MPD Under the Radar: West side teenagers set Christmas tree on fire

Beyond the headlines, the men and women of the Manchester Police Department respond to requests from local residents around the clock, with incidents the public may often find valuable or interesting going unnoticed.

In an attempt to help shed a light on those incidents and spur a greater discussion on what’s going on in our neighborhoods across the city, here are a few of those incidents that flew under the radar, as obtained from the Manchester Police Department Records Division.

For the Manchester Police Department’s daily logs, which provide the starting point for these reports, click here.

The actual names of individuals and organizations in these stories have not been revealed to protect them from potential harassment, excluding arrests where information is available.

Excluding any information that could reveal the identity of individuals or organizations, incidents that have been inflicted upon victims will be conveyed with as much accuracy as possible in the hopes that greater awareness about these incidents occurring within Manchester can prevent their re-occurrence to another victim.

Anyone accused of a crime is innocent unless proven guilty by a court of law.

Anyone with additional information on these incidents is welcome to share their accounts of what happened by emailing andy@manchesterinklink.com

Reports from the Manchester Police Department Records Division cost Manchester Ink Link a dollar per page. If you would like to help us continue bringing you this column, please contribute to our efforts here.

Dec. 27, 5:33 a.m. – An observer called police after witnessing someone steal a 16 foot tall box truck just moments before.

The observer said that the thief left his tools there, was “under a ram” and looked to be heading south on South Willow Street.

An investigation was opened into the incident.

Dec. 27, 10:15 a.m. – Someone on Central Street expressed concern about a mobile home occupying four parking spaces. It is unclear how long the mobile home had been parked there, but the person that called police said they believed someone was living there. They also told police they were thinking about putting up signs to prevent that person from coming back.

Additional information was not provided.

Dec. 28, 10:23 a.m. – An employee at a fast food establishment on South Willow Street called police after learning one of their regular customers was in an argument outside with another person.

The regular customer came inside, but no one was sure where the other person went.

It is not clear what the argument was about or if anyone was hurt or if any crimes were committed.

Approximately 90 seconds after starting the call, the employee abruptly ended the call, with dispatchers describing the call as “odd” and “vague.”

Police later re-established contact with the caller and learned that nobody wanted to press any charges.

Dec. 28, 10:45 a.m. – A woman identified as calling from Second Street contacted police, but was difficult to understand due to crying by the woman. Dispatchers believe the woman said something about a downstairs neighbor, but were unsure.

Additional information was not provided.

Dec. 28, 3:25 p.m. – A manager on Zachary Road contacted police after receiving a text message from a fired employee. The employee, who was fired the previous night and given a no trespassing order earlier in the day, said he would threaten to harm the manager’s ex-wife and knew where the manager lived.

The fired employee later sent threats against the manager’s children, according to the manager.

The manager was not in the area, but said he would return to provide additional information the next day and wanted the incident documented.

Dec. 29 1:12 a.m. – A driver ordered to stop his vehicle near the corner of Elm Street and Webster Street refused to pull over, beginning a chase. The driver continued north on Elm, turning west on West Clarke Street through a stop sign, eventually turning north onto River Road at approximately 40 miles per hour.

The driver eventually was trapped on West River Drive and left their vehicle, running into a nearby apartment.

Police entered into a standoff with the driver, who would not cooperate with orders to exit the apartment. The driver did not seem to take any further actions beyond moving the venetian blinds around from inside the apartment.

There was an indication from the police report that officers could hear a metallic sound, which they believed could be a gun.

The conclusion of the standoff was not indicated in the report, but the driver’s vehicle was towed.

Dec. 29, 12:31 p.m. – An individual responsible for an area along West Mitchell Street reported to police that racist graffiti inside a porta-potty had been removed the previous day.

Additional information was not provided.

Dec. 29 3:52 p.m. – Police were on the outlook for three teenagers that lit a Christmas tree on fire. The teenagers were described as two boys and one girl on bikes. The tree was seen lit on Boutwell Street by someone in the area and said the teenagers escaped toward Rock Rimmon Park.

The tree was discovered, but police could not find the teenagers and there were no cameras in the area.