Local News
Authorities say the man operated a police boat with the emergency lights activated.
A 63-year-old Tyngsborough man is expected to face a charge of impersonating a police officer after authorities say he took the town’s police boat onto a local lake and attempted to enforce local boating rules.
Tyngsborough police said officers responded to Lake Mascuppic around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday after receiving a report that an unauthorized person was operating the department’s Marine Unit boat on the lake.
When officers arrived, they found the man operating the boat with its emergency lights activated, according to police. The man returned the boat to its dock after officers told him to do so.
No injuries were reported in connection with the incident.
A caller told police the man had earlier used the boat to try to enforce the town’s boating bylaws, allegedly ordering several people to leave the lake, authorities said.
Following an investigation conducted with the Massachusetts Environmental Police and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, Tyngsborough police said they intend to issue a summons for the man to appear in Lowell District Court on a charge of impersonating a police officer.
Police did not identify the man because he has not yet been formally charged. A clerk-magistrate will first determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed with the case, officials said.
Investigators said that following the incident, town officials removed the police boat from the dock to prevent any further unauthorized access.
Morgan Rousseau is a freelance writer for Boston.com, where she reports on a variety of local and regional news.
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