OMG PD: Lions, No Tigers, But Bears, Oh My

A look at remarkable police calls around the state. 

The case: A  was reportedly on the loose at Rockville High School.  

The OMG twist: A faulty smoke alarm forced staff members and students to remain outside while the problem was first detected and then fixed. Most were on the school lawn from 7 to 7:30 a.m., but that did not prevent a rumor that an alligator was roaming the halls to begin circulating. The rumor quickly spread around town via text messaging and Facebook postings. The school has a vocational-agricultural program, but it has no alligators there. 

The case: The  was called to a residence in town because a raccoon was acting erratically. 

The OMG twist: Domestic animals were nearby and the residents were unsure if there was direct contact between any of the animals and the raccoon. The raccoon was euthanized and it tested positive for rabies.

The case: A  killed a cocker spaniel in Avon. 

The OMG twist: Two landscape designers saw the bear attack the dog and then raced into a car for safety after their loud noses did not scare the bear. A honking horn finally enticed the bear to move, but it remained on the property with two cubs.

The case: A  was wandering through Rockville. 

The OMG twist: After several calls from anxious residents Vernon police officers eventually spotted the bear near Snipsic Lake and used the sirens on police cruisers to scare the animal into the woods.  Police said the bear traveled from Cedar Street to East Street and was scared into the woods on Tolland Avenue.

The case: Greenwich police are confirming that a 140-pound male  killed on The Merritt parkway in Milford Saturday morning "may be the one" sighted in Greenwich on Sunday.

The OMG twist: Greenwich police reported that state officials from Connecticut and New York are working together to investigate the status of two permitted mountain lions in New York state that “are reasonably close to Greenwich.” One was spotted in the King Street area of Greeniwich before the Milford incident. King Street intersects the parkway and the yellow center line is the border between New York and Connecticut on a good portion of the road.