A jar of marijuana buds seized during a traffic stop.

Photo Credit: LPD

Shows where copper piping was cut out of the basement of a home under renovation.

Photo Credit: LPD

Tthe damage to the motor vehicle involved in the hit and run accident on Rt. 9.

Photo Credit: LPD

LEICESTER, Mass. — Being a police officer is like no other job in the world.   It can best be described as having a ringside seat to the greatest show on earth every day.   As you read the accounts set forth in the LPD update, it is important to remember:

We could not make this stuff up if we tried.

No one lies to the police.

The names of the individuals involved in the cases discussed in this column have not been published to protect their identity.

Housebreak Update

There was one housebreak in Leicester this week.   A home that is currently empty and being renovated was broken into through the basement where the copper piping was stolen.   The LPD is currently following up on several leads.

Noteworthy Arrests and Incidents

The Hit & Run Driver Who Didn’t Run Far Enough – LPD officers recently responded to a hit and run accident in the vicinity of 300 Main Street shortly before midnight one day last week.   As the call was being dispatched, an LPD officer on routine patrol came upon the crash and quickly ascertained that no one was injured and that the vehicles were safely off the road.  

The victim of the hit and run driver and a witness quickly provided a description of the vehicle that fled the scene after the accident.   An LPD officer checking the roadways leading from the area observed a vehicle on the dead end portion of Old Main Street.   As the officer approached, he observed the vehicle to be running and the reverse lights going on and off intermittently.  The officer also observed damage to the vehicle’s front end, including a flat tire.  

The LPD officer approached the vehicle and asked the operator for his license and registration. While ascertaining the license and registration, the officer inquired what happened to the man’s motor vehicle.   The operator indicated that “someone had smashed into his motor vehicle.” That would be Strike #1.  He went on to say that he had called his sister to come pick him up…..Strike#2.  

The officer then asked the man why he did not stop at the scene of the accident and stated that he “stopped right here.”   A check of the distance would reveal the man stopped approximately ½ mile from the crash scene after driving down the dead end portion of Old Main Street with a flat front tire…..meaning he did not stop there…..the car stopped there because it could not go any further…..Strike #3  

The officer detected signs the man had been drinking and had the man perform several field sobriety tests which he failed….Strike #4.   As part of the field sobriety tests the man was asked if he was taking any medications to which he answered that his sister’s boyfriend is in the military….Strike #5.   The man additionally would indicate, depending on when the officer asked him that he drank 3 to 6 beers earlier…….Strike #6.   The man took the breathalyzer at the LPD which resulted in a reading of .19%.............wow…….I guess you could say this guy struck out repeatedly.    He was held overnight on bail at the LPD and brought to the East Brookfield District Court the following morning for his arraignment.

I Heard Of Bad Tippers, But This Guy Is The Worst – It often amazes me how low some people will stoop for money.  Recently two men came to Leicester in the early morning hours (3 AM) for reasons that still remain unclear.   Their pickup truck ran out of gas and they had also run out of money.   The equation is simple….no money + no gas = no transportation.   So what is the easiest way to resolve the situation?  They could call a family member or friend for help…not these two.   They made a quick trip to one of the local donut shops and scooped up the coffee mug tip jar.   They headed for the door and made for their disabled motor vehicle which happened to be at a closed gas station.   The donut shop clerks noticed the theft and called the LPD.   The two suspects were spotted heading for their vehicle but the coffee mug tip jar was nowhere to be seen.   The suspects denied the theft but one of them is clearly visible on donut shop surveillance video taking the cup.   The cup was recovered in a mail box near the donut shop.  The suspect has been charged with larceny under $250.00, which is not arrestable unless it is committed in an officer’s presence so he will be summonsed into the East Brookfield District Court.   The two men were last seen still searching for gas around 8 AM.   Their total haul from the tip jar theft $5.50 which was stolen from the donut clerks who had earned it.

Officer I Did Not Do It On Purpose….Yah, Right – A woman called the LPD to report that as she was driving along Marshall Street in Leicester, a man exposed himself to her.  The woman called the LPD, reported the incident, and gave an excellent description of the suspect.   Officers responding to the incident quickly located the suspect.   When questioned as to whether he had exposed himself, he replied, “Not intentionally.”  The man went on to state that he did pull his pants down to relieve himself on the side of the road.   So let me see if I got this straight…..He was walking down Marshall Street on a Saturday afternoon when lots of vehicles were traveling along the road.  He dropped his pants down to thigh level and then exposed himself so that he could relieve himself on the side of the road…….and he did not mean to do it.   That is the lamest excuse ever.  This guy will be going to court to face an indecent exposure charge.

Sometimes A Little Information Is Dangerous – An LPD officer on routine patrol stopped a motor vehicle with three occupants at approximately 12:30 AM.   As the officer approached the motor vehicle, he saw the passenger making furtive movements appearing to be concealing items under the seat. 

Add to that the fact that there was marijuana visible in the motor vehicle and the smell of both burnt and raw marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. When asked if there was any more marijuana in the vehicle, the operator stated, “No” even after being warned by the officer that he was going to search the motor vehicle.   The female operator responded by saying to the officer “no” and that she thought the officer could not search based just upon the smell of marijuana.  

The female operator would have been correct if the officer had only smelled the marijuana.  The operator was referring to a recent court decision [Commonwealth v. Benjamin Cruz No. SJC-10738 (April 19, 2011)] that stated absent of any additional evidence the smell of marijuana in and of itself does not give the police probable cause to search a motor vehicle. 

Obviously the woman did not read the entire court decision which went on to state that other information and evidence could be used to establish probable cause to search.  In the case at hand the Leicester officer’s observations such as the furtive movements by the passenger and the marijuana visible in the motor vehicle provided the officer with additional information/evidence to establish probable cause to search the car. 

The subsequent search yielded more than an ounce of marijuana, packaging material, scales and cash.   The discovery of these items made the female operator a liar as she earlier told the officer that there was no marijuana in the vehicle.  This resulted in the arrest of one individual and the woman who was operating the vehicle being charged with numerous offenses.   Sometimes a little knowledge can get you into a lot of trouble.
 
Search Warrant Nets Cache of Firearms

An early morning search warrant of a Leicester residence was recently executed by Worcester, Leicester, and State Police.  The search warrant led to the recovery of 10 illegal firearms and ammunition.   The resident was arrested and arraigned in the East Brookfield District Court.  Ten more illegal guns off the streets……another big win of the law enforcement agencies involved.

Operating Under the Influence Arrest

No matter how many arrests the LPD makes there never is a shortage of individuals who choose to drive under the influence of alcohol.   The following is the most recent operating under arrest that occurred recently in Leicester.

A woman operating a vehicle on Rt. 9, without any headlights on, narrowly missed hitting an LPD cruiser that was stationed on the side of the roadway.   The LPD officer immediately stopped the motor vehicle and conducted an investigation.   The female operator admitted to the officer that she had consumed two glasses of wine.  She was taking into custody and charged with operating under the influence.   The woman submitted to a breathalyzer resulting in a reading of .23% which is almost three times the legal limit.   Making matters worse for this woman is that it was her 2nd offense…..some people just don’t learn.


Disclaimer

The opinions set forth in this article are those of Chief James Hurley and do not represent the opinions of the Town of Leicester or other members of the Leicester Police Department.

Thank You

I would like to take the opportunity to thank the residents of the community for their continued support of the police department and also to thank all the men and women of the LPD for the professional and effective work they do in the community.
                                                                
                                                                Chief Jim Hurley e/s
                     
                                                                                      Leicester Police Department