LEOMINSTER — Police allege a Leominster man took his ex-wife’s car without her permission, then drove it drunkenly onto a Laurie Drive yard, where he passed out on the steering wheel Sunday afternoon.
Gary Penski, 39, of 83 Berrington Road, is charged with operating under the influence of liquor — third offense, using a motor vehicle without authority, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license and possession of an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle, according to court documents.
A neighbor reported to police that Penski allegedly drove up on a Laurie Drive lawn, leaving deep tire marks and apparently flattening one of his front tires, and when Officer Ryan Morrell responded he found Penski with the radio on and an open bottle of vodka on the floor, allegedly “passed out against the steering wheel.”
Morrell wrote in a report that he banged on the window to no response from Penski, then opened the passenger side door to make sure the car was parked and, in an effort to wake Penski up, the officer wrote he was “overwhelmed by the intense smell of alcohol inside.”
“(After waking Penski and having him get out of the car), I asked Penski if he knew where he was and he stated, ‘I think I am at my friend’s house … right here, on Berrington Road,'” Morrell wrote. “I informed Penski that he is wrong and that he is in someone’s front lawn on Laurie Drive.”
Penski had reportedly been staying with his ex-wife, who wrote in a statement that Penski had allegedly taken her keys and car while she was sleeping, and told Morrell that Penski does not have a valid license.
According to Sgt. Charles Doherty, Penski tested at a blood-alcohol level of .23 percent, nearly three times the legal limit of .08 percent. Doherty wrote that Penski “denied drinking any alcohol.”
Penski appeared in Leominster District Court for arraignment Monday, where Judge Mark E. Noonan ordered him held on $1,000 bail. He is due in court Dec. 28 for a pretrial hearing.
Fitchburg student charged in bomb threat
FITCHBURG — An 18-year-old North Central Charter Essential School student was arrested Monday for making a false bomb threat against the school, said Police Sgt. Glenn Fossa.
Brandon Riley, of 29 Walnut St., Leominster, was also charged with disturbing a school assembly and vandalism, Fossa said in an e-mail.
Riley scribbled a bomb threat on a bathroom wall Wednesday, Fossa said.
Adults in the school found the threat and alerted administrators, said Charter School Executive Director Stephanie Davolos.
Police officers and firefighters held multiple sweeps of the building Wednesday.
“We had a report of a device in the school, which did not materialize into anything,” Davolos said Monday. “We were able to ensure that the building was secure and it was business as usual (Monday).”
Riley will not be allowed back in school until his case goes through the legal system, then will face school disciplinary action, she said.
Riley was arrested at police headquarters Monday morning.
Detectives Peter Kymalainen and Sgt. Joaquin Kilson and Officer Rodney Conrad investigated the threat, Fossa said.
Witnesses and the school’s security system led investigators to Riley, Fossa said.
Leominster man faces drug charges
LEOMINSTER — Members of the North Worcester County Drug Task Force arrested a 21-year-old Leominster man Monday when they went to a Terrace Drive apartment to execute a search warrant, according to court documents.
Ahmadu Jah, of 119 Central St., was at 60B Terrace Drive, #5, with a woman and the couple’s infant son. Detective Joseph L. Siciliano Jr. wrote in a report that the apartment “reeked of marijuana.”
“Jah told us he just got done smoking a joint,” Siciliano wrote.
Jah allegedly had a large bag containing marijuana as well as several small bags of marijuana “on his person,” according to the report.
“A search of the apartment was done and in a backpack was a replica hand gun (later turned over to State Police concerning another investigation),” Siciliano wrote.
Jah is charged with possession of a Class D drug with intent to distribute and appeared in Leominster District Court Monday for arraignment, where Judge Mark E. Noonan ordered him held on $2,000 cash bail, citing “serious charges pending” in another court.
Jah is due in court Dec. 21 for a pretrial hearing.
Copper piping reported stolen in Fitchburg
FITCHBURG — Police are investigating three reports Saturday of copper piping being stolen from homes, said Sgt. Glenn Fossa.
The first report came from an officer on duty who spotted a door open on a vacant Pratt Road house about 10:30 a.m., he said.
The next reports came from a homeowner on Water Street about 1:20 p.m. and an Elizabeth Street homeowner about 2:25 p.m.
Thieves normally try to get quick cash for the metal, Fossa said.
Fitchburg police seeking purse snatchers
FITCHBURG — A 49-year-old woman walking at the intersection of Prichard and Main streets reported her purse was stolen Saturday about 10:20 p.m., said Sgt. Glenn Fossa.
A 43-year-old woman walking along Congress Street near Congress Place also reported two males tried unsuccessfully to take her purse about 7:40 p.m., he said.
The incidents may be related, Fossa said, noting “The description appears related in the clothing.”
A male wearing a red hooded sweatshirt was involved in both incidents, he said.
A second male was described wearing alternately a yellow hooded sweatshirt with dark-colored designs and a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt. Possible counterfeit bill found in Fitchburg
FITCHBURG — Police are sending a $100 bill to the Treasury Department to determine if it is counterfeit after confiscating it from a Fitchburg couple who tried to use it at Jay’s Liquors at 134 River St. Sunday about 12:55 p.m., said Sgt. Glenn Fossa.
The couple tried using the bill to pay for merchandise but the clerk decided it was fake and returned it to the customers, who left, Fossa said.
Officer Shelbie Hertel spotted the couple while on her way to the store and confiscated the bill, Fossa said.
The couple has not been charged, he said.
Snowblower reported stolen in Fitchburg
FITCHBURG — The city has not had a significant snowfall this season but a Forest Street homeowner Sunday reported her snowblower was stolen, said Sgt. Glenn Fossa.
“It was underneath a porch and undetermined exactly when that went missing in the last few days,” he said.
The snowblower was worth about $400, Fossa said.
Fire destroys abandoned building in Ashby
ASHBY — Firefighters doused the flames that consumed an abandoned home on Watatic Mountain Saturday evening, according to the Police Department Web site.
The house was fully engulfed by flames when firefighters arrived, the Web site reported.
Fire Chief William T. Seymour Jr. was investigating with the office of State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan and not available for comment Monday.
The fire was reported in the area of Bennett and Watatic Mountain roads.
No one was hurt.
Truck catches fire at drive-through
LEOMINSTER — A motorist pulling into the McDonald’s drive-through window at 247 Mill St. smelled gasoline instead of the aroma of burgers and fries Monday about 4:15 p.m., said Deputy Fire Chief Robert Sideleau.
After getting his order, the motorist drove about 50 feet before the 1994 Ford Ranger he was driving caught fire, Sideleau said.
“It’s hard to tell once it’s damaged but … the gas must have leaked out of the fuel injector, hit the hot motor and ignited,” he said.
There were no reported injuries and the building was unscathed, Sideleau said. The motorist’s identity was not immediately available.
