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Police log for week of Feb. 28, 2020

February 28

Wheeler Road (6:25 a.m.) — Caller reported not having water at her house and wanted to see if there was a water main break in the area. No water main break; the caller had had plumbing work done the previous day.

Old Bedford Rd. (5:48 p.m.) — Report of vehicle pulled off to the side of the road. Officer checked on the person, who had pulled over to get directions.

February 29

Lincoln Road (12:46 p.m.) — Party came to the station to pick up court paperwork.

March 1

Lincoln Road (12:32 a.m.) — Officer checked on a bicyclist on Lincoln Rd. Party is a resident riding home; all is fine.

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (2:38 a.m.) — Vehicle was stopped and Omar Hernandez, 35, 50 Day St. in Fitchburg was arrested for an outstanding traffic warrant out of Malden District Court.

South Great Road (4:07 p.m.) — Officer assisted a party just over the town line in Weston with dogs running in the roadway.

Ballfield Road (3:36 a.m.) — Officer stopped a vehicle in the parking lot of the school after it turned off its lights on Lincoln Road. Officer issued a summons to Daurey Moreta Garcia of Boston for operating without a license and failure to stop for police. Two other people in the car were identified. Personal checks were later found on school grounds that had been stolen out of a mailbox in Newton. A mailbox “fishing device” was also found in the Lincoln Post Office mailbox. Investigation is ongoing.

Lincoln Road (10:11 p.m.) — Officer checked on a party who was pulled over and was lost. Assistance given and party went on their way.

they’re on their way.

March 3

Lincoln Road (8:27 a.m.) — Road sign knocked over near Rte. 117. Officer retrieved the sign and contacted the DPW.

Lincoln School — Officers assisted with traffic and patrolling school during primary election.

Lincoln Road (3:03 p.m.) — Report of a suspicious white van. Area was checked; nothing found.

South Great Road (6:59 p.m.) — Concord Police Department reports an erratic operator entering Lincoln on Rte. 117. Lincoln officer located party and attempted to stop. Party failed to stop and continued into Weston. Subject was stopped and was transported to Lahey Clinic. Operator to be summonsed to court for operating under the influence of alcohol, failure to stop for police, drinking from an open container, and marked lane violation.

Codman Road (3:46 a.m.) — Officer checked on a package on the side of the road. Appears to be from a bread truck; all is fine.

March 4

Lincoln Road (8:48 a.m.) — Solicitor permit issued to a party to go door to door for Edward Jones Financial Advisors.

March 5

1 Harvest Circle (7:33 a.m.) — Elderly party fell victim to a sweepstakes scam, investigation ongoing.

Lincoln Police Department (1:16 a.m.) — Caller was looking for information regarding a probate order. He was advised to contact his attorney as it’s a civil matter.

Tower Road (7:04 p.m.) — Caller reported that both they and their dog were bitten by a dog while on the trails. Dog officer will follow up with the reporting party.

March 6

Wells Road (12:54 a.m.) — A confused party reported people at the residence. Officers spoke to the party and family and made referrals to Senior Services for assistance.

Wells Road (5:25 a.m.) — Well-being check on resident.

Hanscom Air Force Base Vandenberg Gate (7:05 a.m.) — Arthur Cardoso, 27, of Delmar Ave. in Providence, R.I. was arrested while trying to enter the base as he had an outstanding larceny warrant out of Taunton District Court.

Lincoln Road (10:58 a.m.) — Hit-and-run crash in the Donelan’s parking lot. Officer spoke to parties involved and took a report.

Main Street, Watertown (11:20 a.m.) — Det. Spencer assisted Watertown Police Department with a forensic sketch relating to an investigation in that town.

Tower Road (4:12 p.m.) — Caller reported being bitten by three dogs. Party received medical attention and was transported to a local hospital. The Animal Control Officer notified and is handling the matter, and the dog owners were contacted.

Main Street, Maynard (4:42 p.m.) — Det. Spencer assisted Maynard Police Department with a forensic sketch relating to an investigation in that town.

First Parish offers August summer program for kids

The First Parish in Lincoln is introducing Summer Spirit, a full-day program running from August 10–21 for kids who’ve completed grades K-7, with counselor-in-training opportunities for eighth-graders.

“I’ve heard parents mention the lack of an in-town opportunity for ‘good’ (i.e., fun, interesting, safe, etc.) childcare in between the time Lincoln Summer Day Camp (and others) end, and the start of the school year,” said Margit Griffith, director of religious education at the First Parish in Lincoln. Many families have two working parents, “and they don’t all choose to vacation during the last two weeks of August, and not all have nannies, especially once children begin school. College-age summer caregivers start to head back to their schools. This all leaves a child care dilemma here in town.”

Summer Spirit will be headquartered at the church’s Parish House (the stone church) at 14 Bedford Rd., across from Bemis Hall), “and we’ll make use of the historic building, grounds, and abutting conservation lands,” Griffith said.

Each of the two weeks has a theme: “Spirit of Earth” and “Spirit of Lincoln.” Details on activities as well as the parent handbook, registration form, dates and rates, tuition assistance, and contact information can be found at www.fplincoln.org/summer-spirit.

“The program is quite secular in the sense that activities and themes are distinctly summer-day-camp-ish,” Griffith said. “However, our guiding principles in how we interact with each other and with the children focuses on kindness, caring, community service, and support We will relate everything we do to how we nurture each other, our neighbors, and the earth. We may practice moments of mindfulness, but religious practices and beliefs will not be part of Summer Spirit.

Funding for Summer Spirit operations is fronted from the church’s Religious Exploration budget for children and youth programs, with the hope that the program gets enough participants to cover costs, Griffith said. Tuition assistance is available. Any proceeds after all program operations costs are covered will be used to fund scholarships.

The program will run from from 9 a.m.–3 p.m. with optional early drop-off at 8 a.m. or late pickup until 5 p.m. for an additional charge. The cost per child is $290 for one week or $530 for both weeks, with discounts for multiple children.

“We also seek to form community partners through this and all church endeavors. Working together is the best way for local organizations to more fully meet the needs of all residents,” Griffith said. “First Parish in Lincoln has rededicated itself to reaching out to continue old tried-and-true traditions and find new, outside-the-box ways of serving with and for all our neighbors.”

Police log for week of February 21, 2020

 

February 21

Codman Community Farms (4:35 p.m.) — Walk-in to the police station was concerned about a tree truck parked at Codman Farm due to the soft ground. Person was advised to speak with farm staff.

Lincoln Road (6:15 p.m.) — Caller was concerned about a male party who is at the train station dancing. Officer spoke to the party; he was cold waiting for the train trying to stay warm.

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (6:53 p.m.) — Caller’s vehicle was towed from Rte. 2 by State Police and would like to know where it is. Party was given the State Police Concord phone number to follow up with them.

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (3:38 a.m.) — Vehicle was stopped on Rte. 2 westbound at Bedford Road and Benedict Amuta, 20, of 20 Massmills Dr. in Lowell was arrested on a traffic warrant out of Clinton District Court. He was later released to appear in court.

February 22

Codman Community Farms (7:02 p.m.) — Caller reported that at about 5 p.m., there was a person who couldn’t control their dog who was at the farm. No identifying information regarding the dog or the owner.

February 24

Wells Road (1:00 p.m.) — Walk in came to the station to report an incident that previously occurred in Watertown. An officer spoke to the party and provided the information to Watertown PD.

Lincoln Road (3:05 p.m.) — A party came into the station to report striking a deer on Lincoln Road near Ballfield Road.

Lexington Road (5:50 p.m. and 8:28 p.m.) — Officer attempted to give paperwork to a resident.

February 25

Lexington Road (11:40 a.m.) — Officer attempted to give paperwork to a resident.

Lincoln Road (1:52 p.m.) — Officer attempted to give paperwork to a resident.

South Great Road (2:13 p.m.) — Report of an erratic operator on Rte. 117 coming from Weston. Driver was located and arrested on Willarch Road. Leslie Hallowell, 57, of 5 Willarch Rd. in Lincoln was arrested for OUI/liquor. She was later bailed to appear in Concord Court.

South Great Road (3:04 p.m.) — Caller reported an aggressive dog in the area. An officer located the dog and following up with the owner.

Entrance road, Hanscom Air Force Base (8:26 p.m.) — A party came into the station to report receiving harassing messages over social media. Report taken.

Lincoln Town Hall (8:36 p.m.) — A party reported a person who was possibly intoxicated in the area of Town Hall. An officer located the party walking and brought them to their residence.

Lexington Road (8:28 p.m.) — Officer attempted to give paperwork to a resident.

February 26

South Great Road (12:30 a.m.) — Officer stopped a vehicle on Rte. 117 near Mt. Misery. Scott Mahon, 28, of 256 Great Rd. in Stow was arrested for OUI. He was later brought to Concord Court.

February 27

Maynard Fire Department — Lincoln Fire Department responded to Maynard to cover the town as Maynard firefighters are at a fire elsewhere.

Weston Road (11:23 p.m.) — Caller reports a fallen tree blocking the road. Officer on scene asked the DPW to remove.

Lincoln Road (11:59 a.m.) — Officer assisted a party in regard to a civil matter

North Commons (12:31 p.m.) — Resident reported that she’s missing a door that she put away in storage a while ago. Report taken by an officer.

Baker Bridge Road (1:49 p.m.) — Callers reported a large tree blocking the road. Officer responded and asked EverSource to respond.

North Great Road (8:01 pm.) — Caller reported a party walking on Rte. 2A wearing dark clothing. Officer checked the area and was unable to locate the party.

South Great Road (9:13 p.m.) — Officer found a party near the Concord town line who was looking for a lost friend. The lost person was found in Concord and reunited with the reporting party.

Correction

In the February 25 article headlined “Water usage rates to go up by 28%, base charges by 43%,” Bryce Wolf’s name was misspelled and her place of residence was in error — she lives at Lincoln Ridge, which has 58 dwelling units, not the 41 that were cited in data supplied to the Lincoln Squirrel. Also, in a table accompanying the article, the Greenridge multi-unit development was incorrectly labeled as mostly rental, when in fact it is owner-occupied. The table and article have been corrected.

 

 

Police log for week of Feb. 14, 2020

February 14

Bypass Road (8:38 a.m.) — Officer assisted a party who ran out of gas; gave them a ride to All Town Gas to get fuel.

Aspen Circle (1:37 p.m.) — Resident received a call from an unknown party looking for money that was allegedly owed to them. Resident has no further information.

Bedford Road (3:23 p.m.) — Caller reported an odor of gas on Bedford Road near Route 2. National Grid was on the scene working.

February 15

Wells Road (9:29 p.m.) — Caller reported another resident banging on the wall. Officer arrived and spoke to the party and advised them to stop their behavior.

February 16

Concord Road (10:05 a.m.) — Officer checking the property saw a person out in back of the shop. Officer spoke to him and learned he’s an employee of T&F Auto.

Winter Street (4:55 p.m.) — Caller reported a tree down on wires. Verizon notified.

Brooks Road (6:20 p.m.) — A walk-in to the station requested assistance with a civil matter. Officer spoke to the party about their legal options.

Lincoln Road (8:55 p.m.) — A party contacted the station to report losing a key somewhere in the Donelan’s parking lot.

Wells Road (4:35 a.m.) — Party reported that an unknown person was in her apartment. Officers responded and assured the caller that no one was present, and also spoke to another family member who was there.

February 17

Old Concord Road (9:47 a.m.) — Officer delivered legal documents to a resident.

Boyce Farm Road (9:51 a.m.) — Officers assisted a party in regard to a civil matter.

Cambridge Turnpike(1:59 a.m.) — An officer stopped a vehicle Route 2 eastbound at Gerard’s Farm Stand and subsequently arrested Robert Campbell, 43, of 20 Acton St. in Maynard for possession of a Class B substance and Possession of a Class E substance.

February 18

Smith Hill Road (11:34 a.m.) — Concord police reported finding a resident’s purse. An officer met with Concord police and returned the purse to its owner.

Aspen Circle (1:26 p.m.) — A walk-in to the station reported his license plate is missing or was stolen from his vehicle. Report taken.

Sandy Pond Road (4:07 p.m.) — Concord police requested a check of a residence looking for a juvenile who left the Walden Pond area and headed back home. Officers located the party and reunited them with a parent.

February 19

Hanscom Air Force Base, Vandenberg Gate (2:41 p.m.) — Officers arrested Christopher Towns, 41, of 7 State St. Apt 1 in Peabody on a warrant from Ipswich police for obscene material to a minor (six counts). He was booked and transferred to Ipswich Police Department.

February 20

Wells Road (8:16 a.m.) — Resident reports being a victim of identity theft. Investigation ongoing.

Harvest Circle (2:10 p.m.) — Officer reports being in a very minor motor vehicle crash in the lot of 2 Harvest Circle. Accident documented.

Lewis Street (5:34 p.m.) — Caller reported a possible water main break. Officers found water coming from a building in which a pipe burst and they’re pumping out the building.

South Great Road (5:40 p.m.) — Walk-in to the station reporting people ice-skating on Farrar Pond. Officers checked and were unable to locate anyone.

Tabor Hill Road (10:24 p.m.) — Caller reported a suspicious package in their mailbox. Officers found the package contained gardening seeds.

Send your creative seeds to the Chipmunk!

The Lincoln Squirrel is adding a new section — the Lincoln Chipmunk, a periodic compilation of feature articles, first-person essays, poetry, drawings, photos and other creative work by Lincolnites. It’s the digital successor to the Lincoln Review, which was published for more than 40 years by Betty Smith and friends.

The Chipmunk will be published as part of the Squirrel website every two or three months, depending on the volume of submissions. Our editor is former Lincoln Review staff member Jeanne Bracken, assisted by Lincoln resident Rhoda Taschioglou. 

The deadline for our first issue is March 1, so send us your stuff! Here are some ideas:

  • First-person essays on almost any topic — a compelling memory, a recent trip, a person or animal you’ve known, your predictions for the coming year, etc.
  • Nonfiction feature pieces about Lincoln history, nature, farms, architecture, etc.
  • Humor and satire
  • Short fiction
  • Poems
  • Profiles of interesting Lincoln residents (current, former, or deceased)
  • Book and movie reviews (especially by or about Lincoln authors/artists)
  • Original drawings and photographs

If you have something else in mind that doesn’t fall into one of these categories, just let us know. You can address questions and send items via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com or call Squirrel editor Alice Waugh at 617-710-5542.

The fine print:

  • Submissions must be original work by Lincoln residents, their immediate family members, employees, or others with a direct connection to the town, and they must include the submitter’s name and email address. Anonymous items will not be published.
  • All submissions are subject to selection and editing by the Lincoln Chipmunk staff; publication is not guaranteed.

Police log for week of Feb. 7, 2020

February 7

Indian Camp Lane (5:33 pm.) — Council on Aging requests a check on a resident. Officer checked on the resident and everything was fine.

Hobbs Brook Road (6:19 p.m.) — Party calling 911 reports being scammed. Party resides in Waltham and was advised to contact Waltham police.

February 8

Wells Road (12:27 a.m.) — Resident called regarding someone slamming their door. Officers checked the area and all was quiet.

Old Concord Road (1:35 a.m.) — Resident called to complaint about the noise of road work being done overnight at the Rte. 126 railroad bridge. Resident was advised it is scheduled work and they can make a complaint to MassDOT.

Sandy Pond Road (3:38 p.m.) — New Hampshire State Police requested a check of the residence for a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run in New Hampshire. Officers checked and were unable to make contact with anyone at the residence.

Lincoln Police Department (4:21 p.m.) — Resident came into the station to complain about where the Fire Department vehicles were parked.

Garland Road (5:22 p.m.) — Resident called reporting their child over age 12 was missing. A short time later, they called to report the child was with the other parent at a neighbor’s house.

Deerhaven Road (5:22 p.m.) — Caller inquired why an ambulance turned around in their driveway and a fire truck drove by their house. Caller was advised the Fire Department had just cleared a medical call in their area.

February 9

South Great Road (6:23 p.m.) — Weston Police asked that an officer check Rte. 117 for a disabled vehicle after a car-vs.-deer crash in Weston involving a vehicle that continued west into Lincoln.

Linway Road (6:48 p.m.) — Caller reported smoke inside their house. Fire Department responded and found that the smoke was caused by a pellet stove.

February 12

Harvest Circle (5:21 p.m.) — Staff who were dealing with a personnel matter requested that an officer go by in case there was an issue. No problems; the officer cleared shortly thereafter.

Lincoln Road (6:16 p.m.) —  Officers responded to a two-car crash near Tower Road. One person suffered a minor injury. A report taken and a citation was issued.

Old Concord Road (10:52 p.m.) —  Elderly party reported an unknown party was in the house. Officers responded and found it was a healthcare worker.

Service on Feb. 20 for Nancy Ritchie

Nancy Ritchie

Nancy M. (Pratt) Ritchie died at Emerson Hospital in Concord on February 13 at age 76. She was the beloved wife of James Ritchie, with whom she shared 53 years of loving marriage.  

Nancy was born in Somerville on August 8, 1943, the daughter of the late Harry and Beulah (Barry) Pratt. She enjoyed being raised in Burlington and graduated from the town’s high school in 1961. She was then employed at Lincoln Laboratory for 12 years. 

Active in the Lincoln community, Nancy was faithful to her church. She served as secretary of St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church for 13 years, and later, as an administrative assistant and assistant town clerk for Lincoln. 

She was dedicated to her family and friends, and will be remembered as a fabulous cook.  

In addition to her husband, Jim, she will be forever missed by two daughters, Nicole Ann Freutel and her husband Trevor of Renton, Wash., and Melissa Noelle Ritchie of Lincoln; two grandchildren, Alek and Ethan Freutel; a brother, Harry D. Pratt and his wife Carole; and several nieces and nephews. She was also the sister of the late Pat Munoz. 

Family and friends will gather for visiting hours on Thursday, Feb. 20 from 6–8 p.m. in the Dee Funeral Home, 27 Bedford St., Concord. Nancy’s funeral service will be celebrated on Friday, Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. in St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Lincoln, with burial at Lincoln Cemetery. 

In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, 147 Concord Road, Lincoln, MA 01773. 

Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord.  To share a remembrance or to send a condolence in her online guestbook, please visit www.DeeFuneralHome.com. 

Planning Board has the only contested seat in upcoming town election

By Alice Waugh

Signatures have been gathered and papers filed to decide who will be on the ballot for the town election on March 30 (see full list below). And despite an earlier flurry of interest by would-be candidates for Water Commission, the Planning Board will have the only contested race, where three residents — Lynn DeLisi, Richard Rundell, and Robert Domnitz — are running for two open seats.

Both openings on the Planning Board are for three-year terms, so the top two vote-getters will be seated. DeLisi and Rundell are incumbents running for reelection, while Domnitz is a former board member. He ran for reelection in 2015 but lost to challenge and current board member Gary Taylor, who ran unopposed for reelection in 2018.

A whopping seven residents took out papers in preparation for running for three openings on the Water Commission, which has been troubled by budget and personnel issues. However, only incumbent Ruth Ann Hendrickson, Michelle Barnes and James Hutchinson submitted papers and signatures to get on the ballot before the February 10 deadline. The others who initially took out papers were Ephraim Flint, Steven Kanner, Allen Vander Meulen, and Tobin Hack. 

Those running for the Water Commission have to declare their candidacy for a specific term. Hendrickson (who has said this will be her last term) is running unopposed for reelection for a two-yer term. Barnes joined the board in the fall as one of two emergency appointments after two of the three commissioners resigned, and she is now running for a full three-year term. Hutchinson is currently serving a seven-year term on the Finance Committee that expires in March 2021 and is resigning to run unopposed for a one-year term on the Water Commission.

No one is running for openings on the Housing Commission and Trustees of the Bemis Fund, although two residents (Deb Wallace and Victoria Benaflew) took our nomination papers but never submitted them. Anyone can write in a candidate for those seats or any other. However, if no one is elected, the group in question and the Board of Selectmen may jointly make an appointment to fill the opening at a later date.

There are two candidates for two openings on the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee, and Lincoln resident Harold Engstrom is running for the seat being vacated by Patty Mostue, who is retiring after many years of service with that group. Candace Miller of Sudbury is running for reelection.

* Asterisks indicate incumbents

Board or CommitteeOpenings/termsCandidate(s)
Board of AssessorsOne for three yearsEllen Meadors*
Board of Health
One for three yearsFrederick L. Mansfield*
Board of SelectmenOne for three yearsJonathan Dwyer*
Cemetery CommissionOne for three yearsManley Boyce*
Commissioners of Trust FundsOne for three yearsD. Paul Fitzgerald*
Housing CommissionOne for three years—
ModeratorOne for three yearsSarah Cannon Holden*
Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School CommitteeTwo for three yearsCandace Miller,* Harold Engstrom
Parks and Recreation CommitteeOne for three yearsRobert Stringer
Planning BoardTwo for three yearsRichard Rundell,* Lynn DeLisi,* Robert Domnitz
School CommitteeTwo for three yearsTara Lynn Mitchell,* Adam Hogue*
Trustees of BemisOne for three years—
Water CommissionOne for three years, one for two years, one for one yearRuth Ann Hendrickson,* Michelle Barnes, James Hutchinson