Police Log: Late-Night Assault At Mt. Hood, Rusted Gun Found

Person "Knocked Out" At Mount Hood After Midnight, Juvenile Arrested For Assault and Battery

Friday, Aug. 13, 12:50 p.m. Melrose Police responded to a 911 cell phone call reporting that a person was "knocked out" on the green of the 12th hole at Mount Hood Golf Course, DeCroteau said.

Police responded along with the Fire Department and an ambulance and found "several young people present" and evidence of alcohol at the scene, DeCroteau said. The victim, a 20-year-old Melrose man, was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston; DeCroteau said he could not comment on the victim's condition, citing medical privacy laws.

After interviewing the people at the scene, police learned that another group had been at Mount Hood earlier and that an altercation took place between several people, DeCroteau said. Interviews at the scene and back at the police station, which continued into the morning and next day, led Melrose Police to identify the people involved and subsequently place a 16-year-old juvenile, who gave a Florida address to police, under arrest for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

DeCroteau said the dangerous weapon was a "blunt object" and that he could not specifically identify what the dangerous weapon was because "there were several items on scene that were taken and are being processed ... it's still part of the pending investigation."

DeCroteau said other charges for other people could follow as the investigation continues; there were at least 13 people that were involved and on scene that were interviewed, he said.

"We believe the gathering was larger than that at some point earlier to our arrival," DeCroteau said.

Earlier in the evening, at 9:59 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 12, two Melrose Police officers on patrol had responded to a report of youths going toward Slayton Tower at Mount Hood wearing backpacks; the officers reported moving about 25 youths out of the area at that time.

Kids Digging For Worms At Swains Pond Uncover Rusted Revolver

Monday, Aug. 9, 6:04 p.m. Melrose Police Lt. Mark DeCroteau said kids fishing at Swains Pond were digging up worms when they found a "very old," rusted Iver Johnson revolver and subsequently notified the Melrose Police. The gun was not loaded.

"It's difficult to even get serials number off of it," DeCroteau said. "We've tagged it and are trying to get a serial number to make sure it wasn't used in a larceny or stolen from anywhere."

Car Initially Reported Stolen Only Taken In For Repairs

Tuesday, Aug. 10, 4:06 p.m. A person walked into the Melrose Police station to report his vehicle had been stolen from Melrose Glass on Main Street. DeCroteau said the report turned out to be in error due to a miscommunication; the vehicle had actually been dropped off at a garage for service and was not stolen.

Teen Vandals Actually Teen Cleaners

Wednesday, Aug. 11, 11:06 a.m. A caller reported that teenagers were tagging the Winthrop School with graffiti and had then gone inside the school. The responding Melrose Police officer reports that they were teenagers working for the city and cleaning the school.

Melrose Highlands Congregational Broken Into

Thursday, Aug. 12, 8:00 a.m. The Melrose Fire Department responded to an alarm at Melrose Highlands Congregational Church that was due to a power failure, DeCroteau said. Melrose firefighters subsequently discovered that the church had apparently been broken into, with several areas in the church cluttered with scattered items.

"The scene was processed by our detective bureau and it's under investigation," DeCroteau said, adding that an inventory to determine any missing items was still being compiled. "We are following up on several different pieces of information."

Bikes Stolen From First Street, Lincoln Street

Thursday, Aug. 12, 9:53 a.m. Residents of a home on First Street reported that three bicycles were taken from a fenced-in area by the home's garage: a woman's 21-speed relay bike, a men's Globe City seven-speed bike, and a children's small Trek 12-inch bike, according to DeCroteau.

Later that day, at 3:50 p.m., a Lincoln Street resident reported that a Haro lime green bike had been taken from their garage.

Other Arrests and Summons

A 23-year-old Malden man was issued a summons on Friday, Aug. 13 on the charge of violating an abuse prevention order.

A 21-year-old Lynn man was issued a summons on Sunday, Aug. 15 on the charge of unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

A 22-year-old Melrose woman was issued a summons on Sunday, Aug. 15 on the charge of domestic assault and battery.