A Webster man has been arrested after allegedly breaking and entering into a local residence, in an act that escalated to the assault of a police officer and a near-disaster involving natural gas. The Webster Police Department reported the incident on their social media pages, detailing how officers initially responded to a burglary in progress on Deslaurier Ave.
On the evening of February 20, around 7:11 p.m., officers were dispatched following a call from a homeowner who spotted a man through his security cameras breaking into his home. Police Officer Spencer Donovan, upon arrival, observed the suspect—later identified as 43-year-old Jeremy Ouellette of 4 Perryville Road, Dudley—walking away from the address "carrying something." According to the Facebook post by the Webster Police Department, the suspect became confrontational when approached by the officers.
Further investigation into the residence revealed that it had indeed been broken into, and Ouellette was found in possession of items from this residence. A potentially deadly situation was avoided when officers detected and reported a strong odor of natural gas. Ouellette had apparently turned on all the burners on the gas stove and vandalized a gas vent in the basement. National Grid and the Webster Fire Department were promptly called to the scene and were able to render the situation safe, averting catastrophe.
While in police custody and en route to the hospital for evaluation, Ouellette assaulted Officer Cedeno, causing her to fall out of an ambulance. "Officer Cedeno and Officer Trinque entered the ambulance, which is when Mr. Ouellette pushed Officer Cedeno, causing her to fall 4 feet out of the ambulance onto the ground," detailed the department's Facebook post. In addition, Ouellette also caused damage to a cell window in the police department's holding facility.
Ouellette has been charged with several offenses, including break and enter in the nighttime for a felony, vandalism, larceny, attempted arson, assault and battery on a police officer, and resisting arrest, among others. He was arraigned the following day at Dudley District Court. At the time of this incident, Ouellette was already on probation for a slew of other charges, including assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and burglary. It is critical to note, as with all suspects, Ouellette is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
