A friendly reminder from Team RPD: If you brought it here, you can take it with you. The following is a message from the RPD:
ROCHESTER, MA — Rochester has a lot going for it.
Beautiful horse farms? Check.
Cranberry bogs? Absolutely.
Peaceful country roads? Plenty of them.
Residents who take pride in their community? You bet.
What Rochester does not have is a roadside concierge service for people looking to get rid of their unwanted junk.
Apparently, Jose Baez of New Bedford didn’t receive that particular memo.
According to police, an RV that appeared to have been abandoned in Rochester recently caught the attention of our officers. And judging by the condition of the vehicle, it looked less like a recreational vehicle and more like something that had escaped from a low-budget sequel to Breaking Bad.
Unfortunately for Jose, there was one small problem with the plan:
Rochester Police were paying attention.
Our officers took one look at the situation and, channeling their inner Liam Neeson, delivered the unofficial Rochester response:
“NO WAY, JOSE!”
And unlike the typical movie hero, our officers didn’t have to spend two hours chasing anyone through Europe.
They investigated.
Following that investigation, Baez will be summoned to court on charges of:
Trespassing with a Motor Vehicle
M.G.L. c. 266, § 121A
Abandoning a Motor Vehicle
M.G.L. c. 90, § 22B
Now, we don’t want to give the wrong impression. Rochester welcomes visitors.
Come see our beautiful town. Enjoy the scenery. Take a drive down our country roads. Visit our local businesses. Grab something to eat. Take some pictures.
Heck, stay awhile.
Just don’t confuse “Welcome to Rochester” with “Welcome to the town dump.”
Because if your road trip itinerary looks something like:
Drive to Rochester → Abandon RV → Drive away → Hope nobody notices
…we have some bad news for you.
They noticed.
And while we’re at it, this seems like a good opportunity to clarify a few other things:
Rochester is not the place to abandon your RV.
Rochester is not the place to leave your old couch.
Rochester is not the place to dump your tires.
Rochester is not the place to unload your trash.
And, just in case anyone was wondering, we are also not accepting boats, appliances, mattresses, mystery barrels, or anything else you suddenly decided you no longer want.
Our community deserves better than that.
So consider this your friendly public-service announcement:
If you bring your junk to Rochester, bring it back out with you.
Because Rochester may be a quiet little town, but quiet doesn’t mean clueless.
Team RPD has eyes, ears, investigative skills, and apparently a pretty good sense of humor.
Try somewhere else.
Actually, better yet…
Don’t.
Team Rochester Police Department 🚔
