Chester Police Log, July 16 through Nov. 1, 2016

© 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC

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

Saturday, July 16, 6:48 p.m.

Police were called to the Wheelhouse Restaurant for the report of a highly intoxicated  or high waiter assaulting customers. By the time police arrived, the customers and the waiter had left and the customers were congregating at the parking lot of the Country Girl Diner.

The four adult customers said that the waiter kept messing up their order, used vulgar language in front of the two children, ages 3 and 5, served the adults their food but not the children and got so belligerent with the customers that the chef had to restrain him. The chef even said that the waiter struck him in the chest. The customers paid their bill, but the waiter blocked their exit. The chef moved the waiter out of the way and the customers headed to their cars with the waiter following them. The waiter punched one car, then chased both cars onto Maple Street and down to Route 103. While police collected these statements from the restaurant owner, the chef and a customer, dispatch advised the the waiter was at the chef’s home banging on the door and threatening the chef’s wife, his neighbors and himself.

Police finally caught up with the waiter at the Springfield Hospital Emergency Department, where he spit on the officer. He was charged with aggravated disorderly conduct and assault on a law enforcement officer with bodily fluids.

Thursday, July 28, 9:21 p.m. 

Police responded to a complaint of two dogs off Popple Dungeon Road that had killed chickens and were acting aggressively and would not let the complainant get out of her car. The owners of the dogs were located, told to pick up the dogs and were issued dog and civil violations.

Thursday, July 28, 9:35 p.m. 

A complainant called to say that tenants in his trailer park had a dog that was not allowed under the lease agreement.  Police told the landlord that they don’t enforce leases.

Sunday, July 31, 9:13 p.m.

Police received a complaint of people screaming in a church parking lot on Main Street. Police were told by the group of travelers that they had just received word that a family member had died, so they pulled into the parking lot to cry it out. Police report that the people appeared “very upset.”

Monday, Aug. 8, 11:40 a.m. 

An RV pulling a trailer with some racing pigs lost its rear axle and tires at Cavendish Road and Route 103.

Saturday, Aug. 13, 8:08 p.m.

Police were sent to Popple Dungeon Road for a report of a person out of control, destroying the walls and hitting staff workers with boards. The 23-year-old woman was in the process of trying to break down a bathroom wall to get to a staff worker who was in the staff room. Upon arrival, police found water spraying out from the washing machine fixture, the washing machine was on its side, the bathroom was trashed and there was a hole in the bathroom wall toward the office. The rest of the house was in disarray.  The woman was taken to Springfield Hospital for evaluation.

Friday, Aug. 19, 6:50 p.m. 

Police went to a pub on Main Street for the report of a dog locked in a hot car. The owner was found and was told not to do that.

Wednesday, Aug. 24, 9:47 p.m.

A man on Main Street reported that he was threatened. He sounded very intoxicated and would not offer details of the event. Eventually, police discovered that he was standing in his doorway with a sword daring people at the old Jiffy Mart to enter his property.

Saturday, Aug. 27, 8:21 a.m.

A man reported that someone tore through his landscaping business on Sylvan Road and did damage to the grassy area. Police followed a trail of leaked vehicle fluids up Sylvan Road to where the vehicle died and was towed.  Chief Rick Cloud called to say that he and another officer had investigated the damage on the previous night, found the culprit and told him that if he made amends to the property owner, he would not press charges. The culprit agreed.

Saturday, Aug. 27, 3:04 p.m.

Chester Police assisted Vermont State Police in answering a reported burglary in Cavendish. Officers checked the area and the buildings but found no person around.

Saturday, Aug. 27, 5:16 p.m.

Police were called to a home on Route 103 near Gassetts, where the homeowner was concerned that a neighbor’s security cameras were pointed into her windows. Police advised that they had been in the residence and checked out the cameras but none were pointed into her home.

Saturday,  Sept. 3, 3:40 p.m.

Police were called to a home on Old Stage Road to check on the welfare of a resident who has health issues including diabetes and had not answered her phone when expected. Police found the resident laying in the driveway unable to get up.  She had fallen and had a bad cut on her leg. She did not have cell service to call for help and could not get up or crawl to the house. Chester Ambulance arrived and transported her to Springfield Hospital for stitches.

Tuesday Sept. 6, 7:25 a.m. 

Workers at the job site of the Jiffy Mart under construction on Main Street discovered that tools were missing from a trailer, where the hasp had been cut and bent and the lock removed. More than $3,000 worth of tools were taken.

Saturday, Sept. 10, 10:19 a.m.

A second homeowner reported to police that the shed of his Flamstead camp had been burglarized and an attempt to enter the home had been made. A new mower and hand tools valued at $900 were missing.

Saturday, Sept. 10, 2:06 p.m.

A male wearing a a red shirt and orange shorts was reported to be carrying a handgun on Main Street around the former Vtica site toward MacLaomainn’s.  When the man was found, he said that he was carrying it to show to a friend. No laws were broken but he was told that carrying it like that upsets people.

Saturday, Sept. 10, 6:10 p.m.

Chester Police went to Rockingham to aid with an accident between a motorist and a bicyclist. The teenage male bicyclist was laying on the north bound lane of Route 103 with several people around him. He was conscious but had been told not to move by someone with medical training. The boy’s only complaint was abrasions to an elbow and a small cut on his scalp. He was able to stand without assistance.  According to witnesses, the bicyclist was riding down the middle of the road swerving back and forth around the rumble strip while the driver attempted to pass on the right. The bicyclist turned into the vehicle causing to to veer off the road and damaging the car. The bicyclist was taken to Springfield Hospital to be checked out.

Saturday, Sept. 17, 2:40 p.m. 

Police were told of a dead dog on the side of the road along the 2100-block of Route 11 east. The animal turned out to be a small deer and Fish and Wildlife was called in.

Saturday, Sept. 17, 7:55 p.m.

Police responded to a report of gunfire in the 3 mile area of Flamstead Road. The complainant was told that a gunshop owner was doing the shooting and is licensed for automatic firearms.

Wednesday, Sept. 21, 5:56 p.m.

A resident of Mattson Road feared for his privacy when a “noisy” drone flew over his residence. Police were unable to locate either the drone or the pilot.

Thursday, Sept. 22, 12:45 p.m.

Police, who had been notified by Peoples Bank that one of its clients had been withdrawing large sums of money over a short period of time, met with the Chester woman at her home. She stated that following her husband’s death, she advertised for a Christian housemate in the Boston Globe. After she received a response from a male, he showed up at her house unannounced at 5 a.m. on June 29, walked into the bedroom, took off his pants, crawled into bed and went to sleep. She woke him up and made him dinner.

Over time, the woman stated, she gave the man $14,500 in increments from $500 to $3,000. She added that the man had asked questions about the police force and how often they came around. After he left, he contacted her to ask her to send her late husband’s death certificate and deed to the house. Another time, he begged for more money saying that he was hospitalized with a stroke, and asked that she not tell anyone about the money. And another time his son called asking for money. She told him she had already given his father money and he seemed shocked to learn just how much. He later wrote to her asking for more money and questioning why she told his son about the money.

Police attempted to locate the man without success, although he appears to be in Florida. Police also spoke with the State’s Attorney, which decided that the office would not meet prosecutorial standards since the woman had no signs of mental deficiency. Police told the woman that if they could locate the man, they would speak to him about returning some of the money.

Thursday, Sept. 29, 5:02 p.m.

A resident of Route 103 North reported the theft of two chickens, but while the responding officer was there, the chickens returned of their own accord.

Thursday, Oct. 6, 7:40 p.m.

A resident off Main Street called the police to report suspicious activity in the form of two people on his next door neighbor’s rear porch. When the man’s dog barked, the two would run away, then return. When an officer arrived, the man could not provide a description of the two or what they were wearing. However he did state that his next door neighbor told him that it was her daughter and grandson. The officer noted that the man had an open can of beer next to his chair, his breath was foul, his words slurred, and his balance was not well maintained. After bidding the man good night, the officer went over to the house in question and spoke to the neighbor. She again stated that the man had seen her daughter and grandson playing in the back yard and there was no cause for concern.

Monday, Oct. 10, 1:42 p.m.

A man claimed to have been assaulted at Jiffy Mart, then decided he hadn’t been. All parties worked it out.

Tuesday, Oct. 11, 9:24 a.m.

A woman reported noticing fraudulent activity in her TD Bank North bank account. She surmised that $2,050 had been stolen from her account in eight debits, none of which were authorized. After receiving copies of the bank transactions, the police found that they were made by an individual in California through square.com. This fraud is currently under investigation by the FBI and consists of people duplicating their victims’ ATM cards. The woman is the 10th victim in Chester over the last six months. All of the customers were account holders at TD Bank North.

Friday, Oct. 14, 4:26 p.m.

A woman told the police that someone had tried to remove the battery from her car on Church Street during the night. The officer saw no scratches or tool marks on the vehicle. However, the cover was off the battery, the guard that covered the positive post was removed and the bug guard on the front of the hood was loose. Those items were then reinstalled.

Saturday, Oct. 15, 1:55 a.m.

A car was towed out of a ditch next to the Jiffy Mart. A woman had been attempting to get gas but upon realizing that it was after hours, she tried to leave. Due to the late hour and darkness she was unsuccessful in finding the exit and instead drove off the side and into the ditch in which she became stuck. This resulted in the damaging of the landscaping and the cracking of the new sidewalk.

Saturday, Oct. 15, 10:04 a.m.

An officer was on a routine patrol on Lovers Lane when he noticed a truck with truck plates but no stickers. While the officer was running the plates, the owner arrived. The officer recognized the owner as a teacher at Green Mountain Union High School. The owner stated that the newly purchased truck had just been to the DMV for the new plates. The officer then advised the teacher that the truck plates and their lack of sticker were both illegal. After reviewing all the proper paperwork and insurance information, the officer left, concluding that a mistake had been made at the DMV office.

Tuesday, Oct. 18, 4:31 p.m.

A resident of Grafton Street reported a “Hillary 2016” political sign to have been stolen from his front yard. He simply wished for its return because he went to some lengths to obtain it

Sunday, Oct. 23, 9:18 a.m.

It was reported that there were loose goats and horses running around in the Andover and Potash Brook road area. Police determined that the animals belonged to a home on Andover Road. When the owners arrived, the animals were returned to their enclosure and fed. The officer speculated that they got out because of a lack of food and dry area to lay down. He told the owners to tend to the animals more often and in a timely manner, especially after noting that one of the horse’s ribs were showing through its winter coat of hair.

Sunday, Oct. 23, 2:07 p.m.

Police responded to an alarm from the new Jiffy Mart. After talking with a Ramunto’s cashier, the conclusion was that it had something to do with recent issues with the phones.

Tuesday, Nov. 1, 11:22 a.m.

An officer listening to voicemail from the previous night heard a call from a mother worried about a death threat her son had received from a classmate. After talking with the vice principal at Green Mountain Union High School, police determined that the two 7th grade boys had been friends but were not now. The current issue arose the previous after one boy claimed to have been assaulted by the other several times.

Upon reviewing the school surveillance videos, neither of the claimed assaults occurred in the place or manner that they were described and no evidence showed they had happened at all. The next day, the officer returned when the two boys got into a fight received an Out Of School Suspension. The video and witness accounts showed that one boy attacked the other without any prompting or instigation.

The mother of the victim was later able to shed some light on the situation. Her son is a special needs student and has been told to stand up for himself if needed. As a victim of bullying, he saw other special needs students being bullied by the other boy, so he stood up for himself as well as the other students. Due to the boy’s young age, the school requested that police remain out of the incident unless a further need arises.