A man who had been deliberately placing large rocks in the middle of a highway in Kingston for months, damaging a slew of vehicles, was arrested Monday night following an extensive investigation, officials said.
Cameron Currier, 31, of Kingston, was arraigned Tuesday in Plymouth District Court on charges including 11 counts of malicious damage to a motor vehicle and nine counts of attempting to commit malicious damage to a motor vehicle. A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf.
Since February, officers had been looking into reports of a series of large rocks and boulders that were being placed along Route 27 at Pembroke Street in the area of Reed Street, according to the Kington Police Department.
“These events were occurring sporadically, mostly during darkness. Each time, it appeared a single large rock, varying between approximately 15 and 50 pounds, was being placed in the middle of the roadway,” Kingston police said in a news release. “This portion of the road, spanning less than 1/2 mile, is heavily wooded and dark with no residences abutting the roadway. It became apparent someone was maliciously placing these rocks on the road to cause damage to vehicles.”
Detectives took over the investigation in June when the frequency and severity of the rock-placing incidents increased, police noted.
In many of the incidents, it was determined that motorists had struck the rocks and continued on. In several other cases, cars had their undercarriages ripped out, causing fluid spills, disabling vehicles and even causing airbag deployments.
“Clearly, this was incredibly dangerous. Investigators feared that someone may get seriously hurt or killed, whether it be striking a rock while operating a motorcycle or striking a rock, crossing the center line, and causing a head-on collision,” police said. “Due to the remote area, heavy vehicular traffic on the roadway, inconsistent reporting of the events, difficult electronic surveillance environment, and the sporadic occurrences spread out over months, this investigation took significant effort.”
Currier was finally nabbed by a detective, dressed in full camouflage, who positioned himself in the woods in the pouring rain around 10 p.m. While seated in the woods, shortly before midnight, police said the detective witnessed Currier pull up, open his tailgate, dump a rock in the middle of the road, and turn off onto Reed Street.
Investigators then greeted Currier on his porch, about 10 minutes after the observed rock placement.
“The defendant’s residence is one of very view in the area that occupants would be able to hear the subsequent collisions and watch the emergency responses to the crashes caused by these malicious acts,” police said.
Currier allegedly admitted to driving the matching vehicle and having just recently arrived home, although, he denied stopping on Pembroke Street and was said to be unaware that a detective viewed the entire event from the woodline.
Additional inconsistencies in Currier’s story were identified and other probable cause was gathered, resulting in his arrest, according to police.
Anyone who hit a rock on Route 27 near Reed Street from February through Monday is urged to contact Kingtson Det. Lt. Michael Skowyra at 781-585-0523.
Currier’s bail was set at $1,500 bail. He is due back in court at a later time.
An investigation remains ongoing.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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