WESTFIELD
Emergency Response and Crime Report
Thursday, Jan, 17, 2013
9:01 a.m.: arrest, Elm Street, a caller from the State Police Fugitive apprehension unit requests assistance serving a warrant, detectives were detailed to assist the trooper and report the suspect was found at his last known address, Keith A. Crystal, 49, of 260 Elm St., was arrested on the warrant;
Noon: assault, Sherman Street, a detective reports she was advised that an elementary school pupil had taken a knife to school, the detective reports that her investigation found that after school a boy produced a knife but did not menace children he was with, the detective reports the boy was suspended from school in conformance with school department’s zero tolerance policy;
4:22 p.m.: motor vehicle violation, Russell Road, a patrol officer reports a motorist stopped to advise him of an erratic operator, the officer reports he found the suspect vehicle and saw it turn on to Berkshire Drive in an apparent attempt to avoid him, the vehicle was stopped and the operator said that he was extremely tired, the vehicle was legally parked and a friend came to pick up the operator at the station, a supervisory officer reports the owner arranged for a private tow of his vehicle;
5:53 p.m.: assist citizen, Sibley Avenue, a female resident came to the station to request an escort as she gathers property at her address, the responding officer reports the woman took possession of her belongings without incident;
6:09 p.m.: road rage, Southampton Road at Friendly Way, a caller reports that while stopped in traffic an operator exited his vehicle and approached carrying a baseball bat and yelling, the responding officer reports the caller said that while operating on Union Street a vehicle entering the roadway cut him off, the caller said that he passed the vehicle but when he subsequently stopped in traffic the other operator approached him aggressively, the caller said that the other vehicle had left the area, the officer reports he found the suspect vehicle in the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex, the operator told the officer he did not have his license in his possession and a routine check revealed the man’s license to be suspended, Abimael Benitez, 37, of 134 Union St., was arrested for operating with a suspended license (a subsequent offense) and his vehicle was towed to the police impound yard, a pre-tow inventory revealed a partially full bottle of beer and the man was also charged with possession of an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle.
