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.
UNEXPECTED VISITORS
At 9:20 a.m. Aug. 26, Beverly police received a report that a horse and pony were loose in the high school. But that didn’t turn out to the case at all, as the incident actually took place in Hamilton, and it wasn’t as dramatic as as it sounded. A horse and donkey got loose and ended up on the grounds of Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School, and Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Stanley Forman was there to capture the moment as police escorted the two fugitives off the school property. “Some people are excited for school to start up, others not so much,” Hamilton police tweeted. “This horse and donkey can’t wait and were peering through the windows of the High School this morning. We made sure they made it back home safely.”
ALL IN GOOD HUMOR
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At 10:11 p.m. July 13, police checked on two vehicles beeping at each other outside the CVS on Nahatan Street in Norwood. According to the log entry, an officer spoke to those involved, and the horn blaring turned out to be “a husband playing a joke on his wife.”
NOT AN EARTHQUAKE
At 8:34 a.m. Sept. 18, Bridgewater police received a 911 call from a woman who reported that her house was “shaking violently.” The responding officer spoke to the homeowner and reported there wasn’t anything wrong, except for the fact that the resident’s “hearing aids were malfunctioning.”
UNHAPPY CUSTOMER
At 12:21 p.m. Aug. 28, Peabody police received a report from someone at a convenience store on Walnut Street who reported that a woman in came into the store and “did not like the price of a cigar” so she threw a glass bottle at an employee, “breaking it everywhere.” The woman was described in the log entry as being in her 40s, with dark hair, tattoos on her arms, and wearing a purple shirt, ripped blue jeans, and white Crocs. An officer was sent to investigate.
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UNWELCOME HOUSE GUEST
At 7:41 p.m. Aug. 11, Medfield police received a call from someone who encountered a 2-foot-long snake inside their home on Ledgetree Road. The animal control officer was notified.
GORILLA SIGHTING
At 12:16 p.m. June 26, Wakefield police received an unusual call from a concerned citizen who reported that five kids — one of whom was wearing a gorilla costume — were running a cable off the edge of the parking garage on Albion Street. We’re not sure what these mischief-makers were up to — the log entry didn’t say — but police responded and sent the youths on their way.
FBI AGENT ... OR ASPIRING RAPPER
On Aug. 26, Acton police were dispatched to Railroad Street for a report of a man who was overheard saying that he “works for the FBI.” According to the log entry, police spoke to the man who said he was just “listening to some rap music and singing along.” Police were satisfied with that explanation and found no other issues.
COUNTRY CLUB-GOERS
Two animals were rescued from local country clubs over the summer. The first was on June 10, when Westford animal control posted on Facebook about a female ferret named Emily that went missing near the Nabnasset Lake Country Club. They later posted an update with good news: “UPDATE: Emily the ferret is now back home safe and sound after one of our followers saw the post and called the owners! Thank you everyone!”
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On Aug. 4 Canton animal control posted a photo on Facebook of a parrot that had been found flying around the Milton-Hoosic Club, a country club on Green Lodge Street in Canton. The parrot was eventually caught by one of the lifeguards who works there, and has since been adopted.
Emily Sweeney can be reached at emily.sweeney@globe.com. Follow her @emilysweeney and on Instagram @emilysweeney22.