MANHUNT: Centerville man rammed truck into tree and fled on foot…
OSTERVILLE – Police caught up to and arrested a fleeing man nearly two hours after the actual accident.
Last night at about 7pm, Barnstable Police responded to a single car accident in the area of 140 Main Street in Osterville (which is located just over the bridge that crosses from Centerville into Osterville).
Police arrived and found a heavily damaged pickup truck that had crashed through a fence and into a tree. The horn was still blaring. The airbags had deployed and the truck’s front end was totally demolished. Wires were down and police reported possible damage to a nearby telephone pole.
The driver had fled the scene.
Police received calls from witnesses who had come out of their homes after the crash. They reported seeing the driver running through backyards in the area. The driver reportedly asked one of the homeowners for a ride… but was refused.
Police put out a description of a large white bearded man, at least 200 lbs., and at least 6 feet 2 inches tall.
Additional police units responded to assist. Officers thoroughly searched the general area… they even called local taxi companies, Cape Cod Hospital, and relatives… no dice… they were unable to locate the fleeing driver.
A Barnstable County Sheriff Deputy was summoned to photograph the scene, but officers were told he was busy working a case in another town and there would be a significant delay.
It’s the delay that may have actually helped police in this case.
Police needed to photograph the crash scene as evidence and were forced to wait. Officers remained in the area and continued their search.
After the crime scene photographer had arrived and processed the scene, officers continued to scour in, around, and under the nearby bridge. Their experience and intuition told them the driver was likely still in the area.
The driver may have simply grown tired of hiding and evading police because things suddenly changed…
Patrolman Steve O’Brien was searching some vegetation when he observed a man casually walking alongside Main Street toward the bridge. The man was tall, large, and had a beard… O’Brien identified himself as a Barnstable Police Officer while quickly apprehending the suspect and reading the man his rights. The handcuffed suspect was transported back to BPD Headquarters for booking and processing.
The suspect remarkably did not present any signs of injury.
Richard Connors, age 29, of Centerville, was charged with Operating Under the Influence, Leaving the Scene of an Accident with Property Damage, Operating to Endanger, and a Marked Lanes Violation…
In other news:
The Burning Bush…
PHOTOS: Hyannis Firefighters were called to the North Street parking lot across from Burger King for a small late-night mulch fire.
9/19/2014
Robert Bastille,
P.S. – Today's HyTown Vignette is brought to you by Santana at Woodstock, 1969... [¡TOCA LO! Headphones highly recommended...]