Gardner man arrested for trying to break into Barre home with hammer during children’s movie night

BARRE – On Friday, October 16, 2026, at approximately 10:08 p.m., Barre Police Officer Robert Bolivar was dispatched to a residence on Wheelright Road following a report of a domestic disturbance.

(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Robert Bolivar and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)

Sergeant Russel Davidson also responded to the scene.

“Dispatch then advised the calling party stated that her boyfriend was trying to break the door down,” Officer Bolivar said.

Officer Bolivar said that when he arrived on scene, he saw two men one standing in the driveway of the residence and the other on the front porch.

“The male in the driveway appeared to be bleeding from multiple spots on his face,” Officer Bolivar said. “At this time, I identified the male in the driveway as Alen Lane.”

According to police, Alen J. Lane, 36, is a resident of Gardner, MA.

“Alen began stating that he was sorry and the male on the porch stated ‘he,’ pointing at Alen, tried breaking into his house,” Officer Bolivar said. “At this time Sergeant Davidson began his interview with Alen, and I escorted the male on the porch inside the home, in an effort to separate both parties.”

Officer Bolivar said he identified the man on the front porch as the homeowner.

Officer Bolivar said he asked the homeowner what happened and he stated that he was having a movie night with his children, a friend of his, and her children, when he heard loud banging at the front door. The banging was so loud that it frightened the children and knocked the blinds off the inside of the door. The man said he then looked outside and saw Lane attempting to break the door down with a hammer and tear a security camera off the door hinge.

“I asked [the homeowner] what happened next, and he stated he opened his front door, and pushed Alen off of the porch area,” Officer Bolivar said. “At this time, a fight ensued, and [the homeowner] stated he was able to place Alen in a headlock, keeping him from getting up while [the homeowner’s friend] called the police. [The homeowner] also stated that before he opened the door, he heard Alen yelling, ‘You’re over here f*ck*ng him.’”

The homeowner said he thought this was in reference to Lane believing that the homeowner and his female friend were sleeping together.

“I then began to interview [the homeowner’s female friend], about who Alen was to her and what she saw,” Officer Bolivar said. The woman said that she shares one juvenile child with Lane and that the two live together at the same address in Gardner.

“I asked [her] if they were married or ever had been, and she stated no,” Officer Bolivar said. She said they used to date, have since separated, but still live together.

According to Officer Bolivar, the woman said that she had not seen Lane that day and was at the residence on Wheelright Road that evening with her kids to have a movie night.

“I asked [the homeowner] and [the woman] how Alen would know where [the woman] was located, and they stated they did not know but mentioned he might be tracking her location through a phone app,” Officer Bolivar said. “[The woman] stated that she heard Alen yelling, ‘You’re over here f*ck*ng him!’ as he was attempting to break the door down.”

Officer Bolivar asked them how many juveniles were in the home when this transpired.

The homeowner said his two children were in the home. The woman said she was there with three children, her two children and a friend’s child.

Officer Bolivar then went into the living room and spoke with the children to make sure they were all right.

“All juveniles stated they were scared and ran upstairs when they heard the banging on the door,” Officer Bolivar said.

Officer Bolivar then informed Lane that he was being placed under arrest and placed him in handcuffs behind his back. Before placing Lane in the rear of a cruiser, Officer Bolivar read him his Miranda rights.

Officer Bolivar said the woman was informed of her right to seek an emergency 209A abuse prevention order.

“I then transported Alen to the Barre Police Headquarters for booking. Upon arrival to headquarters, Alen was booked per department policy and provided his right to a phone call,” Officer Bolivar said. “The on-call bail clerk, Chris Hart, was contacted and stated that bail would not be set until 4:30 a.m. due to the domestic nature of the offense. Alen was then transported to the Worcester House of Correction to awaiting bail or transportation to court. A 51A was filed on behalf of all juveniles involved.”  (A 51A form is a mandatory report that professionals in Massachusetts, who work with children, must file with the DCF when they suspect that a child is being abused, neglected, or both.)

Lane was arraigned in Gardner District Court on Oct. 19, 2026. Following his arraignment he was released on $1,000 cash bail. His next court date is a pretrial hearing scheduled for Dec. 17, 2026.

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Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place earlier this month, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.

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