From Piggies to Serious Perps

APD on scene of last week's major disturbance Townhouse Apartments 

So no, the Amherst Police Department does not spend all of its time dealing with rowdy students -- er, I mean "college aged youths" -- raising Hell in the dead of night.  Well, maybe on weekends -- especially when the weather is nice.

Although  APD did respond to a noise complaint late last night to 121 Meadow Street, ground zero for last year's most notorious riot, which would get my vote for 'Party House of the Year'.  Fortunately this time around a warning was sufficient (maybe because it was only a Thursday).

Yesterday around 6:30 PM police responded to a call on South East Street/Bay Road for "10 piglets running in the road."  And an hour later for a loose cow.  All of which were "Gone On Arrival."  Although a while later a call came in confirming the farmer had "wrangled them all."

On Monday evening police responded to a farm field off South East Street (not the same one with the lost piggies) for a suspicious vehicle.  Said vehicle, driven by David Brown, age  46, attempted to run down an officer.  


David Brown of 108 Lee Rd, South Deerfield is facing a litany of charges (the last one most astonishing):

Driving with revoked license
Assault with a dangerous weapon (the car)
Alcohol in motor vehicle
Possession of open container (in said vehicle)
O.U.I Liquor 5th offense.  Yes you read that correctly, 5th offense!

UMass needs to get serious about cracking down on serious offenders undermining the quality of life for neighborhoods all over Amherst with their obnoxious behavior, and the court system needs to get deadly serious with drunk drivers.

A common statistic I've heard about DUI is that the person caught has probably driven that way a couple hundred times before finally being nabbed.  Now factor in Mr. Brown's five arrests and be thankful you did not interest with him on the road the 1,000 times he was driving his "dangerous weapon."

And yes, I just checked UMass people finder and the only person cited the night of the notorious riot at 121 Meadow Street last year is still registered as a student.   

Bridge To Somewhere

Bike Path bridge over Snell Street is now reopened

DCR is so proud they slapped a permanent sign on each side of the new bridge, right about where an oversized truck will intersect with it someday.

Fire in the Hole

28 Hobart Lane on right

On Thursday September 13, just after high noon, Amherst Fire Department responded to a basement fire in apartment unit #28  on Hobart Lane, notorious party street and home of the infamous "Hobart Hoedown".

Fortunately the call came in at the perfect time --if there is such a thing for a structure fire -- as first responders were not overwhelmed with ETOH calls (alcohol poisoning), thus AFD quickly put down the blaze.

Since the "three bedroom" unit shares a large building with five other units, had AFD not caught the fire in time, the results could have been catastrophic -- especially if the blaze had started 12 hours later in the late evening of "Thirsty Thursday" when the building would have been packed with distracted students.

According to Lisa Queenin, UMass Director of Community Relations,  "The Dean of Students office and Residential Life are working with the students to make sure the five students have housing and the support services they need in the wake of the fire."

Note the number:  Five students.  Yes, a violation of Amherst zoning bylaw forbidding more than four unrelated housemates.

On Friday the morning after the fire, according to Amherst Police Department logs:

"Firefighter Mike Roy (Fire Prevention Officer) received information that Lincoln Realty had warned the residents that an inspection was imminent and that they needed to assist in hiding code violations. I assisted with contacting the DA's office and the Clerk of Courts seeking an administrative warrant to enter the apartment for inspection."

On the day  or even evening of the blaze, the fire department could have entered the building for an inspection under MGL 148 Section 4, but because 24 hours had passed they needed the administrative warrant, as the owner (Kathryn Grandonico) was not being overly cooperative.

According to Building Commissioner Rob Morra that inspection was delayed until Monday afternoon. And because of 4th Amendment concerns the "administrative warrant" only applied to the damaged apartment and adjoining units on either side (three total) rather than the entire 14 unit complex.

Evidence suggests an extra bedroom in the basement of those three units inspected on Monday.

The entire 14 unit complex is assessed at $1.5 million or $30,000 in property tax overhead, although it's quite possible those extra 14 tenants (if indeed all the units have an extra tenant) would about cover that.

A good deal for the landlord ... unless of course one of them overburdens an electrical circuit.

The back story, told in emails

Gilreath Manor, built in 1982, does have vertical firewalls between units. Fire however tends to move in an upward direction and would quickly get into the attic above the firewalls to engulf other units.

No Smoking

Original UMass coal fired steam plant built around 1918.  Photo: May, 2010

August 1, 2012

UMass Coal Plant this afternoon:  Sans Smokestacks

No, they did not detonate the smokestacks, probably because the old plant is dead in the center of a very busy campus. They were "dismantled from the top down." Boring.

Just Say NO

UPDATE Wednesday morning:
According to the venerable Daily Hampshire Gazette, the public sentiment expressed at the hearing last night was overwhelmingly in favor of keeping the ban on Happy Hours in place. 

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The Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission is having the final public hearing today in Northampton about whether the state should rescind "Happy Hour" regulations so bars can better compete with casinos.  Yes booze and gambling go together like pizza and beer.

Interesting how lines are drawn between proponents and opponents.  Folks who like to party (usually younger) are in favor because it reduces the cost of "fun" and gets you to start drinking earlier in the day; but the Massachusetts Restaurant Association is opposed because it would keep people in bars rather than restaurants, thus costing them profits. 

And then of course there's the moral opposition from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, those who know the pain of losing innocent loved ones simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and crossed paths with "a killer on the road."

Fourth Watch

 Amherst Town Center 1:15 AM  McMurphy's Bar, Antonio's Pizza

Last night -- or I should say early this morning -- all five of our ambulances were busy dealing with ETOH (passed out drunk) students, four police cruisers (probably all the on duty ones we had) were at the scene of a drunk driver who had driven around concrete barricades, up on to active railroad tracts becoming hopelessly stuck ... when a call came in from South Amherst for an "unresponsive baby with difficulty breathing."

 Around Midnight APD dispersed a large crowd of unruly students from Phillips Street

Amherst Fire Department had to send a fire engine from Central Station and wait for one of our ambulances already at the hospital to return back to Amherst, thus causing a delay.  Obviously if our first responders had the personnel and equipment needed they could keep delays to a minimum, increasing both safety and peace of mind.

The last 12 hours should serve as yet another wake up call.  Town officials need to act quickly and decisively.  Our police and fire department's are understaffed.  And somebody is going to die.

Over the past six consecutive years, through sound fiscal management, the town has had an end-of-the-year surplus of just over $1 million.  A quarter of that would go a long way to solving staffing problems with our beleaguered first responders.

Tax exempt UMass, the second largest landowner in town, also needs to step up and help fund the professional providers who react to emergencies their students create.  Ditto Hampshire College.

Alcohol abuse is an epidemic that needs serious attention.  Anyone remember that UMass student motorcyclist  on his way back to campus last April only weeks before he was to graduate, slaughtered by a wrong way drunk driver on Rt 116 in Hadley?  I'm sure his family remembers!

DA Sullivan and State Police need to set up yet another high profile DUI roadblock in town before Halloween.  Senator Stan Rosenberg and Representative Ellen Story should file a bill making it a crime (or at least a civil offense) to be in an automobile with a drunk driver and not report it to authorities.

 Car stuck  on railroad tracks near Amtrak Station

I noticed the passenger of the drunk driver who drove his car onto the rail road tracks checking his smart phone while watching his drunk friend being escorted away.

 Jack Thornton. You drink & drive, you go to jail

Maybe somewhat sober people would think twice about getting in a car with a drunk friend if they knew they could be held responsible. Kind of gives new meaning to the slogan, "Friends don't let friends drive drunk."  And as one of my favorite twitterian's pointed out, "Especially on railroad tracks!"

When I told one of the cops I was live tweeting from the scene early this morning he asked, "Is anybody listening?"  God I hope so.

Arrested for DUI and trespassing on RR property:
Jack Thornton, 23 Bennett Rd, Gardner, MA, age 19

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AFD member picked up the slack after I went to bed and posted to Facebook photo of all five Amherst ambulances parked at Cooley Dickinson hospital at 3:00 AM:

####Amherst Fourth Watch live tweeted####

Meadow Street Mayhem

 Debris field Townhouse Apartments Meadow Street North Amherst

It's not even dark and already APD has responded in force to a large unruly gathering of students in the quad area of Townhouse Apartments North Amherst breaking up a crowd of 2,000 around 4:00 PM and then an hour later called back because they party goers returned and set fire to a couch in the middle of the quad.  Officers had to dodge bottles and cans launched in their direction.

The festivities also required an AFD response for the burning couch, thus tying up both branches of our emergency first responders. Townhouse units #48, #51, #44, #104, and #125 were cited for "nuisance house" @ $300 each.

And yes, Saturday was "UMass UMake a difference day," where 200 UMass students volunteered to help clean up around Amherst.  “We are trying to show people what UMass is really like,” said Garrett Gowen, SGA vice president in the Daily Collegian.

Obviously the kids at Townhouse Apartments did not get that text message.

Arrested for Inciting a Riot:
Clyde Odei Nsiah, 72 Outlook Dr, Worcester, MA, age 23 (UMass student)

Tough guy in red hat refused to provide ID

AFD taking no chances. Hosing down nearby dumpster