DIXFIELD — The Dixfield Police Department responded to 58 calls for service from May 1 to 16. Among them were the folowing:
Charges
* At 4:22 p.m. May 8, Jason Hyde, 36, of Dixfield, was arrested on an active non-compliance contempt order for failure to pay $1,378.88 in unpaid child support. He was taken to the Dixfield Police Department and released on bail.
Reports
* At 2:52 p.m. May 14, an unidentified female stole the money from the Dunkin’ Donuts tip jar. Employees do not wish to press charges.
* At 1:58 p.m., Dixfield police recovered suspected cannabis drug candy that was confiscated from a student by Dirigo High School staff. An investigation is continuing and charges are pending, Howe said.
* At 1:40 a.m. May 2, a Dixfield resident reported her vehicle, a blue 2007 Toyota Corolla, had been stolen. It was found to have been involved in a pursuit in Mexico and later involved in an alcohol-related crash in Rangeley. The alleged car thief, Christopher Labbe, 43, is being held on a probation violation in the incident as the case is pursued for further criminal prosecution, Howe said.
* At 6 p.m. May 1, a Dixfield resident reported the theft of several items she had mailed to her boyfriend. The value of the items is estimated to be at least $400. The case is under investigation.
Accidents
* At 4:57 p.m. May 12, Dixfield officers responded to a four-vehicle accident at the Mexico-Dixfield town line, Chief Jeffrey A. Howe said early Saturday evening.
Theresa Bishop, 46, of Davenport, Fla., was traveling east on Route 2 and failed to stop in her 2000 Ford Expedition, Howe said.
She ran into the rear of a 2008 Toyota truck operated by Sidney Flagg, 57, of Carthage, who was stopped in traffic behind Jeremy Myles, 37, of Rumford, in his 2006 Hyundai. Myles was also stopped in traffic behind Kayla Morton, 22, of Dixfield, who was operating a 2006 Nissan truck and stopped in traffic waiting to turn left onto High Street, Howe said.
Traveling in Morton’s Nissan was Tracy Gammon, 46, of Andover.
Bishop’s Ford SUV had heavy damage to the front end and Flagg’s Toyota had heavy damage to the rear and minor damage to the front, Howe said. Myles’s Hyundai had minor damage to the rear and front, and Morton’s vehicle had damage to the rear.
Myles complained of neck and back pain and was taken by Med-Care Ambulance to Rumford Hospital. Bishop complained of leg pain, but refused transport.
Dixfield Fire Company assisted with traffic and debris cleanup. Bishop’s Ford was towed by AAA, but the other vehicles were driven from the scene.
News
Howe said his department is about to start another seat belt enforcement grant. The Click It or Ticket program starts Monday, May 18, and runs for two weeks.
“Buckling up is the single most effective way to avoid being killed in a crash,” Howe said.
In 2013, there were 9,580 unbelted vehicle occupants killed in crashes on America’s roads, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. About 59 percent were killed between 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m. That’s why Dixfield police will target nighttime seat belt violators.
Click It or Ticket is a nationwide effort.
“We will be out in full force, cracking down on seat belt violations, issuing citations to anyone caught traveling without a buckled seat belt or transporting unrestrained children,” Howe said. “We are determined to get the message across that seat belts save lives.”
From 2008 to 2012, safety belt usage saved nearly 63,000 lives, and in 2012, an additional 3,031 lives could have been saved if all unrestrained occupants in fatal crashes had worn their seat belts, he said.
“We want people to know we’re not cracking down to write tickets,” Howe said. “We’re doing it to save lives.”
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