Police Beat

by Noell Wolfgram Evans

You think you had a busy August? The Hudson Police Department had to contend with 900 pounds of oxygen, a quick-change artist with a dog, anxious churchgoers and a neighbor who really wants to keep the neighborhood intact.

Who just leaves their air sitting around?

Aug. 8 – During a routine patrol through the rail yard, a Hudson police officer found a 900-pound tank of industrial-grade oxygen sitting alongside two smaller tanks of acetylene. Upon closer inspection, the officer could hear the sounds of the oxygen escaping the tank. The officer quickly called the situation into dispatch, who sent out members of the Hudson Fire Department.

Dispatch also called the railway company, who said “Ummm, those aren’t ours.”

Onsite, the officers and fire team assessed the tanks and determined that there was no immediate danger. That brought up the question of what to do with them. Because of their size and location, the team on-site resolved that they couldn’t move them or store them. So, the rail company was called again, and the dispatcher told them: “Not it. You have to remove those tanks.”

And so we meet again. But not really.

Aug. 31 – In a case that may have been better suited for Ripley’s Believe It or Not than the Hudson police, a woman reported a “suspicious fellow” at Barlow Park. The man was wearing light khaki shorts and a button-down shirt. He was also walking what the woman called a “fat yellow dog.” The woman had to leave the park but returned two hours later only to see the same man walking the same dog. The man said nothing to the woman and made no gestures toward her in either instance. The second time the woman saw the man, though, he was wearing dark khaki shorts and a different button-down shirt! Believe it … or not.

The devil made them do it

Aug. 23 – Hudson police officers were called to a North Main Street house of worship by attendees who were concerned about a couple fighting in the parking lot. They arrived and found a man and a woman in a heated discussion. The topic? Why they were late to the service.

A bit of misdirection

Aug. 13 – Residents of Forthampton Drive called the Hudson Police Department for help with a couple of work trucks. It seems that the vehicles would be parked in one location on the street for a bit and then moved to the other side of the street and then back over to their original position. After a few tries, officers were able to make contact with the vehicle’s owner and advised them that either they move the trucks to a more suitable location or a tow truck would.

The appraiser

August – A Parmalee Road resident went to the Hudson Police Department with a curious letter she found stuffed in her mailbox. The resident, who was planning to sell her house, went out to check the mail and found a two-sided letter. One side had her name on it, and the other side had a short note saying that the author was unhappy the resident was selling her home, and if she could wait she could probably get more money for it. At this time, the letter writer and final sale price of the home remain unknown.

Stop doing what you’re not doing

Aug. 4 – An employee for a Hudson transportation company reported a problematic phone call from a resident. The resident called to complain that school bus routes were being publicly posted. The employee let the resident know that the routes were not posted anywhere, as they were not yet complete. The employee also said that when the routes were completed, the resident would receive an email with the completed routes. The resident also complained about not being able to post on the company’s social media accounts, which also was something this particular employee had no control over.

Everyone’s a critic

Aug. 20 – A Hudson resident came to the Hudson Police Department to complain that he was assaulted. While driving. By an unknown object. The driver was in his Tesla on Barlow Road when an SUV passed him going the opposite direction. As the cars passed, a passenger in the SUV “flung” an unknown substance onto his car.

Define “weapons”

Aug. 30 – A routine traffic stop escalated quickly when it was discovered that the driver did not have a valid license. Hudson police officers asked the driver to fill out the citation paperwork in the back of the cruiser while they awaited a tow truck. But first, officers said, we need to pat you down to make sure you don’t have a weapon. The driver refused the pat-down, but after some back and forth with officers, he admitted he had a knife in his pocket. When officers attempted to remove the knife, the driver was evasive, so officers tried to place him into handcuffs. The driver had a different idea and tried to run. Officers struggled to hold onto the driver, finally getting him to the ground and in cuffs. After a follow-up search, officers found a large knife in the car, a handgun that had been tossed into a yard during the struggle and an open bottle of tequila.