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

Leicester had a good week in the area of house and car breaks.   There was one reported theft of jewelry from an apartment which does not appear to be a random act.  There were no reported car breaks last week.   While this is good news it cannot be taken for granted and the LPD is still asking residents and business owners to report any suspicious activity that they might observe.


Noteworthy Arrests and Incidents

An OUI With Fireworks – An LPD officer on routine patrol was observing traffic at the four way stop at Pleasant and Stafford Streets in Leicester at approximately 10 PM last week.   The officer observed a mini-van travel through the intersection without stopping for the stop sign.  

The vehicle was stopped and the officer detected signs that the operator had been drinking while getting his license and registration.  The operator admitted to having consumed three beers.   After a brief investigation the man was arrested and charged with operating under the influence.  

Prior to placing the suspect in the back of the LPD cruiser for transportation back to the station, the officer conducted a pat frisk of the suspect.   While conducting the frisk the officer recovered two packages of firecrackers and an M-80 firework from the man’s pants pocket.  Now in this day and age who carries firecrackers and an M-80 on their person?  

You are probably thinking some young guy who doesn’t know better……WRONG……This guy was 47 years old…..which is certainly old enough to know better !!

House Break Investigation Leads To Arrests - A local woman who was parked outside a home that was broken into recently has been charged with three counts of receiving stolen property.  

The charges are the result of stolen jewelry being recovered from her vehicle that was seized at the crime.  The jewelry was recovered by the Leicester Police during the execution of a search warrant on the vehicle.  The stolen jewelry was from house breaks in Worcester and two in Brookfield.  

The LPD applied for a received and warrant for the woman’s arrest.  After the warrant was issued, she was arrested by the Lancaster Police during a traffic stop.  She appeared in the East Brookfield Court after her arrest and was held on bail.  

Her boyfriend, who is a person of interest in the Leicester housebreak, accompanied her to court.  When the woman was held on bail, her boyfriend left the court in her vehicle.   He was arrested a short time later as he drove through Leicester by an LPD officer who knew his license was revoked.   He was arraigned in court and was also held on bail.   Interestingly there have not been any housebreaks recently……….humh!!

I Will Never View The Drive Through In The Same Way Again – A local resident reported that while waiting in line to get a cup of coffee at a local drive through, the man in the vehicle in front of her was clad in a bathrobe. 

Now I realize that there is no dress code to get your morning java but things went downhill fast for this guy.  While at the drive through something happened causing the man to jump out of his vehicle and begin to brush himself off.  

Maybe he spilled his coffee or dropped a cigarette on himself but whatever happened he was outside his vehicle jumping around.  

Now you’re probably thinking he must have been embarrassed to be seen in just his bathrobe…..but it was worse than that…..The only thing he had on was his bathrobe as he jumped around in the drive thru lane which was TMI (too much information) for me.   The LPD is investigating to see if this was just a freak accident or a staged incident.

A Changing Story And Outright Denial – An LPD officer observed a motor vehicle speeding at 2:30 AM recently.   As he attempted to stop the motor vehicle the officer noted in his report that it took the operator a longer than normal distance to pull to the side of the road and stop…..Strike #1.  

The officer approached the vehicle, and asked the operator for his license and registration.   While standing outside the vehicle the officer detected an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from inside the vehicle.  

The operator produced a license but had difficulty producing a registration.   The LPD officer observed the man’s eyes to be bloodshot and glassy and that his speech was slurred, all classic signs of alcohol intoxication.   As the operator spoke, the odor of an alcoholic beverage that the officer could detect became stronger……..Strike #2.  

The officer asked where the man operating the vehicle was coming from and he stated, “Worcester”….that’s a pretty vague answer ……Strike 2 ½ !!  

When the officer asked how much the man had to drink the passenger in the vehicle attempted to change the subject.   The men in the car explained over the next several minutes that the operator had just picked up the passenger but 1st they stated the pickup was on Vernon Street yet later said it was June Street as the story continued to change.  

When again asked how much the driver had to drink, he stated, “Nothing at all” despite the strong odor on his breath and other evidence to the contrary.   The officer administered field sobriety tests which the operator failed…..Strike #3.  He was placed under arrest for operating under the influence.   The man refused to take a preliminary breath test at the scene and refused to take the breathalyzer back at the LPD during booking all while continually denying he had been drinking.   

So here is what I don’t understand.   If you haven’t been drinking why would you not take the breath test to prove you’re innocent.  If you take the test and you are under the limit the LPD releases you and we even get you your car back right away.   I guess this guy wanted to hire a lawyer and prove it in court……which doesn’t seem to be cost efficient.

This Bite Was A Crime – A local resident called the LPD at approximately 2 PM last week and reported that a minor living in the home was out of control and becoming physically violent.   Responding officers arrived at the scene and observed that the adult who had called police had a large bite mark visible on her arm.  The minor was taken into custody for domestic assault and battery.   The minor was held on $500 bail and was later arraigned in the Worcester Juvenile Court.

People Who Just Don’t Get It – Each week I am amazed by people who don’t think the laws or rules apply to them or they simply don’t get it.   Here are some of this week’s examples:

A man released from court after being arrested for domestic assault and battery returned to the residence where the domestic incident occurred and created another disturbance.   In doing so he violated the terms and conditions of his release from custody.   He found himself back before the same judge he had seen earlier.  The judge was not happy.

A woman, who was upset about a ticket she received for parking in a fire lane at a local business, told the officer that she would have the parking ticket fixed.  My response ……”I am sure the Ethics Commission would be interested in hearing about you trying to get your parking ticket fixed.”

A man went with his girlfriend to court for her arraignment after she was arrested the previous evening on an outstanding warrant.   She was held on bail so he drove her car back from court.   The only problem was that his license was revoked.  An LPD officer, who was aware that the man’s license was revoked, observed him driving in Leicester resulting in the man being arrested as well.

All of the aforementioned issues could have been avoided if the individuals involved just used common sense……but then again, you can’t teach common sense.

Scam Alerts

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of scams being reported to the Leicester Police Department.   The following scams are operating in the area:

A local resident was informed that she won a new BMW along with a cash prize.   She was sent a check with part of her winnings.   All that the resident needed to do was cash the check and send the $1,500 delivery fee for the car via Western Union to the car transportation company.  Once the transportation company received the money, they would deliver the new BMW right to her door.   The check, of course, was counterfeit.

A local resident placed an advertisement offering a musical instrument for sale.   A buyer sent him a check for the instrument but accidentally made the check out for far more money than he was supposed to.   The buyer’s solution…..cash the check and send him the overage back.   The check, in this case, was counterfeit.   When the LPD followed up with the bank, the counterfeit check was written on they indicated that they had received numerous calls from other individuals who had been targeted by the same scam.

I received an e-mail on my official Leicester Police Department e-mail account that my ACH transfer had been cancelled and I needed to provide the bank some information immediately to avoid over drawing my account.   The only problem was I do not do ACH transfers with the bank that sent me the notice.

I received an e-mail from the legal department at Microsoft informing me that they recently won a court decision in the International Court pertaining to illegal installed version of their software.    In order to avoid court proceedings I would need to register my PC with them at the link provided.   The only problem is the LPD has paid a lot of money for its licenses and we keep them all on file.  The link is likely phishing for personal information or a virus.   Do not open the link.

I received another speeding ticket this week, this time from Seattle Department of Motor Vehicles.   The ticket alleges that on December 20, 2011 at 7:13 AM I exceeded the 50 MPH speed limit in that community.   As with my previous 7 ticket (from New York, Florida, and California) I can pay the same way I received the ticket ….via the internet.  Now that is convenient.   The only problem is that I worked 8 AM to 6 PM that Tuesday at the LPD.    So if I left Seattle at 7:13 AM and made it to Leicester for 8 AM I must have a really fast car…which I don’t or this is another scam.

Remember the LPD motto ….”If it sounds too good to be true, it is.”  Don’t get scammed.  If you have any questions, call the LPD.

Winter Parking Ban Reminder

There is some more bad weather predicted in the near future.   With the prediction of snow and freezing rain for the days ahead, I would like to remind everyone that the winter parking ban remains in effect.  The following is prohibited by the ban:

Parking upon any roadway between the hours of 1 am to 7 am from December 1st to April 1st of any year;
Parking upon any roadway at any time when there is in excess of 4 inches of snowfall.

Violators of the winter parking ban are subject to receiving a fine via a parking ticket and/or being towed off the street so that plowing operations can be completed.   As I have stated in the past, the LPD must be fair and equal in its enforcement of this ban.  Everyone is treated the same.

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.