Police briefs (Aug. 1)

Dave Vachon
Aug 01, 2018  •  November 27, 2020  •  2 minute read

Fire damages home
An early-morning fire Wednesday caused about $15,000 in damage to a Pine Street home, city firefighters report.
No injuries resulted; the home had working smoke alarms, fire prevention officer Carson Cross wrote in a press release.
“On arrival, firefighters were faced with fire venting out of a second-storey bedroom window,” he wrote, adding the fire was extinguished quickly.
The fire remained under investigation Wednesday “but appears to be accidental in nature,” Cross added.
“Damage was contained to one bedroom due to the door being closed,” he wrote.
“Although the homeowner is insured, it was nice to see neighbours assisting the homeowner and … family with food, offers of accommodations and genuine caring during this stressful event,” Cross wrote.

Four charged with assault
Belleville police have charged four people with assault after officers received multiple reports of 10 people fighting in an east-end building Monday night.
The calls came at about 11 p.m., Staff Sgt. Al Portt wrote in a press release.
Three adults were injured but didn’t require medical attention, he added.
They reported a fight on Haig Road. Police laid charges after speaking with witnesses and reviewing videos from mobile phones, Portt wrote.
Four Belleville residents – a 47-year-old man, 33-year-old man, 26-year-old woman and a 24-year-old woman – are now charged will assault. All but the 47-year-old are also charged with being in a home unlawfully.
No names were immediately available.
All were released pending court appearances Aug. 30.

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Public intoxication
A 31-year-old Belleville man spent Tuesday night in police custody after being charged with public intoxication.
Police arrived at a Catharine Street home at 9:05 p.m. to find a man sitting on the porch,” Staff Sgt. Al Portt wrote in a press release.
“Upon police arrival the male stumbled off the porch and sprawled on the front lawn,” wrote Portt.
Police arrested the man for his own protection, Portt added, issuing him a ticket for public intoxication. City police don’t normally release the names of people charged with provincial offences.

Synthetic drug warning
Northumberland OPP are warning of a synthetic street drug now believed to be in circulation in that county.
Some sellers of the so-called designer drug Flakka claim it is the medication Xanax, police reported. Flakka is taken by snorting, smoking, injecting or swallowing it.
“The drug has been found in both powder and rock forms and can vary in colour,” police wrote in a news release. “It may also be combined with other, softer drugs such as marijuana.”
Flakka’s symptoms after ingestion are often delayed by 18 to 24 hours, police added. Symptoms include extreme agitation, hallucinations, dystonia (muscles contracting uncontrollably), psychosis, hyperactivity, delirium, bizarre behaviour, and extreme strength.
Police also noted the side effects include but are not limited to acute kidney injury, heart failure and even death.
Anyone who encounters a person who appears to be in a state of overdose should use extreme caution and immediately call 911, police said.