I'm not going to lie, this might be my favorite story in weeks.
A man at 12 Whipple Street heard a noise in his kitchen Monday morning about 3 a.m., and went to investigate. He saw a man standing in his kitchen. That man immediately fled from the home, and the homeowner called police.
Sgt. James Latham was among those who responded, and he spotted a man fitting the suspect's description at Central and Union streets nearby. Police say the man had his pockets stuffed with something.
Latham investigated. What was in the man's pockets?
Seven ears of corn on the cob.
How did he fit that much corn in his pockets? No one could tell me that tonight.
But, according to police reports, the homeowner from 12 Whipple would go on to identify the man, Lahai Kromah, 22, of 56 Middlesex St., unit 42, as the man who had been in his house.
Police would then learn that some ears of corn were missing from the homeowner's fridge, according to police reports.
I'm not making this up.
And maybe I can understand why. I mean, I've noticed since the summer began, that at Hannaford in Dracut, where I usually shop, corn on the cob started the summer at 19 cents an ear. It went up to 29 cents, and last time I grabbed a few ears it was 39 cents an ear. That's a 100 percent increase!
Maybe Mr. Kromah just couldn't take it anymore?
There is more to the story, though. It turns out Kromah was charged with attempting to break into the same home on July 24, and has been arrested for or suspected in several other breaks at the home.
When Latham caught Kromah, it turns out he also had a pair of sneakers he had taken in an earlier break at 12 Whipple Street, and a key to the home, which was also taken in an earlier break, according to police reports.
No word on why he's so fixated on that one home.
The corn was the only thing he was charged with taking on Monday morning, though. He was charged with breaking and entering night, larceny in a building, and receiving stolen property under $250.
If you think about it, the real charge there is receiving stolen corn on the cob.
Started my day today at the Butterfly Place in Westford, where a 3,100 square foot portion of the roof collapsed into the Atrium about 2 p.m.
The ceiling made some noise before it came down, so everyone got out of the atrium and no one got hurt, but let me tell you, it certainly could have killed anyone who was under it.
Owner George Leslie thinks it will cost $200,000 or $250,000 to rebuild, so the place may never reopen. He doesn't think his insurance will cover that much cost, though he might accept donations to help.
At 4:30 p.m., he was still busy using a net to catch some butterflies before they escaped through the gaping hole in the roof, some as big as 4-inches across, and pretty incredibly colored.
He said he was going to keep at it until he couldn't see a single butterfly left.
None of the exotic butterflies will cause harm if they escape, and they'd only live about two weeks, which is their natural lifespan, before dying, according to Leslie.
The problem is that they can't reproduce around here because this area doesn't have the plants that the tropical species need to lay their eggs.
Leslie said he's going to give all the butterflies he can catch to some other local facilities.
It looked like a really neat place, and we'll have plenty of pictures in the paper and on the web tomorrow, but I can't upload them since I didn't take them. A photographer went up before I even got there today.
I hope things work out for Mr. Leslie, I'd like to visit the place if it ever reopens.
Sorry I didn't post earlier tonight, it's been a hell of a time. Though, it's definitely shown me that major incidents don't always happen when all the city's emergency responders are sitting around just waiting to rush to someone's rescue.
Tuesday night first started to get busy when I rushed to the Stoklosa Middle School about 8:15 after police got a report of gunshots, and found a shell casing, but no victims or damaged buildings.
Police were searching for a dark-colored Honda, who's driver had haircut that included a head that was shaved, except for a ponytail in back.
As I was telling an officer that I thought she too should consider getting just such a haircut, another call came over the scanner.
Possible drowning.
Everyone instantly stopped joking around.
Two guys from the city Dive Team, Sgt. Mike McCann and Officer James Matos, were at the shots fired scene on Broadway, and both were out of there before I could even fully figure out where they were heading.
The initial call was from a man in shorts who flagged down a state trooper on the Interstate 495 Bridge over the Concord River. A canoe had capsized, and one man was missing.
But there was a second call from a guy who wasn't quite sure where he was, who said he was possibly near 1508 Gorham St.
There was also a brief report that a second man might still be in the water too.
Officers went to both locations, and as I went to the scene, without lights, at the speed limit, I absolutely assure you, officers checked both locations, and soon realized two men were on or near the 495 bridge.
I never did clear up what was up with that initial confusion, but McCann almost immediately headed for Billerica Street, where he knew there would be access to the water.
Sgt. David Peaslee went to 495, and soon radioed that there were in fact two men on the bridge who were saying that three of them had been on a kayak that capsized and sank about 50 yards downstream from the 495 bridge, right in the middle of the river.
There was no fourth man.
From what I heard on the radio, though, McCann and the folks trying to get in the water never slowed down regardless, another on-duty member of the dive team was told to get his gear and come to the scene, and fire department boats were en route.
By the time I went down Gorham Street to see what I could see, and then went to Billerica Street, the fire department and the dive team guys were already on the riverbank with an inflatable boat.
They had it in the water within a minute of me getting there.
Some of these police officers had been fully engaged with a shots fired incident when the call came in were already thick into this search.
I can't imagine you can train for that, unless they randomly grab you and start you training in the middle of a high priority incident on a regular day of work. Must be something to shift gears in your head that quickly.
But back to the search.
Trinity ambulance checked out the two guys on the bridge who had made it to shore and they were fine. Two fire department rafts were in the river in no time, searching the banks and around the railroad trestle that runs near Billerica and Denton streets.
Nothing.
I didn't want to be in the way, and since the MBTA trains had been stopped from crossing the trestle, I walked up there with a photographer I had called to the scene.
It was dark within a half hour, and I mean very dark.
You can see the first boat being slipped into the water in this video, and then the rest should give you an idea of how dark it was on the river, even with a state police helicopter circling overhead to light things up with a spotlight.
As my eyes adjusted I could see a little better than the video makes it appear, but not much, so the video should give you a good idea of what searchers were dealing with.
After about 10 minutes on the trestle, while standing about 20 feet away from me, Officer Ryan Dillon got on his radio and told the guys in the rafts that he saw a paddle. Dillon kept it illuminated with his flashlight until the raft caught up with it about 50 yards downstream from the trestle and pulled the paddle out of the water.
It would be the only thing that was found in the water last night, as far as I know.
It was a bright-colored paddle, but I was standing on the bridge not far from Dillon and I never saw it until he lit it up. I was definitely looking too.
It was so dark that even with flashlights on the boat, which was about 50 yards away, the video I got of the recovery of the paddle just shows a little spec of white light, so it's not included in the video above.
Before too long, a Deputy Middlesex sheriff who lives in the area donated his boat to the case, and the dive team was in the water. I think there were two guys, and I'm sure one of them was Matos, who I mentioned earlier, because I saw him in his wet suit.
After while the T had to start running again, so they cleared us civilians off the trestle and trains resumed, but the search kept going, with a helicopter, two rafts, and the dive team boat.
The upper portion of Billerica Avenue was completely covered with fire trucks, dive team trucks, police cruisers and ambulances. Several dozen people who gathered to watch were kept back a few yards from the trucks.
The dive team went to the area where the boat sank to search around it. I'm still not sure I believe it was a kayak, as I don't know of any kayaks that would hold three people, but then again, maybe that's why it capsized.
Police were 100 percent focused on the search last night, and couldn't tell me much of anything about what had happened, or who these three guys were.
Some detectives were assigned to get identifications and start figuring out what happened, but Deputy Ryan and 90 percent of the police and firefighters at the scene were totally focused on finding the missing guy.
Ryan said they'll sort out what happened once they've done everything they can to save this guy.
I know the three guys are all in their 20's, but that's it.
I heard a rumor from a lady at the scene that one of the guys is from Centralville, but I've heard some wild, and wildly inaccurate rumors at scenes before, so I didn't report that in the paper. I have no clue if it will turn out to be true.
The search continued like this until midnight. Nothing had been found.
I asked if the missing man was presumed drowned, but Deputy Ryan doesn't give up that easily, and he wasn't prepared to say that. He pointed out that he was still hoping the guy might have gotten out on his own, and just wandered off, disoriented.
The river was high and going pretty fast from the recent rain, so divers couldn't safely stay in overnight, but they were scheduled to be back at work on Wednesday at 8 a.m.
Officers were going to be stationed at the scene overnight to keep watch.
The search continues today.
That's all I've got. It as a little frustrated to have so little concrete information even though I got to the scene so fast and stayed right in the middle of things, but I realized it was just a matter of the police and firefighters being 100 percent focused on saving this guy.
I don't ask many questions in those situations, and frankly, emergency crews have better things to do than track down answers for me at a time like that. I'm not sure I can really complain.
A tree, apparently tired from the heat on this otherwise calm day, fell on Varnum Avenue, took down some power lines, and cut power to about 2,900 people about 2:30 p.m. Two-thirds were back on by 4:45 p.m., and all were expected to be back by now.
There is currently, at a few minutes before 6 p.m., a motorcycle accident at Whipple and Andover in Billerica, in which a man has very badly broken his leg, including an open fracture, according to police radio broadcasts. He's conscious and alert and still at the scene.
I'll check for more details on that later tonight, but at this time of day I'd never get through traffic and get to the scene in time for pictures.
An infant child and a 33-year-old woman were both taken to Lowell General Hospital late Monday night after the silver Nissan they were in got struck by an SUV that police say ran a stop sign on Moody Street at Aiken Avenue.
Here is the 33-year-old being taken to an ambulance, with the baby in a child seat in the background, on the trunk of the car.
Police said a 69-year-old Revere man was cited for failure to stop at a stop sign in connection with the crash. He was driving a white SUV with Dynamex Operations East, a company based in Woburn, written on the side in blue letters. From what the writing on the SUV said, Dynamex is a "blood pickup and delivery" company.
Doesn't sound like the kind of blood delivery anyone had in mind.
Fortunately, though, police said both the woman and child had just minor injuries.
I hate to be rude and all, but after all my previous posts on the illegality of selling things door to door in Lowell without a permit, people just don't seem to get it.
I think you might not be welcome here unless you have a permit.
Monday evening, police arrested Matthew McGinn, 25, of Atco, New Jersey for hawking/peddling without a license after police got a couple calls about people selling stuff door to door in the Highlands, near Chelmsford and Plain streets.
McGinn was arrested on Houghton Street about 6:45 p.m., and said he was selling magazines for Atlantic Circulation, which is yet another new magazine sales company in this saga.
Edit to add that I forgot a link to explain the start of all this here, which I'm sure would be useful for anyone who hasn't been following.
Maria Kontos was found about 10 or 15 minutes ago by Chelmsford Police, following a roughly 3-hour search. She was last seen about 4 p.m., and the search began about 7.
Lowell had at least 10 units searching for her, Chelmsford was searching, a Lowell officer with a bloodhound was on his way to the scene from vacation, and Billerica's bloodhound joined the search as darkness fell and storm clouds moved through the area.
Kontos was found about 9:30 p.m., near the former drive-in on Route 110 in Chelmsford, roughly 5 miles away from her home on Wilder Street in Lowell. The 5 miles is what Google maps tells me the distance is, and that's if she took the most direct route possible, which seems doubtful.
She was safe and sound, but she was going to be taken to Lowell General Hospital just to get checked out, and her family was on the way to the hospital to meet her when she arrived.
Kontos' son told me the family is going to insist that Kontos get a GPS bracelet or something in case she gets lost again, because she loves to go walking.
He had called me once before after his mom went missing and was planning to donate $500 to Lowell, Dracut and Chelmsfords' canine units because a bloodhound was involved in finding his mother. He seemed very very appreciative tonight.
Turns out there are a few happy endings in the crime blog. Who knew?
Joseph Kitchen, 26, of Lowell, put up a hell of a fight late Sunday night, assaulting police officers and even fled onto the roof of a South Lowell pizza joint in a failed attempt at getting away from police.
I posted about this briefly last night, but I'm editing this entry to fill in all the details.
Police first went after Kitchen about 10 p.m., when they were called to 57 Anderson St., for a report of a guy breaking into a car. Witnesses described the man as a white male, 6 feet tall, 140 to 150 pounds, with a white hat, white tank top, shorts and tattoos on both arms.
An initial search, which included a canine, got nowhere, but about 11:20 p.m., Car 9 stopped a man fitting the description near Lawrence and Moore streets. He had put a T-shirt on over the white tank top, but the officers still spotted him.
That is when Kitchen was identified, but long before he gave up.
While officers were talking to Kitchen, he took off runing toward the train tracks that run behind Tedeschi's, police say. He made it about 100 yards before taking a header.
Undeterred by clumsiness, Kitchen fought with officers when they caught up to him, broke free, and, oddly, climed onto the roof at Trolley Stop Pizza, at Gorham and Moore streets, according to police.
Officers followed Kitchen onto the roof, where he continued to fight, police said.
Eventually, he was handcuffed and taken down from the roof. Left behind were jewelry, cash, GPS units, a portable DVD player, and a screwdriver, police said.
Everything but the screwdriver is being checked out, and is considered stolen by police.
Kitchen was arraigned today for breaking and entering motor vehicle, receiving stolen property over $250, assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and possession of burglary tools.
I'm not sure if he was bailed, but I'm waiting for a call back from the DA's office to find out. I'm going to go ahead and guess that he was, just because that's how things go sometimes.
Keep your eyes skyward if this guy makes bail. Maybe spiderman will strike again.
UPDATE: Too bad no one was taking bets today. Kitchen was released on personal recognizance, but ordered into a drug rehabilitation program by Judge Jeffrey Packard.
It seems all the excitement this weekend was out toward Lawrence, where there was a murder, crime, and some severe storms.
Here in Lowell the only reported damage I heard about tonight was a small power outage in Chelmsford, and a few trees that came down but hit nothing of substance.
Police had no major arrests either, despite the crowds for folk fest. Pretty darn good news for the city even though it doesn't make for good blogging.
Not one guy, but four guys apparently took a tumble this afternoon when a ladder collapsed at 578 Andover St., though police said only two of the guys were really hurt.
This is one of those guys.
They all fell from the roof of this house, when the ladder that can just barely see in the bottom right of this photo collapsed.
Police made it sound like the one guy broke a few bones, two of the four were just checked out at the scene, and this guy
Was hospitalized with injuries police didn't describe to me.
Police photographed the scene and were waiting for OSHA to arrive Saturday evening.
I couldn't get ages or IDs on these guys, but I'll be trying to later tonight.
There were a couple of noteworthy arrests today, but I'm having 0 luck on tracking down information about them.
First, at 4 a.m., was John Cook, 35, of 17 Wamesit St. He got booked for receiving stolen property, illegal possession of a firearm, and illegal possession of ammunition. The case is interesting because in this instance the ammunition is a smoke grenade.
I asked about this, and apparently that's just how smoke grenades are classified under state law. I thought this was odd, but I was essentially told that I'm odd.
Lowell Police couldn't say much about the arrest, except to tell me that it came about as a result of a search warrant obtained by Lawrence Police in connection with a house break in that city.
I had no luck reaching detectives at Lawrence Police so far tonight.
About 2:30 p.m., on Wednesday, came a much more disturbing arrest.
Jaime Cortijo, 49, of 74 Elm St., unit 3, was arrested for rape of a child under 16 with force, rape of a child, and indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.
Police couldn't comment on this at all, which isn't terribly surprising since Lowell PD usually refers all questions about rape cases to the DA's office. I've been unsuccessful in reaching the DA's office so far tonight.
Thank God Thursday and Friday are my days off. Tonight has been frustrating since I can't seem to reach anyone about cases like this.
I'll be leaving notes on all of this, and hopefully both of these stories will be tracked down on Thursday. Stay tuned.
I'm still trying to track down the details, but Dracut Police were joined by a Lowell Police canine unit and a few other Lowell cars in a perp search between Arthur Avenue and Arlington Street right on the town line this afternoon about 4:30 p.m.
By the time I made my way through traffic to get there everyone was leaving, but I'll be making some phone calls tonight to find out what the story is.
So, after there was a report of a Pit Bull loose in the downtown near Middle and Palmer streets on Sunday night, tonight I'm listening in to a call about a Rottweiler loose on Huntoon Ave.
What the heck is up with this?
It sounds like Animal Control isn't available right now, so police are trying to figure out what to do with the dog since they can't seem to find any tags on it.
All I know so far is that a 61-year-old Lowell man, who lives on Eustis Avenue in Centralville, of all places, was booked today just before noon for trafficking over 28 grams of cocaine.
In addition to the fact that Robert Russell is 61-years-old, Eustis Avenue is one of the last places in town I'd ever go looking if I wanted cocaine.
I'm trying to get in touch with Vice Unit commanders to find out the details of this one. No luck so far.
Russell didn't make it to court today, and he was still being held when I was in the police station about 7:30 p.m.
UPDATE: It looks like no one from vice is getting back to me on this one, but it gets even better. Russell was also busted for selling cocaine last year on October 17.
In that case, police saw him dealing on Coburn Street in early October, and began investigating, eventually obtaining a search warrant for his home, which is near the Christa McAuliffe School, and backs up to McPherson Playground.
In that case, he was charged with distribution of cocaine in a school zone, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute in a school zone.
I can't find anything in our archives saying whether that case was wrapped up or if it's still pending, and I can't get that kind of information at this time of night.
Russell posted bail tonight. He'll be arraigned Wednesday in Lowell District Court.
While I was at the reported stabbing on Moore Street this evening, about 7:50 p.m., a woman was reported to be in the Pawtucket Canal near Western Avenue and School Street, so I rushed over there.
Police said she did not appear to be in distress and was swimming, but firefighters still went down to the canal to help her get out. I'm told she started to climb the high rock wall to get out, but fell back into the water, and then got a hand from firefighters when she tried to get out a second time.
She then walked away from them, though, until she got into an auto-parts place off Western Avenue, where she is pictured here.
She seemed to be in a bit of distress once she got out of the water, so I'm not sure if she had some issues or what. Trinity took her to a city hospital to get checked out.
Shortly after I got to the scene of this call, which was reported as a domestic stabbing, according to radio broadcasts at 7:35 p.m., I had to leave to go check out a report of a woman in a canal elsewhere in the city. The report here was that a man was stabbed in the arm.
But all I really know for sure at this point is that this guy on the right had this stuff going on with his arm.
...that this woman is in some kind of trouble.
...and that her hands were a little bloody as police were putting her into the wagon.
I had to leave the scene fairly quickly, so I didn't have a chance to learn more details.
UPDATE: Michelle Stoneroad, 30, 93 Moore St., Lowell; assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (knife), assault with intent to murder.
Lets just recap since we're getting close to the end of the night.
No major incidents in Lowell today, but so far tonight
• a woman finds an unarmed grenade in a playground off Bridge Street.
• another woman calls 911 to demand that police get her cigarettes. She avoids arrest, but gets a pretty clear warning about what will happen next time.
• Animal control is called in to lasso a pit bull that's loose downtown at Merrimack and Palmer streets. Contrary to what some might expect, the dog harms no one.
• Minutes later, a man stands in the middle of Westford Street, in Cupples Square, yelling at passing cars, before breaking a window at a local convenience store. He then holes up in his apartment until firefighters break down the door. An older gentleman at the scene repeatedly tells me that the guy inside will bite the fingers off anyone who tries to get him.
Police end up arresting the shirtless man without further incident, and without losing a single finger.
...goes to the person on East Merrimack St., who, according to police radio broadcasts, just called 911 to demand that police get her some cigarettes just after 9:30 p.m.
It sounds like it could be a mental health issue, according to broadcasts, so I won't publish the exact address, but last time police went to this address they made an arrest for assaulting a police officer.
Someone just got mugged by a guy with "a peach fuzz mustache" and a knife on Beaver Street in Pawtucketville.
Police requested an ambulance to check out the victim, and both Lowell and Dracut police are looking for a white male, 20 to 25, about 5'10, with a thin build, wearing a white shirt, jeans, and a dark baseball cap.
The bad guy fled across Beaver Street toward the Dracut line.
If you know him or see him call (978) 937-3200 right away, or if you're in Dracut call (978) 957-2123 and then press 0.
I just got back from Eustis Avenue in Centralville, right next to Mcpherson Playground, because police got called there after a woman found a grenade in the park.
Police got the call about 7:30, but by the time I got to Centralville they had already confirmed the grenade was drilled out and harmless.
I talked to Lisa Gaillardetz, 44, who was walking her dog, as she often does, near the trees in the corner of the park, when her dog started sniffing around in the bushes.
Gaillardetz went to grab the dog and looked down.
"And there was a grenade with the pin still in it," she said.
Apparently police and firefighters scolded Gaillardetz for picking up the grenade at taking it home, but I can definitely see her point.
"I didn't want a kid to find it so I brought it here," she said as she stood in her driveway.
I couldn't get a picture of the grenade because Gaillardetz said police took it with them.
State Police and emergency crews are speeding toward 495 north near 93 in Andover for a report of a rollover accident with ejection starting about 5:40 p.m.
No one at the scene yet. I'm staying tuned.
Andover is out of the coverage area, but I always track accidents there since so many locals travel that route.
UPDATE: Trooper is at scene and said two EMT's and a doctor are there. They're all saying one of the guy's is going to need MedFlight. No more info on injuries, though.
So far state police have two callers saying the car involved and another car were racing northbound when the crash occurred.
Both said the other car was a Pontiac GTO, but one caller described it as orange and the other described it as gold. Both said it was going too fast to get a plate, and that it didn't stop when the crash occurred.
UPDATE: MedFlight taking off soon, as of 5:58, it has a 10 minute ETA and will be landing on on the southbound lanes of the highway.
It sounds like they're calling for reconstruction and photo now too, so expect some backups on this portion of the road for a few hours.
From what I heard the car had New Hampshire plates, and the driver had a Florida license, so probably not someone local, though a passenger had a Massachusetts license, so we'll see.
I'll check this one later tonight.
UPDATE: MedFlight is on the ground now at 6:08 p.m., according to radio broadcasts, but I probably won't update again until later tonight when I get more information from police. No more radio updates.
UPDATE: I'm going to leave this one as is. Sounds like neither person was from this area. Closest was from Haverhill.
Collision between a small, silver sedan and a silver Ford Explorer under the high-tension power lines on Main Street in Tewksbury Saturday night about 11:19 p.m.
One guy was trapped in the silver sedan, and firefighters had to cut both driver's side doors off before they could free him. I couldn't tell if he was conscious, but he was taken toward Lowell in the ambulance, with paramedics following. Usually a sign of fairly serious injury.
The other guy involved was conscious and sat against a telephone pole at the scene, briefly talking to police. He was eventually put in an ambulance too.
Reconstruction was on the way to the scene, so apparently the injuries were serious, but police were way too busy at the scene to give me a statement. Officers were still tied up at 12:30 a.m., and I've gotta get out of here.
I'd expect Main Street to be closed between Old Boston Road and Power Company Road until well into Sunday morning as reconstruction is done.
We'll be checking with Tewksbury Police for more information on this first thing Sunday morning.
Here's a video of crews working on the guy who was trapped right after they got him out.
UPDATE: Police have identified the drivers. The Ford Explorer was driven by Richard Deschenes, 55, of Lowell, and the silver Saturn sedan was driven by Bildad Wanjema, 29, of Lowell.
Wanjema was taken to Lahey Clinic in Burlington. They wanted MedFlight for him but it was grounded. Dechenes went to Lowell General Hospital.
No charges or word on a cause yet. All of that is pending reconstruction.
UPDATE: A hospital spokesman says Wanjema is in fair condition as of Sunday night about 7 p.m.
It's been a quite night for crime in Greater Lowell (knock on wood), but I went out to Lincoln Street earlier tonight because I thought city's Response Unit (aka Gang Unit) might be on the verge of a big drug bust.
They pulled over a guy with a lot of prior drug arrests driving a black Lincoln, according to police radio broadcasts. He had a couple burnt roaches in the car, and, low and behold, roughly $9,000 in cash, from what I heard.
A few roaches are just a fine these days, but based on the guy's record, all the cash, and the roaches, police called in a state police canine and gave the car a good once over.
You can see a bit of the dog working here.
Despite everything, the car turned up clean according to the pooch, though, and police had to set the driver free.
Even on the slow night they're out there working, though.
Plus, it's tough to complain about a slow night when you're in my line of work.
I think that quote pretty well sums up the seriousness of an incident in Back Central tonight in which a 28-year-old Lowell man was struck by a car.
The man, who neighbors said lives nearby and has a 5-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter, was walking along Chase Street, about 20-yards from Whipple Street, when he was struck by a car about 8 p.m.
Here's the best picture I could get of the scene, which was pretty dark.
Two girls at the scene, Jacquelane Gardner and Shaniece White, told me they were walking just a couple steps back from the man when a car drove up and appeared to swerve at him.
Gardner said it appeared the driver knew the man and was trying to just miss him.
Instead, Gardner said it appeared the man's sandal got caught up in the car's wheels, and that he immediately fell forward without even putting his hands down to slow his fall.
"When he fell, he fell hard," Gardner told me. "You could hear his skull crack."
Gardner said she was scared after she realized the man was bleeding from his head.
Lt. Timothy Crowley told me the car actually struck the man, though.
About a half hour after he told me that, Devone Debenedictis, 20, of Billerica, was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (motor vehicle).
She's still being held because a bail commissioner has not yet set bail for her.
I have no real word on the victim's condition, and police aren't going to identify him until all of his family has been notified.
Gardner told me the man's 13-year-old daughter was at the scene, though, and ran away crying after seeing her father.
I just got word from Superintendent Lavallee that Lowell Police are filing charges, 50 counts of malicious destruction of property, against a guy in connection with all the windows that were shot out around Lowell the last few weeks.
Police are apparently still seeking one other suspect, though.
Capt. Jonathan Webb, who runs the criminal bureau, tells me that Gerard Vincent, 22, of 128 Fourth Ave., Lowell, will be summonsed to court to face 50 felony counts of malicious destruction of property.
Webb credits Detective Sgt. Joe Murray, and detectives Felix Figueroa and Steven Alexander with doing the legwork on the case.
Webb said police are still seeking a second suspect, though, so everyone is still encouraged to call LPD at (978) 937-3200, or Crimestoppers at (978) 459-TIPS (8477) if they have any information.
Callers to crimestoppers may remain anonymous, but can receive up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.
There have been several reports of shots fired around the city over the last 24 hours, but no injuries. At least one of the reports is also believed to be unfounded.
There were reports of gunshots overnight on Wilder Street, and in the area of this weekend's shooting on University Avenue, but police couldn't find any evidence at either scene and think the calls may have been unfounded.
A call for gunshots on Chapel Street, just after some people had an argument over a damaged car, may have been legitimate, but no one was hit and no shell casings were found.
The big winner of the day, though, is Marvin Moses, 24, of 74 Whipple St., third floor.
Police tell me they got a priority call Tuesday afternoon saying that Moses was waving a shotgun in a woman's face and making threats about 12:45 p.m.
Police tell me they rushed to his building and learned that not only had Moses waved a 12-gauge, sawed-off shotgun in the face of a woman in her early 30's, he also punched her. Police say the woman was pregnant.
Officers found the 12-gauge and some ammo in the building, so Moses was booked for assault and battery on a pregnant person, assault and battery, illegal possession of a firearm, illegal possession of ammunition, improper storage of a firearm, and threatening to commit a crime, police said.
He was still being held Tuesday night, awaiting arraignment on Wednesday.
I finally found entry number four on my list of bad ideas.
Police say Richard Stapleford, 42, of Chester, NH, shown below, looking terrific,
...was arrested in Derry, N.H., on Interstate-93, for drunken driving, after a state trooper pulled over his tractor-trailer.
Stapleford was apparently bailed, though, because yesterday at about 1 p.m., Pelham Police got a call that Stapleford was trying to drive his tractor-trailer out of a local tow yard while intoxicated.
Officers arrived and learned that Stapleford had already left, driving East on Nashua Road toward downtown Pelham. Police didn't say what tow yard he had been at.
Officers found Stapleford on Nashua Road, pulled him over, and gave him a field sobriety test, which police say he failed.
Stapleford was arrested for driving while intoxicated, again.
Enough local folks drive I-93 to make this worth posting.
State Police are hoping to talk to anyone who was driving in the area of I-93 on Friday about 4:45 p.m., and who may have seen an older-model, dark blue passenger van in the southbound lanes.
Police are trying to figure out whether the van "contributed to the sequence of events" that led to a fatal crash.
Mark R. Ecker II, of East Longmeadow, a two-time veteran of the war in Iraq who lost both his legs in an explosion there in 2007, was killed in the crash.
He was a passenger in a Pontiac Sunfire that rolled over after its driver lost control in Andover, just north of River Road. The driver was not seriously hurt.
If someone else caused an accident that killed a guy who had given both of his legs to his country, I'd hope anyone from around here who saw that van will call state police right away.
But only for a half an hour, and only in front of Shedd Park.
Though, the half hour was from 6 to 6:30, so I'm sure anyone on Route 38 around that time noticed the traffic.
A fuel truck, which according to police radio broadcasts was carrying about 400 gallons of fuel, was involved in a colission with a small, maroon sedan about 6 p.m.
Police closed Rogers Street in front of the park until about 6:30, when the scene was cleaned up. No immediate report of injuries, and the baseball game going on nearby didn't seem to be disturbed.
I didn't grab much information at the scene. The truck seemed to make out alright, though it was towed by a huge tow truck from Lowell Fleet Towing. The small, maroon sedan didn't make out nearly as well, and its front and front driver's side quarterpanel were pretty mangled.
Here is a picture emailed to me by Amanda Frankland, of Lowell, who got much better shots than I did at the scene.
No word on a cause. I'll try to track down a report in a bit.
I couldn't get close enough to get any good pictures, but a woman at the scene said she might email me a couple later tonight. I'll post em if I get em.
Today in Bedford, a float plane was landing on runway 29 at 1:45 p.m., when it's landing gear broke, causing minor damage to the plane. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Holly Baker said the plane was a Maule M-7-260, and that no one was hurt.
The accident was classified as an incident, so a report will be filed but no investigation will be started. Here is a picture of a Maule M-7-260 that I found on Google.
According to an FAA database, the plane is owned by Louis R. Page, of Dover, Massachusetts. No one was hurt. Baker couldn't tell me how many people were in the plane.
The kicker is that 8 minutes later, a Robinson R22 helicopter made a hard landing not far away at Hanscom Air Force Base, as a student pilot was practicing hovering with an instructor.
Baker said the helicopter rolled onto its side and suffered significant damage in the accident, which will be investigated by the FAA. An inspector from the FAA's Flight Standards District Office in Lexington will investigate.
The instructor was not hurt, but the student pilot suffered minor injuries and was checked out at a hospital.
Baker didn't have any information on the individuals involved. The helicopter is owned by Plane Nonsense Iinc., out of New Castle, Deleware, according to an FAA database.
Here is a picture of a Robinson R-22 that I found on Google.
I tried calling a public information officer at Hanscom for more information, but no one has returned my message.
I'll be checking the conditions of the victims of the triple shooting again later tonight, but from what I hear the mostly seriously wounded of the three is still not out of the woods.
A kid, I believe a 5-year-old if radio broadcasts are accurate, was just struck by a car on Barker Street in Centralville.
Non life-threatening injuries, but the kid was taken to a city hospital.
I couldn't get much more cause I got to the scene late. I went to Barker Avenue, which is further north in Centralville, and much bigger than Barker Street. Barker Street is off Fisher Street, right behind the liquor store on Lakeview Avenue.
No damage that I noticed to the car that was involved, a gray Honda, so I don't think it was too bad. I'll pursue the report later tonight.
No real update on that tonight. I emailed both Superintendent Lavallee and Corey Welford and both report no updates on the condition of the victims, and no new charges.
Stay tuned for more on Monday. We'll be covering the arraignment of Joel Fernandez, who's charged in the shooting, at Lowell District Court.
This is very unfortunate, but interestingly it comes just as we've been debating the need to give vision and road tests to elderly drivers here in Massachusetts.
Making it even more interesting, is the fact that New Hampshire already requires road tests for driver's over 75. The debate here in Massachusetts has been looking at 85 as the age where road tests are required.
A police officer was actually close enough to hear the gunshots about 2:30 this morning and when he got to 152 University Ave., he found two guys outside and one guy inside with gunshot wounds. All pretty serious, though only one of the guys had life-threatening wounds.
All three wound up in Boston, though.
It's still not clear whether the one guy is going to make it, so city police haven't been able to tell me much. Gerry Leone's office handles 90 percent of the comments on murders and potential murders.
Here's what we do know. Two guys were shot outside, and one was shot inside. Another guy, from Lawrence, is facing charges.
An interesting thing in the press release is a quote from Superintendent Lavallee saying "We believe that the three wounded individuals were involved in the shooting and are exploring the circumstances behind the entirety of the incident."
Neither Lavallee nor the DA's office would elaborate on that statement, so I'm not quite sure if it means that those who were shot were also shooting, or if shots were being fired in two directions. No one would tell me how many shots were fired.
The release went on to quote Lavallee as saying "We continue to investigate whether others were involved in this shooting and what charges, if any, are appropriate."
Leone said it appears the incident was not random, and that everyone knew each other.
Arrested, but not shot, was Joel Fernandez, 22, of Lawrence, who was booked about 8 a.m. He's charged with assault with intent to murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and discharging a firearm.
I confirmed that his arrest was related, but no one could say much more than that. Fernandez was still being held on Saturday night.
Neighbors on University Avenue said they hadn't heard anything overnight, which I was tempted to believe since this happened at 2:30 a.m.
No really, I mean, hey, sure a guy with gang affiliations is accused of killing an innocent 17-year-old girl earlier this year because he was too stupid to hit his real target, but why would that stop someone from putting up a gang tag on a stop sign about 50-feet from where Tavaryna Choeun was found dying?
I was coming back from making a coffee run for the newsroom tonight when I noticed that someone tagged a sign near the former crime scene.
Above the word "stop," someone spray painted the word "can't." Below "stop," someone spray painted "TRG," initials for the Tiny Rascals Gang, which, despite having the dumbest name I've ever heard, is a gang accused of a great deal of violence here in Lowell, in addition to drug dealing and other great stuff.
Now, as far as I know it wasn't a TRG guy that's accused of killing Choeun, but it's still about as pathetic a gesture as I've seen in quite a while, and I've seen some pretty pathetic crap.
And now some dudes who think they're tough spray paint their crap 50 feet from where she was dumped out of a car and left to die from a gunshot wound to the head?
I watched people trying to save Choeun before she died, and then I watched her mother lose it when she first visited the Suffolk Street crime scene.
This made me angry, and I hope this entry conveys that.
I remember being pretty impressed by the effort some intelligent kids in Lowell made to speak out against violence after Choeun was killed. The anti-violence march held that week was impressive.
A lot of people voiced support.
Since then, I've seen Lowell Police and the gang unit continue busting their butts to keep gangs in check. I know the schools work at it. I know groups like UTEC do too.
So, I guess the question is whether the rest of us still remember all this.
What can we do to stop it?
Beats me, but from the looks of the stop sign on Suffolk Street, TRG is daring us to.
City police are looking for three guys who were apparently involved in robbing someone at the Bank of America ATM kiosk on Central Street this afternoon.
I'm not sure who the victim was or exactly what time this happened, but police are looking for three guys who stole about $200 from someone. I'll list them below so the descriptions don't get mixed up.
1. Hispanic male, early 20's, about 6 feet tall, with a scar above his left cheek that runs to his left eye. He wore a black hoodie, and carried a knife. He fled toward Appleton Street.
2. Black male, early 20's, wearing all black clothing, including a black hooded sweatshirt. He had a black bandana covering his face, and one of his eyebrows had three stripes shaved into it.
3. Hispanic male, early 20's, about 5 feet, 10 inches tall. He wore a black hooded sweatshirt with white strings and black pants (possibly sweat pants).
The second two both fled on Market Street toward Palmer, and were carrying bags from Geovanni's, according to police radio broadcasts.
If you know who they are call (978) 937-3200, or Crimestoppers at (978) 459-TIPS (8477). Callers may remain anonymous, but can receive up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.
Sun, The (Lowell, MA) - Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Author: JACK MINCH, Sun Staff
LOWELL -- An observer in Lowell District Court called the defendants being arraigned yesterday a "who's who" of gang members in the city.
Fourteen people who were arrested at the Southeast Asian Water Festival on Saturday faced charges of disorderly conduct and affray. At least one person skipped his arraignment; a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Judge Allen Jarasitis dismissed charges against several of the combatants who have no criminal records as adults, but he sent others to jail when he revoked their bails on other cases.
Police said the fight began about 5 p.m., as about 35 rivals from two gangs tussled while attending the festival, disrupting activities and plowing into vendors' stands.
A short time later, a 21-year-old Lowell man involved in the fracas realized he had been stabbed in the chest with a screwdriver while he was in the area of 62 Magnolia St., police said.
He was taken to Lowell General Hospital, where he was in stable condition last night, police said.
The brawl drew dozens of police officers to the scene. There were already 25 officers working a detail at the festival, but all on-duty cruisers in the city were sent to help out.
Lowell police were backed up by Chelmsford, which sent five cruisers, and Tyngsboro, which sent one.
Savuthyna Chourb, 19, of Lynn, was already facing trial for pointing a shotgun at somebody when he went to court yesterday.
"Certainly, this behavior is dangerous not only to himself but the community at large," Assistant District Attorney Chris Doherty said before his bail was revoked.
Bobby Phakonekhan, 20, of 65 Arlene Road, had his bail revoked for a case in which he is charged with assault and battery with a glass bottle.
"If anybody should have known to stay out of trouble until the other matters are resolved, it's this guy," Judge Jarasitis said.
Savann Leng, 20, of 31 London St., had his bail revoked for a 2002 Superior Court case in which he is charged with armed assault with intent to murder and assault and battery with a gun.
"This man has an extremely serious case and should have known better. All he had to do was be a good citizen," Jarasitis said before revoking bail.
John Drinoskyhad his bail revoked for a Superior Court case involving assault and battery with a gun.
Those arrested include Hathy Kim, 18, 25 Whipple St., second floor; David Vy, 17, 83 Cosgrove St., first floor; Ricky Khounpranacksa, 18, of Salem; Bob Chin, 20, of Peabody; Chanracksmiy Thang, 18, of 41 Avenue B; Savuthyna Chourb, 19, of Lynn; Johnson Prak, 18, of 710 West Hollis St., Nashua; Bobby Phakonekhan, 20, of 65 Arlene Road; Pany An, 20, 659 School St., first floor; Rithy Pen, 20, 27 Linwood St., Unit 27; Samnang Man, 18, 18 Middlesex Park; Savann Leng, 20, 31 London St.; and Johnny Drinosky, 19, 108 Concord St., second floor.
Kim was also charged on a warrant for driving without a license.
Another five juveniles were charged with affray and disorderly conduct. Their names have not been released because of their ages.
Staff writer Robert Mills contributed to this story.
It's totally weird how some of these names just pop up again and again over the years.
That being said, murder is a heinous crime, and it effects families and friends, not just victims. Anyone with information on this thing should still be calling Lowell Police. Help them make an arrest, snag some reward money, and make the city a little safer.
Crimestoppers can be reached (978) 459-TIPS (8477), if those with information want to remain anonymous.
Would probably be my advice for the real genius who has apparently spent the last two weekends driving around Lowell shooting the windows out of cars with a BB gun.
Superintendent Lavallee tells me that things started last week, when someone shot out a bunch of windows between Sunday night and Monday morning. Lavallee didn't have a tally for the damage then.
Then came this week, when someone gave a repeat performance between midnight Sunday and Monday morning at 5 a.m., shooting out the windows of 47 cars in The Acre, Centralville, and Pawtucketville.
This probably seems like an awesome idea if you're incredibly stupid, but I've replaced car windows before, and it's no fun. Spreading that pain around to 47 hard-working people in Lowell is pretty bogus.
Police are looking for information on two possible suspect vehicles.
1. A large, gold-colored sedan, possibly a Pontiac Bonneville.
2. A mid-sized, dark-colored sedan, possibly a late 90's model, driven by a heavyset while guy in his mid-20's.
If you have any information on what genius is committing these crimes (at least 47 counts of malicious destruction of property so far), or on the two vehicles mentioned above, please call Lowell police at (978) 937-3200 or Crimestoppers at (978) 459-TIPS (8477). Callers may remain anonymous, but can receive up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.
And if you're not sure if you want to call, go stick your head out a window, take in today's lovely weather, and pick up the telephone. I wouldn't want broken windows on a summer like this.
Police in Littleton had quite a search and arrest today, but I'm still waiting for information from the state on the name of the guy arrested.
Everything got started about 12:30 p.m., when police went to the area around Springdale Farm to look for a man the state wanted on a warrant for assaulting a police officer.
Littleton Police couldn't tell me anything about what led to the warrant, but I guess when officers found the guy he assaulted officers again and took off running through a field.
Police from the state, Littleton, Groton, Westford, and canines from Lowell, Concord and the state police all setup a perimeter and started searching.
The search went on until about 4 p.m., when police learned the guy had slipped through the perimeter by hiding in the back of a pickup truck. The cloak and dagger stuff failed him when he proceeded to go to CVS.
Police got word the guy was there, and Patrolman Pablo Fernandez, Detective Matthew Penard, and a trooper from the Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section went to CVS in an unmarked cruiser, spotted the guy and arrested him.
The bad guy, who hasn't been identified yet, still didn't give up without a fight. Littleton Police said he attacked officers at CVS too, and that Penard was taken to the hospital with a minor hand injury after the fight.
The bad guy is now behind bars.
UPDATE: State police say the fugitive was Jonathan Bik, 28, of Townsend, who was wanted on a warrant for assaulting a trooper and fleeing into a wooded area on June 19, during a traffic stop on Route 128 in Reading.
He is charged with assault and battery on a police officer, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct, and two counts of resisting arrest.
And I'm not even settled into my desk yet, but it sounds like there's a rollover accident on Interstate 495. Not sure about injuries yet, I'm listening in.
UPDATE: It sounds like firefighters found a car on its roof along 495, but the lone occupant got out of the vehicle on his own and had no injuries. Must have been quite a ride, though.
Police in Dracut, Pelham, and Lowell were all on the lookout for a fully marked 1994 Chevrolet Impala that was spotted in Pelham Wednesday night, being driven by a guy with his hat on backwards, according to police radio broadcasts.
The search started about 8 p.m., when a Pelham detective saw the car on Route 38, near the Hannaford shopping plaza in a left turn lane with it's turn signal on. The car then went straight, though, catching the detective's eye.
The car even has an official, blue, fire department license plate, according to police radio broadcasts.
After some initial fears that the car was stolen, it was determined that it was a surplus car, no longer in use by Lowell Fire, but still owned by the city.
It had been loaned to a company involved in filming a movie, and was at an auto-body shop in Pelham to get a new paint job. Pelham Police said they eventually found the car back at the shop, though they declined to identify the shop.
It appears an employee of that auto-body company decided to take the car for a drive. Sources told me no one was supposed to be taking the car for unauthorized jaunts around town, though. No charges will be filed.
The City of Lowell was generous enough to loan out an old surplus car for the movie, but Lowell Fire Department officials were not amused last night, and ordered the car towed back to Lowell immediately.
Score this one a disqualification.
Before anyone gets all excited though, I'd like to make a personal note, that I very often see a list of government agencies in movie credits, where they're thanked for providing assistance to film crews. I don't think this type of thing is terribly uncommon.
Here's a few links. One from a story I wrote late last night, and two others of relevance to my beat.
I ran this one past a police officer last night, and he didn't seem opposed, with some patients already using oxycodone, an opiate, he pointed out that maybe it wouldn't be as bad, as long as it's actually regulated. I was surprised to hear that, police were not supportive of decriminalization. But then again, neither was Coakley. Coakley voices some degree of support for medical marijuana in Massaschusetts.
I wish Emily would have elaborated or gotten me in touch with Coakley, but she couldn't get back to me until 11 p.m. I'm not sure these comments indicate that Coakley supports this, as much as they may indicate that she won't actively oppose it, as long as it's done right.
We'll continue to push her to specify. The debate is ongoing on Beacon Hill.
This incident was pretty scary. It's very rare to see a totally innocent person involved in violence like this, but the driver of the other car had clearly done nothing.
And here's one that an awful lot of police officers are waiting for word on.
Now that this case is in the courts, the double murder on Lincoln Street from a few years ago seems to be to be Lowell's biggest unsolved case to me.
