During the wintry month of December, South Berwick police responded to 29 accidents, 11 sliding vehicles and 15 violations of the town’s snow ban that involved multiple vehicles, according to the police log.
The town’s winter parking ban from Nov. 30 through March 3 prohibits parked vehicles on town streets between midnight and 7 a.m.
Most of the accidents and slide offs are caused by people driving too fast for road and weather conditions, according to Deputy Chief Scott Stephens. Drivers should give themselves extra time to get to their destination, slow down, leave plenty of space from the car in front of them, and drive with headlights on during daytime for more visibility, Stephens suggested.
“Wear your seat belt, it’s the law,” Stephens added in an email, “and make sure your tires have plenty of tread on them, understanding [that] all-wheel drive and 4-wheel drive do not prevent you from losing control of your vehicle in winter driving.”
Police made eight arrests and 302 motor vehicle stops in December, issuing 267 warnings and nine court summonses. The six arrests made during motor vehicle stops were the following, according to Stephens:
- Dec. 5, 9:10 p.m., a 55-year-old male from Dover, N.H., was charged with violating conditions of release from incarceration near Hussey Landscape and Route 236.
- Dec. 9, 7:55 p.m., a 34-year-old male from Berwick was charged with operating with a suspended registration near Farmgate Road and Route 236.
- Dec. 17, 3:07 p.m., a 26-year-old male from Sanford was charge with operating with a suspended registration near the Eliot line and Route 236.
- Dec. 18, 8:43 p.m., a 28-year-old female from Delray Beach, Fla., was charged with operating without a valid license on York Woods Road.
- Dec. 21, 3:16 p.m., a 40-year-old male from Berwick was charged with operating with a suspended registration near the Links at Outlook Golf Course on Portland Street.
- Dec. 24, 7:08 p.m., a 53-year-old male from Eliot charged with attaching false plates was arrested near Cumberland Farms and Route 236.
Two other arrests were made last month, according to the log:
- Dec. 4, 12:57 p.m., a 15-year-old male juvenile was charged with possession of marijuana near Marshwood High School and Route 236.
- Dec. 24, 8:06 p.m., a 69-year-old male from South Berwick was arrested on a warrant for indecent conduct on Fife’s Lane.
Stephens also noted that a juvenile riding an e-bike, who passed a stopped school bus, was not arrested but was “educated on the law.”
There were 29 motor vehicle accidents, with no injuries listed:
- Dec. 2, 3:59 p.m., near Tibbets Street and Berwick Road
- Dec. 3, 7:44 a.m., on Brattle Street
- Dec. 4, 4:33 p.m., near Great Works School and Route 236
- Dec. 5, 7:53 a.m. on Portland Street
- Dec. 6, 3:22 p.m., near McIntire-McCooey Funeral Home and Main Street
- Dec. 7, 7:40 p.m., near Vine Street and Route 236
- Dec. 9, 5:22 p.m., near Bittersweet Lane and Portland Street
- Dec. 9, 9:22 p.m., on Earls Road
- Dec. 10, 1:46 p.m., on Main Street
- Dec. 10, 5:16 p.m., near Lords Lane and Route 236
- Dec. 10, 6:02 p.m., near South Berwick Highway Garage and Front Street
- Dec. 11, 12:14 p.m., near Stage House Inn and Main Street
- Dec. 11, 5:48 p.m., on Dogwood Drive
- Dec. 13, 12:22 p.m., near York Hospital in South Berwick and Portland Street
- Dec. 14, 10:10 p.m., on Old Fields Road
- Dec. 16, 1:17 p.m., near Asia Café and Main Street
- Dec. 16, 9:45 p.m., near Portland and Colcord streets
- Dec. 17, 2:53 p.m., near York Woods Road and Route 236
- Dec. 17, 3:33 p.m., on Witchtrot Road
- Dec. 17, 4:15 p.m., near Harvey and Hooper Sands roads
- Dec. 18, 8:41 a.m., on Old Fields Road
- Dec. 21, 3:51 p.m., near Academy Street and Route 236
- Dec. 22, 11:25 a.m., near Nature’s Way Market and Main Street
- Dec. 22, 1:59 p.m., on Colcord Street
- Dec. 24, 11:25 a.m., near the Counting House and Liberty Street
- Dec. 25, 2:45 a.m., on Wadleigh Lane
- Dec. 25, 5:11 a.m. near Emery’s Bridge and Boyd’s Corner roads
- Dec. 25, 6:28 p.m., near Dover Eliot Road and Waterside Lane
- Dec. 27, 5:06 p.m., near Cumberland Farms and Route 236
The following summarizes the police log listings for Dec. 1 through Dec. 28:
- Motor vehicle stops: 302 (267 warnings, 29 court summonses, 6 arrests)
- Building area checks: 506
- Directed patrol: 277
- Community police contacts: 44
- Medical assists: 38
- Animal complaints: 34
- Mental health checks: 25
- Assist citizens: 22
- Snow ban violations: 15
- Welfare checks: 12
- Slide offs: 11
- Parking violations: 8
- Suspicious activities: 8
- Found/lost properties: 5
- Disturbances: 4
- Larcenies: 4
- Odors: 4
- Domestic disturbances: 2
- Harassments: 2
- Juvenile offenses: 2
- Lines/trees down: 2
- Shoplifting: 2
- Trespassing: 2
- Cadet program: 1
- Drug incident: 1 (arrest)
- Electric hazard: 1
- Passing stopped school bus: 1
- Serve warrant: 1 (arrest)
- Sex offender registration/verification: 1
- Vandalism: 1
