LEOMINSTER — On Thursday, June 27, 2024, at approximately 7:58 p.m., Patrolmen Renzo Vasconcelos and Timothy Galvin of the Leominster Police Department were dispatched to Benchmark Senior Living at Leominster Crossings, located at 1160 Main Street, following a report that a man had erratically driven a 2007 Toyota Corolla into the parking lot, crashed into a fence, and then fell out of the vehicle.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narratives of Patrolmen Galvin and Vasconcelos and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
The Leominster Fire Department was dispatched to the scene as well and arrived before the patrolmen.
When he arrived on scene, Patrolman Vasconcelos observed a man, later identified as Cody Collins, striking Benjamin Boudreau, one of the fire fighters who was on scene.
According to police, Cody Collins, 34, is a resident of 10 Elm Street, Apt. 2, Townsend, MA.
“I then ran towards Cody and the fire fighters, and began attempting to place Cody in handcuffs,” Patrolman Vasconcelos said. “As I grabbed Cody’s left arm, Cody swung his right arm and hit my right shoulder. I then grabbed Cody’s right hand, the one he used to strike me, and placed it into handcuffs as well. Due to Cody being violent, I was not able to double lock the handcuffs. At this moment, Fire Fighter Boudreau stated that he wants to press charges against Cody.”
When Patrolman Galvin arrived on scene, Collins was in handcuffs sitting on the ground with Patrolman Vasconcelos.
While Patrolman Galvin went to assist Officer Vasconcelos, he noticed that Collins, who was wearing shorts and no shoes, had scrapes and cuts on his feet and legs, and was bleeding. Patrolman Galvin also detected the odor of alcohol coming from Collins.
“He would not help us in walking to the cruiser. Myself and Patrolman Vasconcelos had to pick Collins up and bring him to the back of Cruiser #2,” Patrolman Galvin said. “While carrying Collins, he was slurring his speech and talking in a slow and lethargic manner. When I placed the seat belt on Collins in the back of the cruiser, the smell of an alcoholic beverage became even stronger. Officer Vasconcelos transported Collins to the station for booking.”
After Collins left the scene, Patrolman Galvin spoke with Michael [last name redacted], a friend of Collins who was the passenger in his vehicle at the time of the crash. Michael stated that he had been at Christopher’s Pub with Collins on Pleasant Street. When Patrolman Galvin asked Michael if Collins only had two drinks at the bar, Michael said he saw Collins consume “two mixed drinks” in his presence, but believed Collins had more to drink before picking him up at the pub.
“At one point, [Micheal] stated Collins ‘has his problems,’” Patrolman Vasconcelos said. “I was informed Collins was having a difficult time dealing with a close friend’s death.”
After speaking with Michael, Patrolman Galvin interviewed Joanne [last name redacted], a witness who was driving behind Collins from downtown Leominster to Benchmark Senior Living. Joanne stated that Collins drove erratically the entire way before pulling into the Benchmark parking lot, where he crashed into the bushes and a wooden fence, splitting it in half. She also reported that Collins struck a National Grid sign in the breakdown lane on the northbound side of Main Street.
“That sign was not in the roadway and was in the breakdown lane. (I took pictures on scene with the OIC [Officer in Charge] camera),” Patrolman Galvin said. “The National Grid sign was over the fog line indicating Collins could not maintain his lanes. In the pictures I took on scene, you can see that Collins’ passenger side mirror was torn off and resting in the breakdown lane, along with the debris from the sign.”
Joanne stated that about five to ten minutes after crashing into the fence, Collins put his vehicle in reverse, tearing off the front bumper because it was caught in the bushes and fence.
“According to [Joanne’s] statement, Collins got out of the vehicle and tried to rip the front bumper off his car. In trying to do so, Collins fell over and could not get back up,” Patrolman Galvin said. “[Joanne] asked Collins’ friend [Michael] if he needed medical attention. [Michael] stated ‘no he has been drinking.’”
Based on the observations at the scene, the witness testimony from Joanne and Patrolman Vasconcelos, Patrolman Galvin charged Collins with the following:
- Assault and Battery on a Police Officer
- Assault and Battery on Ambulance Personnel
- OUI Liquor (Second Offense)
- Negligent Operation of MV
- Marked Lanes
Collins was arraigned in Leominster District Court on June 28, 2024, afterwhich he was released on his own personal recognizance under the condition that he submit to alcohol screenings. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Aug. 19, 2024 for a pretrial hearing.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from June, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to get the court documents for the incident. FOIAs are time consuming.
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