Public safety report: Downed wires at Milestones Day School result in three car fires

A tractor trailer collided with an electrical pole at 410 Totten Pond Road on Oct. 10. The collision knocked down multiple energized wires, setting three vehicles, including a school van, on fire according to television station WCVB 5.

The incident took place outside the private Milestones Day School. A Milestones spokesperson said the fire occurred when students were already preparing for dismissal, so it only mildly disrupted the school day and caused no injuries. 

The spokesperson reported that two of the vehicles belonged to Milestones Day School and no additional property was damaged, adding that the building’s management was available on scene to work with both Eversource representatives and the Fire Department.

WCVB 5 reported that 600 people lost power as a result of the downed wires. 

Ongoing missing person investigation

At approximately 10:29 a.m. on Oct. 4, police received a report that a woman named Pauline Arsenault, whom police identified as “a member of Waltham’s unhoused community,” did not show up to a regular appointment. The reporting party found this unusual and became concerned for her safety. Police searched locations near the Waltham Riverwalk and Koutoujian Park that the missing woman is known to frequent, but were unable to find her.

On Oct. 11 the Police Department posted a notice to Facebook asking residents to report any information that might lead to her safe location and return. Police describe Arsenault as a 38-year-old white woman standing at about 5 feet 9 inches, with brown hair and brown eyes, who was last seen on Sept. 22.

Police are asking anyone with information on Arsenault’s whereabouts to call their operations line at 781-314-3600.

Additional public safety actions

Between 12 a.m. on Oct. 1 and 6:59 a.m. on Oct. 8, the most common types of incidents recorded in the police’s public blotter — not counting check-ins from patrol cars — were responses to alarms, dropped 911 calls, or reports of loud noises that did not result in further listed incident, at approximately 21% of all logged items; traffic issues, at approximately 16% of items; medical calls, at around 13%; traffic stops conducted by police, at around 8%; and investigations of individuals or groups without any specific suspicion of criminal activity, at around 6%. 

Not all police incidents are logged in the blotter. Items related to domestic violence, for example, are often not in the publicly available police blotter because of state law about publishing such information. Occasionally, items in the blotter are also mislogged; for example, a lost and found item originally reported as a theft may still be logged under “larceny.”

A summary of public safety activity from Oct. 1 to Oct. 10 is as follows:

On Oct. 1 at 1:02 a.m., police were called to the former Fernald State School to investigate a report of possible unauthorized presence on the property submitted by patrolling security services. Officers were unable to locate any trespassers.

At 9:48 a.m. police received a report of a theft from a motor vehicle at 200 Trapelo Road. The reporting party had left her motor vehicle unlocked and returned to find her purse missing. The purse contained credit cards and a small amount of cash. The party locked her credit cards immediately, later reporting that someone made an attempt to use the cards at a Walmart in Saugus. This is an ongoing investigation.

On Oct. 2 at 6:43 a.m., 8:25 a.m. and 1:25 p.m., police received three separate reports of attempted identity theft by parties attempting to register for unemployment benefits using Waltham residents’ IDs.

On Oct. 3 at 7:18 p.m., police responded to a report of a motor vehicle hit-and-run in front of Bertucci’s at 475 Winter St, where a grey pickup truck towing a camper pulled out of a parking space and the camper bumped into the front of another vehicle. Officers could not identify the pickup’s registration number and closed the investigation.

At 9:08 p.m. police arrived at the scene of a two-car motor vehicle accident where a motor vehicle traveling through a red light hit another car. Responding officers observed that the first motor vehicle’s operator appeared intoxicated and asked him to take a field sobriety test, which he declined. Officers determined he was at fault for the crash and arrested him. At the police station, officers searched the man and located what they believed to be cocaine on his person. He is facing charges of negligent operation of a motor vehicle, failure to stop/yield, a first offense of operating a motor vehicle under the effects of alcohol and possession of a class B drug.

On Oct. 6 at 7:46 a.m., firefighters responded to a report that an SUV crashed into the rear of a tow truck at Adams and Brown streets. The driver of the truck was uninjured, and two children from the SUV were evaluated and treated for minor injuries.

At 11:33 a.m. police received a report from the IBG Management Corp. building at 144 Moody St. that a white motor vehicle had been illegally leaving trash in and around its dumpster. The car was identified as owned by someone from outside of the city, and officers reached out to the owner but reported not receiving a response. This incident is under investigation.

At 7:22 p.m. police responded to a report of a larceny at the Marshalls at 126 Market Place Drive. The reporting party told officers that a wallet, containing two credit cards and $100 in cash, was stolen out of the individual’s unzipped purse on Oct. 4 while shopping. This is an active investigation.

At 7:49 p.m. officers responded in a peacekeeping capacity to a domestic disturbance at the Extended Stay Deluxe at 32 Fourth Ave.

At 9:51 p.m. officers responded to a report of a fight outside of the Mobil Gas-Bear Hill at 1335 Main St. A person there told officers the individual had been robbed at knifepoint by a man who ordered the victim to turn off the phone’s WiFi and accused the victim of drugging him. The man then pulled out a knife and threatened to stab the victim before demanding the phone and wallet and fleeing toward Bear Hill Road. Officers located a man matching the victim’s description who the victim confirmed was the attacker. The man was arrested and searched, and police found a knife matching the victim’s description and two bags containing substances they believed to be methamphetamines and crack cocaine. The man is being charged with armed robbery, carrying a dangerous weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of possession of class B drugs and and threats to commit a crime, and is currently being held at Middlesex County Jail pending a detention hearing on Oct. 17.

On Oct. 7 at 7:06 a.m., police responded to a report of a break-in at a residence on Floyd Street. The college students who lived at the residence showed officers cell phone footage from approximately 3:30 a.m. of a man entering through an unlocked kitchen window and going into the building’s basement. Officers were unable to find anyone in the basement, and none of the residents recognized the person from the cell phone footage. Police have not yet identified a suspect. This is an active investigation.

At 4:41 p.m. first responders arrived at the scene of a motor vehicle crash on Second Avenue involving two cars, each occupied by one person. One of the two drivers reported no injuries; the other reported shoulder pain and was picked up by an ambulance.

At 7:30 p.m., police responded to a report of a package theft on Mokema Avenue. The reporting party told officers a package containing approximately $1,700 in Apple goods was listed as delivered to the individual’s front porch but was missing. This is an active investigation.

At 11:42 p.m. police arrested a Waltham man on a warrant for larceny from a building and nighttime felony breaking and entering.

On Oct. 10 at 2:44 a.m., firefighters received a call about a basement fire at 25 Summer St. Upon arrival, officers discovered a fire in a basement dryer, prevented its spread, extinguished it and ventilated the building. The building suffered some smoke damage, but no residents reported injuries.