The following police logs are from the Amherst Police Department from Friday, Feb. 14 to Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020
Friday, Feb. 14, 2020
Community Policing
8:24 a.m.: APD conducted a foot patrol at 68 North Pleasant St.
2:27 p.m.: APD took exterior photos of the Jones Library at 43 Amity Drive for upcoming Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design work.
Traffic
8:42 a.m.: At 165 Summer St., a reporting party advised that there were so many vehicles parked on the street by Mill Hollow that they could not get any buses through. APD made contact with the owner of the offending vehicle, which was a blue 2007 Toyota Highlander. The vehicle was moved.
Assist Citizen
9:28 a.m.: A woman locked her keys in her car at Ann Whalen Apartments at 33 Kellogg Ave. after she did personal care assistant work in the apartments. AAA was en route. Her license plate was expired which she updated on the Registry of Motor Vehicles website. An officer let her sit in their cruiser until AAA arrived since it was 22 degrees out and she was only wearing a sweater.
10:47 a.m.: APD spoke with patrons and staff at the Bangs Community Center at 70 Boltwood Walk.
10:48 a.m.: APD stopped by 21 Barrett Hill Rd. to speak with staff at Amherst College to address a party registration issue.
12:00 p.m.: An individual from Ren’s Mobil and an APD officer helped a woman who was locked out of her white 1998 Volvo V70.
Motor Vehicle Stop
9:54 a.m.: At 246 Montague Rd., a brown 2012 Hyundai Elantra was stopped for traveling 64 miles per hour in a 50 mph zone. The operator was issued a verbal warning.
12:37 p.m.: At Fort River School at 70 South East St., a black 2011 Nissan Murano was stopped for taking a right turn on red is prohibited. The operator was issued a verbal warning.
1:03 p.m.: The operator of a gray 2017 BMW X5 was issued a verbal warning at 211 Lincoln Ave.
Motor Vehicle Crash
10:50 a.m.: At 57 East Pleasant St., a three car accident took place in the area of the rotary. The operator of a gray 2008 Buick Lucerne failed to use care while stopping and caused the accident with a blue 2004 Honda Civic and a gray 2013 Toyota Prius.
7:06 p.m.: At Amherst Coffee at 28 Amity St., a reporting party stated that a white 2016 Hyundai Elantra hit his green 2016 Subaru Forester and took off south on South Pleasant Street. The operator stated he was stopped at the red light when the other vehicle came up behind him and tapped his rear bumper at a low speed before leaving the scene. He stated it was a female operator and there were minor superficial scrapes on the rear bumper. No contact information was available for the registered owner of the other vehicle, which was registered in Gloucester. The reporting party just wished to have the incident documented and did not plan on doing anything about the scrapes.
Noise Complaint
2:30 p.m.: A reporting party stated there was a loud piercing sound coming from a piece of machinery at Johnny’s Tavern at 30 Boltwood Walk. The source of the noise was coming from an exhaust fan on the roof of the tavern. The reporting party was advised via dispatch that they needed to file a complaint with the business and there was nothing APD could do.
11:51 p.m.: A reporting party stated there was loud music playing at 81 Belchertown Rd. in the apartment below his. The music was playing on arrival and was turned off. A verbal warning was issued to the resident.
Fight
5:02 p.m: A reporting party stated there was a fight in the area of Pasta E Basta at 26 Main St. He stated there was a black male wearing a fuzzy sweatshirt that was on the ground. Two white males who were involved were walking away toward the Bank of America. The men were described as in their 40s, wearing dark jackets. One was described as carrying a white backpack. An individual was located who matched the description but it was confirmed he was not involved and he was sent on his way. The male who was on the ground advised he did not want to pursue the matter and was unable to provide names or better descriptions of the involved parties.
Animal Complaint
5:13 p.m.: At 34 Pomeroy Lane, a reporting party stated there was a dog in a gray 2004 Toyota Tacoma and an open window and it appeared the dog was trying to escape. The vehicle was gone on arrival.
Recovered Property
5:21 p.m.: An item which was found at 22 Lessey St. was turned in at the APD station. A voicemail was left for the owner at a number provided by the Belchertown PD.
Traffic
6:45 p.m.: A reporting party stated that a gray 2006 Ford Explorer was in their parking spot in the parking garage at 51 Boltwood Walk.
7:02 p.m.: In the parking garage at 51 Boltwood Walk, a parking citation was issued to a red 2014 Ford Focus which was parked in a spot.
Motor Vehicle Complaint
7:07 p.m.: A reported gray 2013 Mercedes C-Class was gone on arrival at 111 Fearing St.
Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020
Motor Vehicle Stop
12:42 a.m.: At 284 North Pleasant St., a black 2014 Ford Explorer was stopped and a verbal warning was issued to the operator.
2:52 a.m.: A verbal warning was issued to the operator of a gray 2018 Acura ILX for a marked lanes violation at 826 North Pleasant St.
9:26 p.m.: An APD officer observed a brown 2003 Nissan Altima while monitoring Big Guys Liquors on Montague Road. The driver stayed in the vehicle and the passenger went inside and purchased a six-pack of White Claw and Miller beer. The plate was queried and the registered owner was found to be under 21. The registered owner appeared to be the operator. A vehicle stop was conducted at 1040 North Pleasant St. for a minor transporting alcohol. The passenger provided the officer with his ID and explained that he had his roommate drive him to the liquor store as his vehicle was recently broken down and not operable. The alcohol was for the 21-year-old passenger and the other 21-year-old roommate in the apartment. They were stopped near the apartment and the story appeared to check out. APD advised the operator that it was unlawful for him to transport alcohol while being under 21. He advised he was unaware of this and was issued a verbal warning.
11:10 p.m.: At 30 Boltwood Ave., a gray 2005 Honda Accord was stopped and a verbal warning was issued to the operator.
Disturbance
12:59 a.m.: At The Spoke at 35 East Pleasant St., a reporting party stated there was a small disturbance in front of the address. Bouncers escorted the individuals out and they left prior to APD arrival. One involved party who was still on scene was tackled with no reported injuries. The involved party couldn’t identify the other people involved or their direction of travel.
Suspicious
1:00 a.m.: At Antonio’s Pizza at 31 North Pleasant St., an involved party was found carrying the Cousin’s Market sign. The sign was taken and returned to Cousin’s. The involved party was sent on her way and warned about her actions.
Noise Complaint
2:10 a.m.: At 422 Belchertown Rd., a reporting party stated there had been loud music playing and her walls were vibrating all night. The music was shut off and the resident was issued a verbal warning and was advised of town bylaws.
Assist Amherst Fire Department
2:19 p.m. At 68 Mount Holyoke Drive, a reporting party stated there was smoke in her house in the room with her fireplace. She had a fire the night before but it was extinguished. She was unsure of where the smoke was coming from. AFD advised that all was set on the scene.
Follow Up
3:16 p.m.: At the Bank of America at 1 South Pleasant St., an officer conducted a walk-through with the manager. A construction company was on scene to address an issue with the door.
Disabled Motor Vehicle
4:14 p.m.: At 182 South Pleasant St., a black 2004 BMW X33 was disabled. The involved party was able to put the car in neutral and roll it downhill into a parking spot to await AAA.
Assist Citizen
7:01 p.m.: An anonymous reporting party wanted to call for her friend who was locked out of an apartment at 81 Belchertown Rd. by another individual. No weapons were involved and the friend stated he was not violent. There was no disturbance and entry was gained for the resident through an open ground floor window.
11:07 p.m.: A woman called the security office at Colonial Village at 81 Belchertown Rd. demanding a police response to her residence. She advised that an individual had been staying with her for the past month and had not been closing the window properly, costing her $800 in heating bills. APD advised the resident this was a civil matter and needed to be handled in civil court. The resident was not satisfied with this response. APD advised they would document what she had reported but police would not be investigating who had been leaving the window open in her apartment. The resident sounded extremely intoxicated and was angry with APD over the phone.
Assist Other Police Department
7:02 p.m.: Hadley Police Department reported an erratic operator possibly headed into Amherst. It was a 2012 brown Mini Cooper which was reported to be crossing over lines and was seen getting off Route 91 going north headed eastbound into Hadley.
Motor Vehicle Crash
8:24 p.m.: At the CVS at 76 North Pleasant St., the operator of a blue 2014 Subaru Impreza was stopped at a stop sign within the lot. At that time, another vehicle, a green 2003 BMW X5, was backing out of a parking spot near the XScapes smoke shop which shares a parking lot with the CVS. The BMW backed into the front passenger’s side of the Subaru, causing a significant amount of damage. The two operators exchanged information on scene and the operator of the Subaru came into the APD lobby to have the incident documented. APD contacted the operator of the BMW in order to make sure that she agreed with the account of how the crash occurred. She affirmed that she did back into the Subaru in the manner described. However, she was adamant that she had looked to the rear prior to beginning to back out and did not see any cars. APD noted that the visibility is very limited in the area where she was backing out of, as there is a building containing several businesses that obstructs the view to the area where the operator was coming from. It was feasible that she could not have seen the Subaru when she looked prior to backing out.
Sunday, Feb. 15, 2020
Motor Vehicle Stop
12:42 a.m.: A blue 2007 Ford Focus was stopped for a lights violation. It was discovered that the driver was five minutes past her junior operator license restriction. She was unaware and thought it ended when her passenger restriction ended. The operator was allowed to go to her destination in town and was educated. A verbal warning was issued.
1:51 a.m.: A gray 2004 Toyota Camry was issued a verbal warning for failure to stop at a red light at the intersection of Main and Railroad Streets.
Noise Complaint
12:46 a.m.: There was a loud party and voices in the area of Cowls Road. The door to the residence was open upon arrival and sound was spilling into the area. A resident did not immediately come to the door when asked. The music was turned on again while the officer was speaking with the residents. The officer advised the resident to turn the music off and stop the noise or he could be arrested. Town bylaws were explained and a verbal warning was issued.
12:52 a.m.: A loud party was heard on Montague Road. Loud music and voices were heard in the area upon arrival. An officer spoke to the resident who advised she would shut down the party. She was advised of town bylaws and a verbal warning was issued.
11:43 p.m.: There was a loud party and voices heard on the corner of Columbia and East Hadley roads. Vehicles were also parked in the area, leaving only one traveling lane and creating a traffic problem. Residents were identified and were not cooperative in turning off the music. Three residents were issued citations for noise.
Motor Vehicle Complaint
8:42 a.m.: A reporting party stated that a black 2004 Honda Accord was swerving all over the road and almost hit the median and other vehicles in the area of Pine Street. The vehicle was gone upon arrival and an area search was negative.
Traffic
10:19 a.m.: Three children were reported on Potwine Lane riding bikes and skateboards in the middle of the road, stopping vehicles and trying to make people buy their things. The children were having a tag sale set up in a driveway and were riding bikes “as kids do.” There was no traffic hazard and no enforcement action was taken.
Motor Vehicle Crash
12:45 p.m.: The operator of a gray 2013 Subaru Impreza found damage to his vehicle that occurred sometime earlier that morning, believed to be from a vehicle backing out. The damage to the driver’s side front fender was not consistent with a vehicle strike and the point of contact was not apparent. The officer did see a shoe impression in dust on the hood of the vehicle in close proximity to the dent, and the damage would be consistent with someone jumping on the vehicle. There were no surveillance cameras in the area.
Recovered Property
5:12: A People’s Bank debit card was found at Groff Park at 80 Mill Lane. The person who found the card called the number on the back for People’s Bank and had the accounts frozen. The card was cancelled and dropped off at APD.
Assist AFD
5:56 p.m.: APD assisted Amherst Fire Department with a chemical or acidic-type odor in a Boulders apartment, 188 East Hadley Rd. The occupants were evacuated. AFD searched the apartment and building with maintenance and determined that the foul odor was the result of cooking, possibly burnt fish and oil. The involved parties checked okay and declined medical attention.
Vandalism
6:29 p.m.: A reporting party’s grandmother called from Ann Whalen Apartments at 33 Kellogg Ave stating that the main lobby door had been broken, possibly within the last hour, and there was glass everywhere. Maintenance was en route but was 40 minutes away and would not have access to the camera system. The exterior glass appeared to have been kicked in, causing a hole in the door. An officer will follow up for potential camera footage to see who caused the damage.
10:30 p.m.: At the Puffton Village office, 1040 North Pleasant St., a male party in a black hoodie was reported with a baseball bat smashing in windows. The reporting party lost sight of the individual so no further description or direction of travel could be given. A second party also called to report a bunch of banging on his windows and door. He stated a vehicle drove off at the time, but did not get a description or plate number. Seven windows around the office were smashed upon arrival. Nothing further from the reporting parties was given and an area search came back negative. Maintenance was not aware of any recent incidents which may have led to vandalism.
Disturbance
6:52 p.m.: A 911 caller reported he could see two male parties shouting at each other in the area of 11 Amity Street. The males were shouting at each other and one yelled he was going to shoot the other. The caller was unable to see a description other than one had a hooded sweatshirt. An officer spoke with “Thornton,” who denied any involvement in an argument with another male. The reporting party could not provide a description of the involved parties and no other involved parties were located.
Fraud
7:02 p.m.: A party called to report that she was the victim of identity theft. She stated that a Synchrony Bank credit card was opened in her name, address, birthday and social security number. There was a $950 charge on the card. She found out about the fraudulent activity via an Experian credit report. When she contacted Synchrony Bank, they advised they would cancel the card and she would not be held responsible for the charges.
Assist Citizen
9:01 p.m.: At Rolling Green apartments, 422 Belchertown Rd., a resident entered her apartment and saw that the sliding glass door was unlocked, which was unusual. She ran into the apartment, locked the door and then ran outside. She requested an officer to accompany her while she entered. The residence was cleared and nothing suspicious was observed. A walk through was conducted and revealed no further suspicious activity. The resident contacted her roommate, who said that she may have left the sliding door unlocked.
Kathrine Esten can be reached at [email protected]. Ana Pietrewicz can be reached at [email protected].
