Drunken Canoe Trip Leads to Charges and An Injured Officer

A late night call about a disturbance at Wayland's Dudley Pond kicked off two hours worth of Wayland police and fire response that led to charges for five individuals, an injured officer and a water rescue.

Police say five individuals drunkenly capsized their canoes on Dudley Pond around 2 a.m. on May 16. The noise attracted the attention of neighbors who called police.

Wayland residents Michael Boyer, 22, of Commonwealth Road; and Robert Calnan, 23, of Main Street as well as Framingham resident Carlos Diaz, 24, of Edwards Street and Natick resident Leah Palanzi, 29, of North Street were all charged with disturbing the peace, according to a police press release.

Wayland Police Chief Bob Irving said the department is looking into other possible charges related to the Town of Wayland bylaws.

"The way I read the bylaw, you’re not supposed to be out on the water after 10 p.m.” Irving said, adding that the parties weren't wearing life jackets, which could be another bylaw violation.

“This type of activity won’t be tolerated by the police department," Irving said. "People live in that area … it’s also very dangerous what they did. We could have had a drowning. It was just foolishness on their part.”

According to police, they received a call at 2:19 a.m. on May 16 about a disturbance in the 223 Lakeshore Drive area. When officers arrived on the scene, they began attempting to locate the parties involved.

As Officer Mark Hebert was descending steps leading to the edge of the pond, the steps gave way beneath him, leading to minor injuries from his susbsequent fall down the steep embankment.

Irving said Hebert sustained what he believes to be a minor shoulder injury. The chief expects Hebert to visit his own doctor today and will likely be out of work for a couple of days.

Officers located the parties and found one individual to be "so intoxicated" that the Wayland Fire Department water rescue boat was called to bring the party to safety. Irving said that the person was able to get to shore, but was unable to climb the steep embankment. The fire rescue boat carried the person to another part of the shore.

The police press release states that officers spent two hours completing the rescue and investigation at the scene. The five individuals charged have been summonsed to court.

This information was supplied by the Wayland Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.