Chester Police log for Aug. 23 through Sept. 9, 2017

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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.

Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2:45 p.m.

Police went to a home on Grafton Road for the report of a dog that would not stop barking. The complainant said that she and her husband enjoy sitting on the back porch of their home overlooking the stream to enjoy peace and quiet. But, she said, on that day there were a number of very loud children playing in the stream and they were being inconsiderate. She added that there was also a dog barking intermittently — at one point for 20 minutes straight. She said she approached the guardian of the children, a man with a goatee, who was unpleasant to her and refused to give his name.

Police then went to a neighboring home and spoke with a goateed man who said that he and his four children and their two cousins were indeed playing in the stream between the two homes when they were approached by the woman. The woman, he said, asked them to quiet down and pointed her cane at him. He added that the woman asked his name, but he refused. He told police that his kids were being children, and since it was a hot summer day and 2:30 in the afternoon, what the children were doing was not unreasonable. When police  asked about the dog, he said it belonged to a friend, who visits at times. Police told the man that while no laws were violated,  a little consideration and cooperation can go a long way.

Friday, Aug. 25, 4:03 p.m.

A caller complained that Benny’s Garage “ripped off” his mother-in-law for an inspection fee by not returning the fee when the car failed its inspection. A manager at Benny’s stated that the car had four bald tires and a license plate light out, so they could not put an inspection sticker on it. He also stated that the woman was told that the $60 was non-refundable but that if the items were repaired, they would put the sticker on it at no charge. Police advised the complainant of the process.

Sunday, Aug. 27, no time given

Police conducted a check of the pull off on Dean Brook Road and foundthat someone had dumped an old blue recliner along the edge of the pull off in the tall grass adjacent to the brook. Through ingenious policing tactics, police were able to track down the probable offender.

Sunday, Aug. 27, 12:03 p.m.

A resident off Cummings Road called police to complain of a trespasser, stating that the person had repeatedly come onto his long, single-lane driveway multiple times despite the No Trespassing signs posted and verbal requests. Police issued a No Trespass order.

Sunday, Aug. 27, 9:34 p.m.

Police received a call of an erratic driver in the Baltimore area but were not given enough information. Later, a  woman called to report that an erratic driver had run her off the road and struck a tree near Amsden Hill Road and Chandler Road. The woman left the area because she felt unsafe and waited at the bottom of Amsden Hill Road and Route 10.

The woman then told police that she had had an earlier issue with the driver, that he had gotten into a vehicle and followed her from Baltimore. She added that she was forced off the road at one point and that that the other vehicle had hit a tree. She described the vehicle as a green Chevrolet with a canoe on top.  Police returned to where the accident was reported to have occurred and, as an officer checked his mapping and location, a vehicle with a canoe and matching the description drove past.

The driver identified himself and, when police told him and his passenger why they were stopped, both said they had not struck a tree and asked where that report came from. The driver also smelled of intoxicants, his eyes seemed bloodshot and his speech was slurred.

Police arrested the driver for driving under the influence.

Tuesday, Sept. 5, at 4:10 p.m.

Police were asked to stand by at Benny’s Garage on Elm Street since a customer was becoming increasingly agitated with having to pay for the tow of his U-Haul truck from the Jiffy Mart parking lot. The man eventually settled his towing charge.

Saturday, Sept. 9, 7:01 p.m.

Police responded to a truck-deer accident at Vermont 103 N. The driver of the truck stated that the deer was running at a high speed and hit the driver’s side of her truck near the front fender. The truck is a rental and she was unable to find the paperwork. Police gave her a state accident report form. Damage to the vehicle was minor and included a dent in the fender and the driver’s door. The vehicle was driveable.

Saturday, Sept. 9, 11:45 p.m.

Police answered a call to the 2800 area of Route 11 West for a single-car crash. Police found the driver standing next to his vehicle on his cellphone with 911 and attempting to communicate. However, the driver did not speak English. The vehicle, a 2006 GMC Envoy, had severe front end damage after hitting a telephone pole, which was cracked and leaning. The driver’s breath, according to police, smelled of intoxicants.

911 connected the driver with a Spanish language interpreter. Through the interpreter, police determined that the driver was headed west on a newly paved portion of Route 11 when he was blinded by an oncoming car, causing him to go off the road and hit the pole. When asked by police, the driver stated that he had had two drinks. Police then asked him to take a Breathalyzer test, but he refused. When police attempted to perform routine sobriety tests, the driver would attempt to anticipate the officer’s move, so that the officer could not observe clues to his sobriety. And when the officer asked the interpreter if it sounded as though the driver was slurring his words, the interpreter said the driver sounded fine.

Police then looked more closely at the crash scene and determined that the driver failed to negotiate the curve, left the surface of the road, straddled the culvert and then hit the telephone pole. The complainant also said he saw the driver toss something out of the car after the crash. An almost full bottle of rum was soon found. The driver was read his Miranda rights through the interpreter and he was charged with driving under the influence and negligent operation.