor law violations. Officers in plainclothes were on patrol near the Visual Arts Center when they observed a car run a red light. After pulling the vehicle over, the officers noted not several passengers were not wearing seat belts, and several bottles of alcohol were located in the back seat. The officers took Rodriguez and Pugliese into custody on charges of being minors in possession of alcohol.
At 1:10 a.m., Brian David Gernux, 21, of 29 North Road, Hampden, Mass., was arrested. An officer monitoring traffic on Massachusetts Avenue allegedly noticed a yellow Toyota Camry make an illegal U-turn. After pulling the vehicle over, the officer noticed upon approaching the driver there were several bottles of alcohol in the back seat, two of which were open. A field sobriety test revealed the driver’s blood alcohol content was measured at .13, at which time Gernux was arrested for making a U-turn where prohibited, OUI and possessing an open container of alcohol in a vehicle.
Monday, Feb. 7
At 10:31 p.m., a UMPD officer was injured in a motor vehicle accident. While on general patrol on North Pleasant Street, another vehicle stopped at a stop sign coming out of the Worcester Dining Commons parking lot and suddenly pulled out and rammed the side of the officer’s cruiser. The force of the impact drove the cruiser to the other side of the street, where it came to rest against the curb. Other emergency units arrived at the scene and found the officer had sustained injuries to his hip and knee. He was transported by his fellow officers to Cooley Dickinson Hospital, and according to UMPD Deputy Chief of Police Patrick Archbald, his injuries are not serious, and he is currently out injured on duty. The driver of the other vehicle was cited for failure to use care in starting a vehicle.
– Collegian News Staff
