House break-ins, thefts of fishing equipment from boats moored in Edgartown Harbor, several motor vehicle accidents, and a fight that ended with an arrest for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon made for a busy weekend for Edgartown police.
There were 53 calls for service, a volume comparable to a summer weekend, detective Sgt. Chris Dolby said.
Thieves struck five boats moored in the stake field on the south side of the Edgartown Yacht Club and stole fishing gear. Police have not determined if the thefts took place on one night or over several nights.
Sgt. Dolby said the thefts appear to be occurring late at night or early in the morning. He asked anyone who observes suspicious activity to call 911.
Police also responded to two break-ins Saturday night on School Street. In both cases, the houses were unoccupied, and the target was prescription medications.
In the first incident, police responded to a burglar alarm and found an open door. A search of the house revealed open vanity cabinets.
In the second incident, the homeowner arrived home and found an open kitchen window with the screen removed and the back door open. The intruder stole pills from a dresser drawer.
In both cases the thieves bypassed televisions and other objects of value. Sgt. Dolby said the break-ins are similar to a rash of four crimes that occurred in June. “Basically pills,” he said.
Early Sunday morning a third break-in occurred on Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road, following a late-night party in a nearby house. Police think the two might be connected. Thieves broke into a series of sheds and playrooms and took fishing equipment, a Sony Play Station, a DeWalt circular saw, and a Daisy B-B pistol.
Police also responded to two motor vehicle accidents within one hour of each other on Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road early Saturday afternoon.
A crash that involved three vehicles and blocked traffic occurred when Audrey Harding, 65, of Edgartown failed to stop for a vehicle that had stopped ahead of her and was about to turn into a driveway between Cottonwood Lane and 21st Street. Ms. Harding was eating an ice cream cone at the time of the accident.
Ms. Harding’s 2007 Honda CRV struck the rear of a 2005 Honda Civic, occupied by a woman and her two young children. The impact sent that car into the opposite lane where it was struck by an oncoming 2006 Volvo with two occupants.
Nobody appeared to be seriously injured, according to the police report. The mother and children were transported to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Police issued Ms. Harding a warning for negligent operation of a motor vehicle.
A second motor vehicle accident on Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road was also a rear-end collision. There were no injuries and no charges, police said.
Also on Saturday afternoon, a traffic officer saw a vehicle sideswipe a parked car on North Water Street. Police arrested Sandra Rodrigues, 35, of Oak Bluffs for unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
Officers responded to a fight Saturday night on Pilgrim Road and arrested Antonio Pires, 23, of Vineyard Haven. They charged him with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Police said Mr. Pires hit another man in the head with a wrench. Sgt. Dolby said the fight appeared to be the culmination of an earlier verbal encounter between two groups of young men.
Police ask that anyone with information about the thefts or break-ins call Edgartown police at 508-627-4343.