Escaped prisoner captured

Jeff Lyons, a spokesman for the New Hampshire Department of Corrections, called me today to let me know that Shane Adkinson, 28, of Lowell, is back in custody following his escape from a minimum security facility in Manchester, N.H.

Adkinson, 28, failed to return to a minimum security center on Friday after he was given permission to leave to get a haircut and groceries.

Lyons said Adkinson was found in an apartment in Manchester on Sunday night and arrested.

He is now being held in a special housing unit at the New Hampshire State Prison in Concord, Lyons said. That is New Hampshire’s maximum security prison.

“That’s very typical when someone has walked away and been apprehended and brought back,” Lyons said. “We put them in a stricter environment for disciplinary purpose.”

Lyons didn’t have any further details about Adkinson’s arrest, but you can stop looking out for him on the streets of Lowell.

Bumper cars in Lowell

I already blogged about the fact that it was a tough weekend on the roads around Massachusetts, and from 11 to 11:30 tonight Lowell proved that I was right.

At least no one did here in Lowell.

About 11 p.m., the car pictured below ran a red light and struck a Ford Explorer on Appleton Street at the Lord Overpass.

Two men, in their early 20′s, were taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries. Police said the driver of the car admitted he ran the red light.

Perception versus reality

Billerica Police put up a great blog entry today regarding the public perception of crime these days.

It addresses the perception that crime is worse than ever, even though statistics suggest that crime has actually been consistently decreasing.

I blogged about this before earlier this year. I notice it almost every day in the comments here and on my Facebook page.

I often hesitate to say so because I feel like I’m blowing my own horn, but I think the perception is largely due to the degree to which crimes are put on Twitter, in the paper, and on the Internet so instantly and in such detail these days.

The Billerica Police blog entry links to a very good article about this same issue.

I’ve sometimes asked myself if it’s a bad thing that the media might feed this perception, but I don’t think it is.