Crime & Safety

Police Search for Suspects in Attempted Armed Robbery

The following information was provided by the Peabody Police Department. Where charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.

The following excerpts are from reports in the Peabody Police Department press log from Jan. 8-10.


Wednesday, Jan. 8

  • 5:09 p.m. Report of a recovery of a stolen motor vehicle. Police said it turned out the vehicle was never actually stolen. The motorist was involved in an accident in Salem the day before and the airbag had deployed and struck the driver "very harshly," possibly causing short-term memory loss.
  • 6:46 p.m. Report of a car accident on Route 128 North at Exit 25B with unknown injuries. Police said the vehicle actually had a flat tire after hitting a pot hole. The vehicle was moved off the road.
  • 6:48 p.m. Store security at Sears reported watching two shoplifters. Mark S. Spatafore, 28, of Hampton, N.H., was arrested on two outstanding warrants from Boston and Peabody district courts while a second man was sent on his way.
  • 11:32 p.m. A caller reported an attempted armed robbery just occurred on Berry Street. A black, semi-automatic pistol was reportedly shown to the victim, who was walking along the street. No injuries were reported. The caller said the suspects were two dark-skinned, Hispanic males who drove away in a dark-colored minivan. The license plate contained a bright yellow background with the first three letters "GHU" on it. The vehicle left the scene headed down Warren Street toward Central Street. Police issued an area alert to other departments.

Thursday, Jan. 9

  • 5:18 a.m. Report of a water main break on Pearl Street.
  • 7:47 a.m. A 67-year-old male driver in a vehicle with New Hampshire plates was stopped on Route 128 at Centennial Drive and cited for doing 85 mph in a 45 mph zone and given a verbal warning for tailgating.
  • 12:34 p.m. Police said a black 2013 Ford Taurus operated by a 36-year-old Danvers woman struck a female pedestrian on Dearborn Road. The patient -- a 49-year-old Salem woman -- was transported to Mass. General Hospital by ambulance.
  • 1:01 p.m. Report of a vehicle leaking gas at the 7-Eleven on Route 1. Police said there was a hole in the gas line.
  • 1:04 p.m. The director at Inn Transition reported she found a white powder substance in one of the rooms. An officer confiscated the item for further investigation.
  • 3:39 p.m. An employee at Inn Transition on Washington Street reported finding some items in a room that he or she wished to turn over to an officer. An officer confiscated the substances and would document the incident further.
  • 4:51 p.m. A caller on Downing Road reported a significant ice build up was coming from a sump pump at a neighboring home.
  • 6:03 p.m. Report of credit card fraud at the Golden Banana. Police said there was a case pending with the Weymouth Police Department involving the same person.
  • 7:21 p.m. A Tremont Street resident reported a phone he gave to his daughter was maliciously damaged by an estranged "significant other."
  • 9:49 p.m. Salem police reported they had a vehicle with New York license plates stopped at the corner of Washington and New Derby streets in Salem. They said it was possibly the two suspects from Wednesday's night's attempted robbery in Peabody. Two Peabody officers responded responded to the scene to speak with the suspects.

Friday, Jan. 10

  • 7:09 a.m. Report of a car accident on the ramp from Route 1 South to Route 128 South. State police and Atlantic Ambulance responded to the scene.
  • 7:31 a.m. A school resource officer reported to St. John's Prep to assist with the Danvers police presence at the school.
  • 7:41 a.m. An officer reported Cross Street was like a "sheet of ice." DPS was notified to respond with a sander.
  • 7:46 a.m. Report of a car accident on Route 128 North near Endicott Street in Danvers. Police said the roads were getting worse and vehicles were sliding around.
  • Between 8 a.m. and 9:08 a.m., police responded to seven more car accidents or disabled vehicles.
  • 10:02 a.m. Report of a postal truck stuck on Lowell Street under the Route 1 overpass.
  • 11:42 a.m. Robert C. Eveleth, 53, of 4 High St. #3, Salem, was arrested, following a report of suspicious activity on Webster Street. An officer said he was checking on a homeless camp and subsequently arrested Eveleth on a warrant out of Salem District Court.
  • 12:55 p.m. Police cited a motorist with a speed warning and driving too aggressively on Centennial Drive.
  • 1:12 p.m. An employee at the Banana Republic store in the Northshore Mall reported $1,112 in merchandise was stolen on Jan. 7.

Email peabody@patch.com with any questions on this log.


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