Chester Police Log for Nov. 7, 2014 to Jan. 28, 2015

Editor’s Note: The Chester Telegraph Police Log is a sampling of incidents directly from Chester Police reports. We do not identify individual victims of crimes nor those who have been arrested.

Friday, Nov. 7, 2014,  5:37 p.m.

A Londonderry resident was charged with reckless endangerment after a Chester resident reported that as he was driving east on Popple Dungeon Road in his dump truck, a white car approached. The truck driver said he had pulled over as far as he could but the car sped past and the two vehicles could have made contact. The truck driver said he continued to drive east when the white car began following him, so he stopped. The car driver told the truck driver to get out of the cab, but the truck driver refused and said they could talk there. The truck driver, trying to avoid a confrontation, then drove off. The car driver then flashed his lights trying to pass. The truck driver said he then heard two gunshots either fired from a rifle or a large caliber handgun.  He said he thought they were fired at his tires.

The truck driver then said he believed it was not a good idea for him to drive home so he went somewhere to contact police. Police were able to ID the suspect and as they headed to his home, received a call from dispatch that the suspect wanted to make a complaint about the incident. Upon arrival, police spotted the white car in the driveway with its left front tire missing and its left rear tire flat and looking like it had been flat for a long time since the rubber was chewed up. Mud was on the driver’s side and fresh scratches ran along the length of the car below the side molding. The side mirror was intact. A rifle and a .410 shotgun were on the passenger’s front seat.

The man said he was heading west on Popple Dungeon when he was sideswiped by the truck. He admitted to following the truck and trying to get the driver to get out of the vehicle then chasing him down again and firing twice at the truck tires with the shotgun.

Upon inspecting the vehicles in the daylight, car damage was inconsistent to being swiped by the much larger truck and the truck had no marks low enough to indicate contact with the car. The Londonderry man was charged with reckless endangerment.

Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014, 11:11 a.m.

Police were dispatched to Route 10 for a report of property damage. The owner of the property showed the officer where someone had pried a padlock off a barn door. But the owner added that she could not find anything missing. There were also no footprints that would indicate it occurred since the snows.

Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2014, 8:22 p.m.

Complainant advised that a door was open and lights were on in a vacated house off Route 103South.  No one was in the residence, but there was a strong odor of marijuana and several pieces of drug paraphernalia. The home was in disarray as if squatters were living there and there was a game of beer pong set up in the basement. A neighbor arrived home and put police in touch with the son-in-law of the owner who stated that his son and girlfriend were staying there over winter break.

Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015, 7:02 p.m.

A police officer was northbound on Route 103 in Chester near Route 10 when he observed two vehicles in front of him. The rear vehicle (Car 2) was skirting the line of following too closely. The driver of the vehicle in front (Car 1) put a hand out the window and gave the middle finger to the car behind. Car 2 then passed Car 1. Car 1 then began to follow Car 2 very closely as if getting revenge. Police pulled Car 1 over to put an end to the road rage and negligent operation. The vehicle also had a tail light out. Police explained to the driver what he saw and asked if she was doing it for revenge. The driver nodded in the affirmative. She was issued a written warning and advised she would be arrested for negligent operation if she did it again. Both occupants apologized.

Friday, Jan. 2, 2015, 9:40 p.m.

Chester police assisted Vermont State Police with a fight on Eastman Road in Grafton, standing by while the trooper obtained a statement from one party. The subject was not wearing shoes and the weather was cold, so he was asked if he wanted to sit inside the police cruiser to keep warm. He did and VSP finished their investigation.

Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015, 9:27 a.m.

Police responded to a report of a crash and rollover on Route 11 West, where a maroon Ford truck with Virginia registration rolled over and went down an embankment. A male later identified as the operator was kneeling next to a woman who was sitting on the ground, next to another female. The male said everyone was out of the vehicle and the woman on the ground was complaining of neck pain. He added that she had been in the back seat of the truck during the accident. Chester Fire and Ambulance arrived and provided care to all, although the driver and front seat passenger refused medical treatment. The woman with neck pain was taken to Springfield Hospital for evaluation.

The driver said he came around the corner at about 50 mph and lost control of the truck. The  westbound lane in the corner did have a buildup of ice near the white line. The road was wet but not slippery. Cause of the accident is found to be road conditions and the driver driving too fast for those conditions, although he was not speeding. The truck is a total loss and was towed away.

Monday, Jan. 5, 2015, 11:30 p.m.

Police responded to a call from the Sunoco Station on Main Street, where a worker just found what she believed was marijuana on the floor. She handed over a small baggy with what appears to be marijuana and stated that she was not sure who dropped it but only a couple of people came in. No one could be identified so the case was closed and the marijuana was destroyed.

Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015, 3:38 p.m.

The Chester Town Highway Department called police to assist. A resident off Route 10 had plowed snow across the road and it had frozen solid, creating a snow bank that was causing a traffic hazard. It was also unmovable by a town plow. The highway crew advised that heavy machinery would have to be used to remove it. Police could not reach the owner but did talk to the owner’s mother who said she would tell the owner not to plow the snow in this manner any more.

Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015, 3:45 p.m.

A woman complained that her husband had taken “bath salts” two days earlier and was acting very strange. Upon arrival to the Main Street address, the couple walked over to a store parking lot to speak to police. The man said he uses suboxone and had attempted injecting bath salts two days earlier. But, he said he would not go to the hospital, that he felt fine. He added he wasn’t suicidal. He did say he was having difficulty breathing due to an anxiety attack.

Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015, 9:58 p.m.

A man was charged with aggravated assault after threatening a couple with a knife in the presence of their infant.  The incident occurred off Route 103 North.

Friday, Jan. 16, 2015, 11:12 p.m.

A  Chester resident was charged with a 4th offense of DUI, criminal driving with license suspended and grossly negligent operation of a motor vehicle.  According to a Chester Police report, an officer on routine patrol heading east on Route 11 saw the headlights of a truck coming straight at him in his lane. The late model pickup jerked back into the westbound lane at the last second. Police turned around immediately in an emergency pursuit. The officer reported that the driver at first seemed to be trying to elude him, but then pulled over before reaching the shooting range, about a mile from where the pursuit began. The officer smelled a strong odor of intoxicants coming from the vehicle and told the driver he could have killed them both.

A second Chester officer was requested to run the driver through field sobriety tests due to a conflict of interest by the first officer. The second officer observed that the first officer was shaken by the incident, believing that death from a head-on collision had been imminent.

Prior to the field sobriety test, the driver’s eyelids were droopy, his eyes bloodshot and watery and his speech slurred. The second officer noted that the driver seemed confused, and could not remember the officer’s name despite asking it and receiving it about four times. The driver also had to hold onto the door to steady himself, staggering and leaning on the side of his truck. During the tests, he swayed, lost his balance when asked to keep feet together and hands by his side. He could not follow instructions. Before being instructed on one test, he said he couldn’t perform it due to a disability. The driver also told the officer he had taken Percocet two hours earlier. The officer then suggested a modified test and the driver refused. He did agree to a Breathalyzer, but could not follow instructions and a partial sample resulted in a reading of .222 percent BrAC.

The driver was transported to Rockingham State Police barracks for processing. The driver was uncooperative during several other tests at the barracks, then became verbally combative and demanded to be let go. He was transported to Southern State Correctional Facility for holding.

Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, 1:34 p.m.

Police responded to a call for a family dispute on Cummings Road. A woman at the address said that as she was attempting to leave the home, her father would not let her and deflated the driver’s side rear tire of the vehicle that is in both of their names.  The father contended that since he buys everything for the vehicle, he would not allow his daughter to take it. He added that the vehicle is not inspected. Police told the father that since the vehicle is in both their names, they both have access to it. Police added that if he continued to prevent her from leaving, he would be arrested. Police then told the woman that if she left with the vehicle and did not go directly to get it inspected, she would be ticketed.  Both said they understood.

Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015, 10:33 p.m.

A police officer on Route 103 near Green Mountain Union High spotted a blue Ford with Massachusetts plates heading north at a greater speed than 40 mph, confirming this with radar to be 73 mph. It continued into a residential area and police pulled the driver over at Marshall Road. The driver had been warned for speeding in November  2014 along the same road. The driver was arrested for speeding and negligent operation of a motor vehicle. The driver also had a large amount of cash in his pocket. He said it was $600. The passenger  drove the vehicle to Rockingham Police Barracks, following the police and man under arrest. While there, police discovered the two could be running drugs from Massachusetts to Rutland. Police asked to search the Ford. The passenger also consented to a search but nothing was turned up. A K-9 officer indicated drugs in the vehicle.  Police found a small baggy typical of heroin packaging. Items also indicated that the passenger was “body packing” drugs. And the passenger would not turn over contraband in his person. The two were let go. Later police spotted the car driving south on Route 103. Later still, police saw the car heading north on 103, watched as it turned around in the Sunoco parking lot and travel southbound again.  Police speculate that the pair were looking for whatever illegal items the passenger had tossed on the way to the barracks.

Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015 5:13 p.m.

A parent reported a theft from Green Mountain Union High School of their daughter’s blue IPod Touch between 11:30 a.m. and 12:54 p.m. It had been left  in the inside pocket of a girl’s jacket that was left in an unlocked locker in the girls’ locker room. Its serial number is CCQNLT9UF4JW and is valued at $250. Police were also told the headphones were not taken and the IPod had been locked, rendering it useless.