Police Log: Liquor Store Robbed at Knifepoint, an OUI Arrest, and a Brotherly Dispute

Arrests:
An 18-year-old Reading resident was arrested on April 30 at 2:35 a.m. after police discovered her motor vehicle parked near the intersection of Church Street and North Ave with her hazard lights flashing. After pulling over to do a well-being check, police noticed that the car had extensive damage to the right-hand back tire of the car. When police began speak to the driver, Sarah Colpitts, 18, of 236 Salem Street in Reading, they said she allegedly smelled of alcohol and her speech was slurred. Police conducted field sobriety test and determined Colpitts to be operating under the influence.  It was also determined that she had been driving without a license, police said. Police then searched the car and found a Poland Spring bottle that they believed to be filled with an alcoholic beverage. Colpitts was arrested and charged with operating while under the influence, license not in possession, and possessing an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle.

A dispute between a pair of brothers left one man arrested and the other summoned to court. Christopher Peluso, 36, 34 Garden Lane, and his brother, a 34-year-old man from Wakefield, entered into an argument while driving on Vernon Street. At some point during the argument, Peluso punched his brother, who was behind the wheel, in the face. According to reports, the two men exited the car, fought outside, and then re-entered the car and continued to drive. Police stopped the car on New Salem Street, and said they observed a cut on the face of Peluso’s brother. Although the two were fighting, Peluso was determined to be the aggressor in the fight, and he was arrested and charged with domestic assault and battery. The other man was discovered to be driving a new car that exceeded its limit of 7 days to be registered, and will be summoned to court on charges for driving a car without a license plate, having an uninsured motor vehicle, and having an unregistered motor vehicle.

Other Incidents:
Greenwood Wine and Spirits, located at 969 Main Street, was robbed at knife point on April 30 at 10:46 p.m., just as the liquor store was closing. According to reports, a male suspect entered the store, walked around and left, then returned, the second time with a small knife. The man allegedly told the victim at the cash register to “Give [him] the [expletive] money.” The suspect made away with a small amount of cash, heading on foot south on Main Street towards Melrose, according to police. The suspect was described as a white male, 5’9”-5’10” wearing a black sweatshirt, jeans, a black baseball cap, and with facial hair, possibly a goatee. Police are in possession of video surveillance and have one possible suspect, although one has not yet been identified. The matter is still under investigation.

A 38-year-old Fall River man was placed into protective custody on April 29 at 8:54 a.m. after he was found laying on the upper common.

A Babson Street resident’s Honda civic was reported as vandalized on April 29 at 10:25 a.m. According to the victim, she had parked her car in the driveway at 12:30 a.m. the night before. When she came out in the morning, the driver’s side window had been smashed and a TomTom GPS, valued at $80, and an iphone charger were stolen.

An Essex Street resident reported to police that she woke up on the morning of May 1 to discover that two commercial trucks, a Ford F350 and a Ford van, had been vandalized overnight. The woman told police that tires on each of the vehicles had been slashed. The damage is valued at a combined total of $1,000.