4:20PM UPDATE – JULY 25th – The phone system has been repaired. Temporary telephone problems are currently disrupting service at the Webster Police Station and the South Worcester County Communications Center. Gregory Lynskey, the Communications Center Director says the business phone lines are operating in limited capability. “If you are attempting to reach us via business lines, you will receive a message stating the extension is not valid. Press 0 to be connected to a dispatcher.” Of course, if you have an emergency dial 911. Webster and Dudley 911 calls are going through without any issues. The South Worcester County Communications Center serves as a dispatch center for both Webster and Dudley. Telephone lines are…
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The Auburn Police and Fire Department responded to a one vehicle crash in the parking lot of Sears at the Auburn Mall on Sunday morning, July 22nd. Police believe the driver of the car lost control, after possibly hydroplaning on the Mass Pike. Amazingly, there were no injuries reported, as the vehicle crashed through several trees, and landed on its wheels on the pavement down below. The Massachusetts State Police are currently investigating to see if any charges will be filed.
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A sign welcoming people to a soccer field on West Street in Southbridge was vandalized with anti-police graffiti sometime during the night on Thursday. Police found the message on Friday morning. An investigation is underway to try to find out who is responsible for spray painting “kill cops” on the sign, but right now police are not taking it as a threat to officers in town. NBC 10 Boston reports there are security cameras in the vicinity of the field, but not close enough to where the crime took place. The message was discovered on the same day Weymouth Police paid their final respects to fallen officer Sgt. Michael Chesna who was killed on Sunday. THE…
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A suspect, recently added to the Massachusetts State Police Most Wanted Fugitives list was captured on Thursday afternoon in New Jersey after the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section and US Marshals developed information that he was hiding there. 47 year old Stephen Cote was arrested by New Jersey officers as he got out of a car in the parking lot of the Westgate apartment complex in Lakewood, NJ. In June, police had said he had ties to people in both Southbridge and Woodstock. Troopers and US Marshals in Springfield were able to track Cote down using information about his location and the vehicle he might be driving and forwarded it to the NY/NJ…
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Police arrested Leah Duran of Woonsocket for driving under the influence for the second time in the last 10 days. On July 19th, just before 4PM police received a call about an intoxicated woman attempting to leave Oakland Beach in a silver Honda minivan. The caller also stated that there were three young children in the minivan and she estimated the ages from seven years old to newborn. Police were able to pull the van over and the children, ages 7, 4 and 7 months old were turned over to the Department of Children Youth and Family. Duran was arrested and refused to submit to a breathalyzer test. She was charged with driving under the influence, refusal to…
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The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado briefly touched down in Ashford, CT on Tuesday afternoon. Ashford is located about 15 miles west of Putnam, and approximately 20 miles southwest of Webster. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, the tornado, ranked an EF0, had estimated wind speeds between 65 and 85 mph. The storm caused roof damage to some buildings and also uprooted trees in its path. The same weather system brought flooding rains to the rest of the region, as roads turned into rivers in Oxford and Worcester. According to weather records, yesterday’s storm is the 5th tornado in Connecticut so far in 2018. Video of the damage, posted to Twitter below is from…
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The Southbridge Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the person in the photo above. Police say the person is a suspect in recent thefts occurring from inside of motor vehicles in the area. If you recognize him, you are asked to call Detective Genkos at (508) 764-5420. You can also send Southbridge Police a private message on Facebook if you have any information on who this may be, or his whereabouts.
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Several inches of rain fell across Southern New England on Tuesday afternoon. The National Weather Service issued numerous severe weather watches and warnings, including a tornado warning in Northeastern Connecticut. As of 6:30PM most of the heavy rain and lightning have starting moving out of the area, but not before closing several roads. Local weather spotter Nick DiGiovanni reports about 2.3 inches of rain fell on Sutton Avenue in Oxford making it nearly impassable. Worcester’s Fire Department has reported over 100 emergency calls in just the last few hours. Power lines were reported down on Thompson Road in Webster and lightning struck a home on the corner of Church and Pine Streets in Burrillville this…
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One person is lucky to be alive after a single vehicle crash that is under investigation in Auburn. At 9:15PM on Monday, July 16th, the Auburn Fire & Rescue Department was dispatched to a car in the water and a person trapped inside. The first responders found the sedan had driven down off an embankment on Oxford Street near Rochdale Street. The vehicle was found on with extensive damage, and had landed on the passenger side in a shallow stream. The vehicle was stabilized and rescuers were able to remove the windshield to get to the driver out. The person was transported to UMASS Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. Due to some leakage of…
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At 4:30 on Saturday morning, Detectives from the Southbridge Police Department and the Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council SWAT Team executed a search warrant for narcotics at the first floor apartment of 153 Marcy Street. The search warrant was the result of a lengthy ongoing investigation by police into the distribution of crack cocaine in the Southbridge area. Crack cocaine packaged for distribution, prescription pills suspected to be oxycodone, and other various narcotics distribution paraphernalia was recovered, as well as cash. The money is suspected to have been proceeds from the ongoing trafficking and sale of narcotics. A fully loaded .38 caliber snub nose revolver was also recovered at the scene, that had previously been reported stolen…
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