Every day, police officers respond to reports of all sorts of events and nonevents, most of which never make the news. Here is a sampling of lesser-known — but no less noteworthy — incidents from police log books (a.k.a. blotters) in our suburbs.
A CLEAN GETAWAY
On May 20, a young fox was found with its head stuck in a storm drain in Wareham. Good Samaritans alerted the police, and officers from the Wareham Department of Natural Resources were dispatched to the scene to assist the animal. With help of a Good Samaritan, some Dawn soap, and some vegetable oil, officers were able to free the fox pup (also known as a kit) from the drain so it could be reunited with its mother. Photos of the rescue were posted on the Wareham Department of Natural Resources Facebook page. “Before releasing the kit it was given a quick bath to wash off the soaps and checked for injuries,” the post said. “We’re happy to say no injuries were sustained and a very clean fox was released back to the wild!”
TALK ABOUT AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR
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It’s not every day that a wild turkey comes crashing through your bedroom window. But that’s exactly what happened at a home in Saugus on May 26. Interim Chief Ronald Giorgetti said police received a 911 call at 3:15 p.m. reporting that a wild turkey had flown through a closed window on the second floor and was now trapped inside the bedroom. When officers responded, they found a badly injured bird with glass strewn throughout the room. Unfortunately, the animal’s injuries were such that it had to be euthanized at the scene. The homeowner was given a police report number for their property insurance purposes. No residents were injured.
CONVERTING INTO CASH
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Catalytic converters are a hot thing to steal, and they go missing from thousands of vehicles every year. Why? Because they contain precious metals, and thieves sell them to scrap dealers for anywhere from $20 to $240, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Thefts have been reported in several municipalities around Greater Boston recently. Here are a few examples:
— On March 31, the manager of U-Haul in Saugus told police that 25 catalytic converters had been stolen from its fleet since last summer.
— On April 22, police in Peabody learned that someone stole the catalytic converter from the police department’s honor guard van.
— On May 19, Wellesley Police Officer Michael Mankavech spoke with an employee of the Wellesley Public Schools transportation department who told him that someone had cut the catalytic converters out of some school vans. According to police, there were no suspects.
OLD SCHOOL REVENGE
On May 11 a Newton police officer responded to Riverdale Avenue to investigate a report of vandalism to a vehicle. The victim told police someone filled his gas tank with sugar. (Now a lot of people may think this mean prank would damage his vehicle’s engine beyond repair. But — thankfully for our victim here — that’s not the case. According to the fact-checking website Snopes.com, the problem can be fixed by having a mechanic clean out the tank.)
VANDAL ON WHEELS
Police in Concord are looking to identify a cyclist who took it upon himself to tear down a “no trespassing” sign and allegedly vandalize a stone wall in a wooded area on Monument Street. Concord Police Chief Joseph O’Connor said the stone wall is located on the private property of a home, and the sign and wall separate the property from the abutting conservation trail. The incident occurred on the morning of May 22 just before 8:20 a.m., and police posted video of the incident on YouTube. The video shows a man wearing a blue helmet, blue shirt, dark colored shorts, and red gloves ripping down the sign and taking apart the wall. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Concord Police Department at 978-314-3400.
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Emily Sweeney can be reached at emily.sweeney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney.