PEPPERELL — On Thursday, February 12, 2026, at approximately 7:10 p.m., Officer Michael Bourisk and Sergeant Nick Parker of the Pepperell Police Department were dispatched to 6 Townsend Street following a report of a domestic incident in progress.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Michael Bourisk for the incident and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“The dispatcher reported that the male party had left the residence on foot wearing a Patriots jacket and black hat,” Officer Bourisk said. “Because of the nature of the call, Officer [Adam] Hyde began to respond as well. As a side note, it should be mentioned that Pepperell police are familiar with this address as the Ojala family lives there. We have had numerous run ins with Garret Ojala, the son, who lives at the address.”
According to police, Garret D. Ojala, 42, is a resident of 6 Townsend Street, Pepperell, MA.
“Upon arrival at the residence, I observed Officer Hyde slowly travelling up Townsend Street (westbound) looking for Garret Ojala, the involved male party.” Officer Bourisk said. “Meanwhile, I went inside and met with Valerie [last name redacted] (mother) and Thomas [last name redacted] (stepfather).”
While speaking with Valerie and Thomas, Officer Bourisk said he heard Officer Hyde state over the radio that he had located Garret nearby.
Valerie reported that the incident had just occurred prior to the officer’s arrival. She stated that Garret became angry after his girlfriend left while he was sleeping in his room, and that he then told her and Thomas he wanted money and a ride. Valerie then allegedly told her son that she would not be giving him money, but Thomas could give him a ride somewhere.
“Valerie stated because they didn’t give him money, he ‘lost his sh*t’ at them,” Officer Bourisk said. “Valerie, who was sitting on the couch, attempted to call 911, but Garret began reaching for the phone in an attempt to prevent her from calling.”
Officer Bourisk said Valerie got off the couch and began walking to the kitchen to call the police there.
“While she did this, Garret continued trying to grab the phone from her, and in the process, scratched her left cheek,” Officer Bourisk said. “During this, Thomas kept telling Garret that he needed ‘to get the f*ck out.’ As the commotion continued, Thomas stated he believed that Garret was about to attack Valerie and a scuffle between him (Thomas) and Garret occurred. During the scuffle, they bumped against the television stand, causing pictures to fall over and land on the ground.”
Valerie stated that she believed Thomas had hit his head, though Thomas said he had not.
“After this occurred, Valerie called 911 and Garret ran out the door,” Officer Bourisk said. “As I heard the story, Sergeant Parker came inside and I explained that it was a physical disturbance. Sergeant Parker stated that he and Officer Hyde would bring Garret back to the station for booking as I completed speaking with Valerie and Thomas. Shortly thereafter, Sergeant Parker left the scene.”
Officer Bourisk said that toward the end of his investigation, he asked Thomas twice if he wanted an ambulance.
“This is because Valerie told me he has a bad heart, which was confirmed by Thomas,” Officer Bourisk said. “He declined needing an ambulance, but I reminded him even if I left, he could always call 911 again if he changed his mind. During this time, I asked Valerie if she wanted an Emergency Restraining Order. She declined needing one at that time.”
At this time, Officer Bourisk left the scene and returned to the station to assist with booking Garret.
Garret Ojala 42, of Pepperell, was charged with the following:
- Assault & Battery on +60/Disabled
- Assault & Battery on +60/Disabled with Injury
- Witness Intimidation
“The booking procedure was conducted, and Garret was given multiple phone calls as Bail Commissioner Matt Day set his (Garret’s) bail at $500,” Officer Bourisk said. “Garret was read his Miranda rights and he did not wish to speak. However, he did tell his side of the story stating it was Thomas who attacked him and he only tried to get away. He also stated that he loves his mother and would never hurt her.”
Garret was arraigned in Ayer District Court on Feb. 13, 2026. Following his arraignment, Garret was released on the $500 bail he had already posted, under the condition that he stay away from 6 Townsend Street and from Thomas, and refrain from using illegal drugs or alcohol.
Garret’s next court date is a pretrial hearing scheduled for April 1, 2026.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in February, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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