It’s never a dull moment for the Lowell Police Department. In May, our local boys in blue investigated multiple cases of retail fraud, responded to citizen complaints and worked to keep the streets safe over Memorial Day weekend.
The major statistics for the month break down as follows:
- 14 accidents
- 24 assists to other agencies/entities
- 2 drunk driving arrests
- 20 warrant arrests
- 8 other arrests
Keep reading for the details.
Wild Memorial Day Weekend
Let’s start with the end of the month. Memorial Day weekend brought plenty of calls into the department, particularly as people started early summer celebrations on Friday. Here’s how the weekend played out for the LPD:
- Friday – 11 calls
- Saturday – 9 calls
- Sunday – 4 calls
- Monday – 2 calls
Some calls were easily resolved – such as the person who drove off from a gas station but later returned once they realized they forgot to pay – but others were more involved.
The police were dispatched to an assault on Bowes Road. A woman saw a friend walking and offered him a ride. He was going fishing, and the woman drove him down the street. When her ex-boyfriend happened to be in the area and saw the other man in the car, he punched him as he got out of the vehicle. He also yelled at the woman. A warrant for assault and battery was issued by the prosecutor as a result of the incident.
On another call, police were dispatched to Creekside Park on the suspicion that two subjects were casing cars in the lot, looking to steal things out of them. The suspects did not have any items on them, but Chief Steve Bukala recognized them as suspects from a larceny case in Caledonia and contacted law enforcement officers there.
There was a drunk driving/resisting officer case that occurred after a Jetta crashed at the corner of Bowes Road and Center Street. Both the driver and passenger airbags deployed. While the driver said he had only had a few beers, he was slurring his speech. He became quite distraught when he realized the damage to the vehicle and noted that his parents would be very angry with him. He refused a roadside breath test, would not follow officer instructions and eventually assaulted a paramedic while being transported to the hospital.
The officer accompanied the suspect to the hospital and while there saw a pregnant nurse pushed by someone in the emergency room. With no hospital police in the immediate area, the Lowell police officer intervened to subdue the suspect.
About an hour after the above drunk driving call, the police pulled over a female for not wearing her seatbelt and drifting over the center line. She said she was texting. She had an open alcohol container in plain view in her vehicle and was run through a field sobriety test. Her blood alcohol level was .11. Anything greater than .08 is considered driving under the influence. The driver was also under the legal drinking age.
While addressing the above drunk driver, a call came in about a motorcycle driving recklessly. An officer tried to stop the vehicle but it took off going south on Alden Nash at speeds in excess of 90 mph so the officer broke off the chase. A tip was received that a motorcyclist matching the suspect’s description had been seen at a local gas station. When the police department reviewed the security footage, they realized the suspect was known to the department. They were able to locate him, and he denied that he was the person who had fled from the police. However, a warrant was issued for fleeing and eluding, a felony offense. He was also cited for operating a motorcycle without a cycle endorsement.
On another stop, an officer pulled over a vehicle for failing to have its headlights on. The driver acknowledged that he had been drinking and said that on a scale of 1-10, he felt like a 2 when it came to whether he was intoxicated. His blood alcohol level was actually .21.
During another stop for failing to have headlights on, the officer saw open beer containers in the car. The subjects were not intoxicated, but the driver and passenger were cited for having open intoxicants in the vehicle.
A female came to the Lowell Police Department to report threats from her boyfriend. Apparently, the couple had been at a trivia night and the boyfriend had been drinking and possibly using other substances. He sent threatening text messages to the woman, including one that said “no one will miss you.” Officers accompanied the woman to the boyfriend’s house so she could retrieve some items. The suspect was present at the time and intoxicated. Later, the victim said she did not want to press charges, and the suspect had apparently begun attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Dollar General/Gas Stations Target of Retail Fraud
When it comes to shoplifting, the city’s discount stores and gas stations seem to be the most common victims. However, if you’re thinking about helping yourself to a five finger discount, be aware that most stores now have multiple cameras that can provide impressively clear photos of suspects. Plus, the Lowell Police Department isn’t afraid to use its Facebook page to post these photos and track down suspected thieves. Really, you’re better off paying for your energy drinks.
At Dollar General, though, someone decided to pocket some Monster drinks. The store called the police about retail fraud in progress. The officer saw the suspect’s vehicle while en route to the store and stopped it. The female inside the vehicle initially denied stealing anything, but it was eventually discovered she had purchased some drinks and stole others. She was charged with retail fraud third degree which is punishable by up to 93 days in jail and a $500 fine.
At a gas station, it was believed a regular customer had been stealing things. The security camera showed he had stolen $5.58 in merchandise. When the police talked to the suspect, he said that he only had money for two popsicles but was still hungry so he took the beef jerky and large Rice Krispies Treat without paying. He was charged with retail fraud.
At a local store, the owner said a man stole a gold chain. The suspect was driving a vehicle with a Wisconsin license plate. However, the police were unable to obtain a more thorough description of the suspect since the store’s security system was password protected, and the owner couldn’t remember the password.
At a gas station, a suspect had come in to complain about sunglasses he had bought 14 days earlier. He returned them and the clerk processed a refund on his card. The suspect returned to say he had never received the credit and that he was going to help himself to a new pair of glasses. The clerk told him he couldn’t do that. The suspect said he didn’t care. The police were called.
Back at Dollar General, the police were again called for retail fraud. This time the store suspected someone of stealing lice-killing shampoo. The suspect drove away in red, 2-door car with a sunroof. The cashier noted the suspect had entered the store and asked about lice-killing shampoo and razors. On the security camera, the suspect was observed to be itching and uncomfortable. The suspect stuffed a bottle of the lice-killing shampoo in his shorts but did not appear to be able to take a razor because of the security measures on the display. The store apparently declined to pursue this case any further.
All the Rest
The remaining cases handled by the Lowell Police Department largely fell under the category of “people behaving badly.” Here’s what we mean:
The police were called on a report of a suspicious person in the Center Court parking lot. A male subject got out of a vehicle and urinated on the front tire. He was belligerent with the officer who arrived and used, ahem, lively language when approached by the police. The officer called for back-up, and Chief Bukala arrived. It appeared the man may have been in need of housing assistance, but the chief’s offer to contact FROM on his behalf was met with more lively language. The man was ultimately lodged in the county jail for disorderly conduct and urinating in public.
After being called to a report of reckless driving in the area of Pebble Beach, police discovered the matter was part of a domestic dispute involving a couple being evicted.
An intoxicated subject was drinking heavily and making threats. He was belligerent when approached by the police. Due to the level of intoxication, he was transported to the hospital.
A report of shots being fired near Meijer resulted in the Kent Country Sherriff Department calling on the Lowell Police Department to investigate. It was discovered someone was legally target shooting nearby.
The police responded to a noise complaint in a shared building. Some residents were attempting to go to sleep, but their neighbors were being loud on the porch and stomping on it. The police advised both parties to keep noise down. The next day, the neighbors who had been loud called the police to say they needed help retrieving items loaned to the other party. The officer arrived, made contact with the other resident who said she would look for the items and returned a few minutes later with two cups, forks and towels.
While on a stationary patrol at Main and Hudson, an officer ran a vehicle’s plate, and it came back expired. The officer stopped the car, and both occupants tried to exit the vehicle. They began to cry and said the driver was not the registered owner. The vehicle had only just been purchased. However, the tears were apparently because the driver had three outstanding warrants, and he was arrested for driving with a suspended license.
The police responded to a report of a fight in progress on Main Street near the Riverwalk. When an officer arrived, no fighting was observed. Later, dispatch called with a report from a nearby neighborhood. An officer made contact with a party who was visibly injured and had blood on his shirt. An ambulance was offered and declined. The victim said he had been hit four times, and the officer knew the suspect as a person banned from a bar in the downtown. Once located, the suspect said he had been riding his bike when the victim knocked off his hat. The victim and suspect apparently had a past history of disputes, and an independent third party verified the suspect’s story regarding the victim taking action first. Both parties were said to be highly intoxicated at the time. The suspect was charged with disorderly conduct and assault and battery.
The Fairgrounds called after finding multiple boxes of trash in and around the dumpster there. Some items in the trash were old homework sheets from Lowell High School. The person named on those papers said he was just throwing away some paperwork and the pizza boxes and other trash was not his.
Police responded to a call of a disorderly person at Dollar General. A man was upset because his girlfriend has a medical condition but the store staff apparently thought she was intoxicated and asked her to leave. The man came into the store to yell at the manager and then appeared to get ready to hit a male customer who had intervened in the situation. Everyone interviewed in the store thought the man was going to assault the manager and customer. The case was reviewed by the prosecutor’s office.
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