Thought you all might find this interesting. Front page of this week's Boothbay Register.
Police note high incidence of April fools
By SUE MELLOStaff ReporterApril Fool’s Day was officially last Wednesday but the Boothbay Harbor Police Department reports that the annual event seemed to last longer than usual this year.
The first anonymous fool turned up last Saturday night, with a seriously wrong number. A juvenile in pursuit of marijuana thought he was calling a drug dealer, but misdialed and reached Officer Jared Mitkus on the police cruiser cell phone instead. The juvenile asked to buy some marijuana and agreed to a meeting place. When the would-be buyer arrived at the Meadow Mall parking lot, to his chagrin, Officer Mitkus was waiting for him. No arrest was made in the incident, but Mitkus reports having a serious discussion with the youth.
Another fool left $4,000 worth of marijuana in a metal box at the Boothbay Harbor Cemetery, presumably for pickup by a buyer. However, that drug deal was waylaid when two geocachers - treasure hunters participating in an online game using GPS devices - stumbled onto the drugs and reported their discovery to BHPD. Police confiscated the marijuana; no arrest was made.
In what police are calling a freak accident, a local man accidentally shot himself on Sunday, April 5. The man’s loaded 22-caliber rifle, which was stored on top of his nightstand, was accidentally knocked off when he opened a drawer. According to the man, the gun struck the floor and discharged. Luckily, the bullet went through his shoulder muscle and no serious injury resulted. Police Chief Robert Hasch said that it was odd that the gun would discharge when dropped, but noted that the gun’s safety was defective.
Hasch reminds gun owners that firearms should always be stored unloaded and be properly secured to avoid such accidents. He also recommends that individuals not adjust trigger pulls as this may increase the likelihood of unintended firing. Gun locks are available at the BHPD - free of charge.