Well, it’s been a lively night, but I have to report that I’ll be off work from now until next week. Keep checking www.lowellsun.com for breaking news while I’m gone, and please don’t let the city burn down.
I like it here and will be home soon.
I’ll be back to work on Wednesday, May 30, with a large cup of coffee in hand.
I’m a little busy here since I’ve got a lot to accomplish before my vacation starts at midnight tonight, but here’s a story I just cranked out about the alleged theft of a pit bull in Dracut today.
By Robert Mills
rmills@lowellsun.com
DRACUT — A Dracut couple is facing charges they stole a dog from another couple during an altercation on Methuen Street, and then struck a woman with a car as they fled with the dog.
Deputy Chief David Chartrand said Emanuel Lima, 28, and Ashley Dewolfe, 27, both of 21 Wigham Ave., met up with a couple they know on Methuen Street in the area of Hillside Drive about 7:15 p.m.
“They met to talk about money that was owed between the couples, and the discussion turned into an altercation,” Chartrand said.
The victims in the case, who police did not identify, had their dog, a pit bull, in their car when the fight broke out.
“They took the dog from the victims’ vehicle, placed it in their vehicle, and began to flee,” Chartrand said.
As Emanuel and Dewolfe fled, their car struck the female victim, who was taken to Lowell General Hospital for observation, Chartrand said. Her injuries did not appear to be serious, he said.
Emanuel and Dewolfe had fled the area by the time police were contacted, but the victims told police where they live.
Chartrand said Emanuel and Dewolfe were arrested at their home a short time later. Continue reading
Three octogenarians from Lowell escaped without serious injuries despite being inside the Toyota, pictured below, that rolled onto its side after striking a cement post and a trash container this afternoon on Douglas Road at Rogers Street in Lowell.
Police say the Toyota pictured below was driven by Manuel Tomas, 85, of Lowell, and occupied by passengers Georgina Tomas, 82, and Judite Silva, 84.
Photo by Bob Whitaker.
Tomas told police he was turning from Rogers Street onto Douglas Road about 2 p.m., when he saw a BMW backing out of a parking spot at Milan Pizza. Tomas told police he swerved to the right to avoid a collision.
Tomas succeeded at avoiding the BMW, which was driven by Aaron Heller, 20, of Lowell, but Tomas’ Toyota struck a cement pole and then a trash container on the right side of the road and rolled over.
The impact pushed the trash container into a parked Nissan, owned by Mildred Kercher, of 58 Fay St.
Firefighters sawed the windshield out of the Toyota to free those inside. Silva was taken to Lowell General Hospital for treatment of non life-threatening injuries. No one was cited.
Chelmsford Police were called to the Drum Hill Rotary today at 3:11 p.m., for a report of a motor vehicle crash in which a school vehicle rolled over.
I’ve seen reports that this was a bus, but it was actually a minivan equipped with bus lights that is owned by the Lighthouse School in Chelmford, according to Lt. James Spinney.
All photos in this entry are by Bob Whitaker.
“A minivan from the Lighthouse School was coming up Northern Avenue and entering the rotary when it appears a sedan heading from the Drum Hill area to Route 3 North hit the minivan in the intersection,” Spinney said.
The impact caused the minivan, pictured below, to rollover. Continue reading
MAJOR UPDATE: Tonight the City of Lowell reminded us all of why police investigate things, look for evidence, and maintain a healthy dose of skepticism.
A 55-year-old man who lives in Market Mills, 256 Market St., Unit 114, called police about 9:35 p.m., to report that someone tried to rob him.
The man, who was “highly intoxicated,” according to police radio broadcasts, told officers that a very large Hispanic male pulled a knife and tried to rob him “somewhere near the Hess station” at Dutton and Merrimack streets.
The man told police the suspect tried to stab him, and that he defended himself with his forearm, sustaining a large cut in the process. He was taken to Saints Medical Center after describing his attacker.
Police searched around the Hess station for signs of blood, a crime scene, or evidence of where the attack occurred. They found nothing. They found no witnesses.
Once at Saints, the man’s story changed. Continue reading
