The Year in Review: Needham Police Reports

Needham Patch opened its doors in March and has so far witnessed a plethora of police related activity. From the serious and nerve-wracking variety to the downright strange, the following is a list of some of this year's most memorable Needham stories.

• Pet owners and animal sympathizers alike were outraged when they learned of the The dog, an Italian greyhound, was reportedly shot on a September evening before he was brought to a veterinarian office and died. The incident remains under investigation by Needham Police, the MSPCA and the Massachusetts Environmental Police.
• John Boyle created quite the afternoon for police officers in Needham, Wellesley, Dover, Braintree and Randolph as he this summer. Several neighborhoods were locked down, including , before Boyle was finally The 22 year old now awaits trial.
• One of the masterminds behind the U-30 bank robberies last year, Dimitri Long, in a string of hold-ups, including one at Sovereign Bank in Needham. Meanwhile, Long's accomplice, Michael Coty, on Oct. 26.
• Around the same time that vendors at the NBA Harvest Fair were breaking down their displays, a major . Though the home was originally thought of as abandoned due to its unkempt nature, from the scene.
• In a bizarre series of events in May, police were flagged down by a jogger on Central Ave. before discovering that the man was in a great deal of pain. The jogger, it seemed, had been moving along when he heard a truck approach from behind and then felt a sharp pain in his arm. The man continued a few more steps until the pain was unbearable and, looking down, noted a
• A couple of missing persons cases ended well for those involved earlier this year. In the first instance, an elderly man with Alzheimer's was , while in the other Lynn police located a teen .
• in June on the heels of a drug investigation. Millis resident Kevin Cote was charged with drug possession, while Steven Pierce of Needham was charged with distribution.
• The State Police Bomb Squad was called in to the basement of Chestnut Hollow in May after a . The item proved to be harmless, though, and was ruled a practice round.
• Canoeist Topher Cox may never look at the Charles River the same way again after he in September. Cox was paddling downstream when he spotted the four-foot gator and notified authorities. The alligator is believed to have been someone's pet and is now in the safe keeping of herpetologist/curator Michael Ralbovsky.
• A drag race was ruled partially responsible was a power outage that occurred in August. According to police, a 21-year-old man before taking off. Officers later found the man at a gas station.
• A possible scare for parents was quickly diffused in September when a to investigate a white powder found on a school bus. After investigation, it was ruled that the powdered was a food product that belonged to a student's school project.
• Florida resident Darell Shanafelt must have really wanted some ice cream. The 45 year old was arrested in August for speeding, operating with a suspended license, and having a warrant for a past charge of grand theft and cocaine possession. His reason for speeding? Trying to get to a friend's house
• And finally, a happy ending for Top Cat, from atop a roof in the Heights in August after spending three days without food or water.