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 communities.
SQUIRRELS LIKE YOUTUBE, TOO
On April 22, Lexi Klenk, the animal control officer for the towns of Wrentham and Plainville, received a call from a homeowner about some baby squirrels that were screaming for their mother and had fallen down from a tree. Klenk arrived at the scene to find a trio of squirrels needing assistance, according to a post on Facebook. “The mom was nowhere to be found, and the babies were clearly upset looking for her,’’ the post said. “ACO Klenk was able to safely retrieve the three babies and headed back home with them. 3 total . . . so she thought.’’ Klenk then got another call from the same homeowner, who reported additional babies making their way down the tree, so she turned around and went back to help the siblings. When she arrived, Klenk found the caller putting a fourth animal into a box. The woman’s husband spotted a fifth creature coming down the tree, but the last little straggler was having difficulty getting all the way down. “It was so sad to watch as he was so confused and clearly trying to find his mother. His eyes aren’t even open yet!’’ the post said. “After a few failed attempts at getting down and no way for anyone to get up into the tree to retrieve him, we got creative and started playing YouTube videos of mother squirrels, calling out for their babies. After about eight minutes of playing the videos, the last baby squirrel came running down the tree and ACO Klenk was able to safely retrieve him.’’ The five baby squirrels were taken to a local wildlife rehab facility.
PANIC AT THE CARNIVAL
On the evening of April 25, police figured out what was causing a commotion at the McKinley Carnival at Jennings Beach in Fairfield, Conn., and it wasn’t something you’d expect. “At one point during the event, a crowd was seen running from the beach area, understandably raising concerns,’’ police wrote. “The disruption was caused by a group of kids using ‘flatulence spray’ near the carnival exit. This prank, repeated several times throughout the night, led to confusion and caused small groups to scream and run. Toward the end of the evening, a larger reaction occurred, triggering a ripple effect as others began running without knowing the cause.’’ Fairfield police put out a statement the next day to let everyone know that officers were at the scene monitoring the situation and there was never any danger to anyone. “We want to assure everyone that despite rumors circulating online, police said, ’’there were no weapons, no physical altercations, and no injuries reported at any time.“
THIS LITTLE PIGGY…RAN
At 4:57 p.m. on April 12, a resident of South Main Street in West Bridgewater called the police department’s business line to report that a potbellied pig was walking around his backyard. Police checked the surrounding areas but could not locate the creature. Two days later, at 7:08 p.m. on April 14, another resident of West Bridgewater informed police that there was such a pig in her backyard which she believed had been living under her porch for a week. The pig, which was described as black and white, was last seen running into the woods toward Ash Street.
MAYBE?
On April 9, Acton police got a call from someone reporting that a motor vehicle hit a boulder. The caller reported speaking to the woman who was driving, who said: “Maybe that’s why I have a flat tire.’’ The driver wasn’t hurt, but the caller was concerned that she’d been drinking because of that comment and her demeanor seemed “off.’’ Police who arrived at the scene apparently agreed because they ultimately placed the 27-year-old driver under arrest on charges of operating under the influence, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and possessing an open container of alcohol in the vehicle.
Emily Sweeney can be reached at emily.sweeney@globe.com. Follow her @emilysweeney and on Instagram @emilysweeney22.
