Police Beat: Sept. 3, 2009

Tuesday, Aug. 25

• Vandalism at Berthoud High School was the subject of an 8:30 a.m. call. A drinking fountain had been ripped from the wall in the varsity boy’s locker room on the previous day.
• A female driver reported that another female driver was trying to ram into her car. The report came from the vicinity of U.S. Highway 287 and County Road 10E. The other female had a male passenger plus three or four kids in the back seat. The offending driver had left the scene but police are looking for a gold Honda, license plate number 132 JXO.
• A Mayo Ct. resident reported suspicious activity at her house. It was after dark and someone was shining a flashlight into the car. She reported that her husband had chased the interlopers away.

Wednesday, Aug. 26

• A brown and white Chihuahua was reported going in to Mathew’s Farm. Police were unable to locate the small dog.
• A Fourth St. resident found a boxer mix dog running loose. The owner made arrangements to pick up the dog.
• Late in the evening a Yellow Lab was greeting customers at the A&W restaurant. He was not aggressive but was bothering the customers. Police took the animal into custody and turned him over to the owner, along with a summons.
• A Fourth Street resident reported someone sleeping on the sidewalk and watching her when she got home shortly after midnight. Police found a homeless woman enroute to Longmont by bicycle and was sleeping at the Laundromat. She had no record and said she would be gone at first light and apparently the police let her be.

Thursday, Aug. 27

• A resident of the 1000 block of Sixth Street called to complain about her neighbor’s weeds.
• Police and other agencies responded to the 1700 block of N. Fourth St. scene of a suicide. An unidentified male was found sitting against a large tree with a gun in his hand. He was reported dead at the scene.
• A Bruce Drive resident called to report neighbors making threats of a dog issue.
• The Cedar Ave. barking dog was quite when the police arrived as was the Sage Place barking dog reported 45 minutes later.

Friday, Aug. 28

• The driver of a red Jeep picked up a dog running loose on US Highway 287 because she thought it might get hit. She called animal control but they would not come into Berthoud. The police identified the owner and called her to come get the animal.
• An Iowa Street resident was apparently annoyed by the dog barking for 45 minutes and called the police.
• The dispatch log says the situation was handled by the responding officer.
• A Seventh Street resident reported finding a Chihuahua.
• A caller reported suspicious activity at Berthoud Elementary School just before 9 p.m. The caller reported that kids told him a man was trying to get into the school but was now sitting in his car. When the caller drove by a few minutes later he reported that the vehicle was still there but the man was nowhere to be seen. Police questioned a nearby resident but the case was closed with a report of “No Criminal Violation.”
• Police responded to a verbal disturbance at an apartment in the 900 block of Sixth Street. The caller said a male and female were threatening him through the door. He reported that they were saying they were going to beat him up and kick him out and that they are going to have him arrested because they think he stole money. The complainant has tried to ignore them but reported that they attempted to open the door. Berthoud Police were backed up by a Sheriff’s deputy and the case closed as “Handled by Officer.”
• The 11 p.m. call that came in from Hubbell St. reporting gunshots turned out to be fireworks. Police located a woman on Windom Peak Ln. who knew who was shooting the fireworks, but refused to tell. She became angry and uncooperative and the officer asked her to go back in her house. She at first refused and then went in. The police were not able to locate the source of the reported noise.

Saturday, Aug. 29

• Dispatch received another report complaining about the rooster on Common Drive. The call came in at 5:44 a.m., just when people are trying to sleep and roosters are waking up. The woman calling said it was an ongoing problem. Once again, all was quiet when police arrived on the scene. However, the complainant called again at 3:20 p.m. and asked for an officer to be near the location at 4 p.m. to witness the problem. The officer went at 3:35 and two minutes later contacted the homeowner and give him until Friday to remove the bird.
• More noisy animals were reported at Fourth Street and Lake Avenue. This time the culprits were multiple dogs. Police made an unsuccessful attempt to contact the dogs’ owner and issued a warning.
• A noisy outboard motor was the subject of a call from the Franklin Avenue and Seventh Street area. Apparently the boat owner had finished his maintenance by the time police arrived and all was quiet.
• Police responded to assist Berthoud Fire at an apartment in the 200 block of Seventh Street. Neither department was able to locate the reported fire and smoke.
• Police assisted Colorado State Patrol at the scene of a motor vehicle accident at U.S. Highway 287 and County Road 2E. An unconscious teenage female with head injuries had to be extracted from the vehicle.
• Four juvenile males were trespassing on the roof of Berthoud Elementary School at 5 p.m.
• Loud, booming fireworks were reported on south Second Street at Blue Spruce Avenue. The noise had stopped by the time police arrived.
• Police had two reports of careless driving. The first reported a Chevrolet truck “doing donuts,” while the second was a low rider with loud pipes drag racing on N County Road 17. Both incidents are reported as “Quiet on Arrival.”
• More noise complaints came in later that evening. A female living near Berthoud High School called and wanted to speak to an officer immediately. She said that they are dancing and the music is blaring and she wanted to know what was going on. The goings on was an outdoor back-to-school dance. They turned down the music. This was the only complaint about the music.

Sunday, Aug. 30

• Police chased a speeding vehicle southbound on U.S. Highway 287 but lost sight of the car. The information was turned over to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.
• An Elm Drive resident reported finding a lost Husky which she was keeping in the backyard but wanted police to come take custody. The dog’s owner also called dispatch and received a summons when he retrieved the dog.
• Shortly after midnight a caller complained about loud music from the business at 110 Bunyan Ave. They agreed to turn down the volume

Monday, Aug. 31

• The theft of a gold bracelet with diamond was reported from the 200 block of Second Street.
• Once again, that pesky rooster on Common Dr. was turned in for crowing. This time it was closer to noon when the complaint was made.
• In a case of double road rage, a bicycle rider from Longmont coasted through the red light at Eighth Street and Mountain Avenue and a Berthoud woman in a car yelled at him. He got angry and “flipped her off.” She followed him and he then “flipped her off” and ran the red light at Fourth St. She decided to get close enough that he could see her “flip him back.” When the police got involved the officer advised both of the parties that they could be cited for disorderly conduct, running a red light and careless driving. He also gave them a lecture about road rage and advised that all this would be documented. They decided not to pursue the issue. The bicycle rider said he was an attorney and wanted to look at the law on disorderly conduct. The officer advised that if he changed his mind about pursuing the charges, he would cite both of them.
• A caller reported a black and white dog dumped at the intersection of U.S. Highway 287 and County Road 4E.
• A Fourth Street resident called about people trespassing, cutting across the property to get to a nearby business.
• A High Mountain Drive family was concerned about a strange man taking pictures of their house. He leaves when approached. He was described as a young Asian male. The daughter recently broke off with an Asian male but had never seen the young man who was near their house. They don’t know if this is related but asked for extra patrol of the area.