On December 29, 2011 at 10:22 PM the Holden Police and Fire Departments responded to a one car motor vehicle accident on Reservoir Street at the Worcester town line. Worcester Fire and Police Departments were also dispatched. On scene they found a vehicle on it's side engulfed in flames. The fire was extinguished and the lone deceased occupant/operator was later extricated from the vehicle.

The accident is being investigated by Officers Jonathan Bourget and Adam Porcaro of the Holden Police Department. State Police reconstruction also assisted at the scene. The Worcester County District Attorney's Office was also notified.

The operator was later identified as Matthew Chase, age 40, of Worcester. The vehicle was a 2006 Hyundai Elantra. The accident remains under investigation.

The Holden Police Department is participating in the 3rd National Drug Prescription Take-Back on Saturday, October 29, 2011. Residents can turn in their unused or expired medication for disposal from 10 AM unti 2 PM at The Holden Public Safety Facility located at 1370 Main Street. There will be a drop off box in the lobby for medication. All drop-offs are anonymous and no paperwork will be necessary. Needles and Epi-pens will not be accepted. Names and labels may be removed from packaging. All liquid medications should be in sealed containers.

Any questions regarding this event may be directed to the Holden Police Department 508-829-4444. Please ask for Sergeant Timothy Sherblom.

For more information, you can link to the US Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration website by clicking here.

The Holden Police Department will be offering a Rape Aggression Defense Course (R.A.D.) starting on Wednesday, November 9, 2011. The class will run on Wednesday nights from 6PM to 8PM for several weeks. The cost of the entire course is $20.00. The class is open to women only, ages 14 and up. Slots for the course fill on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested women should contact the Holden Police Department and leave their name and phone number. Any further questions regarding the class may be directed to Sergeant Timothy Sherblom at 508-829-4444.

For information about the R.A.D. Systems organization, click here to visit their website.

Plans are currently underway to organize a Civilian Police Academy for area residents, which will tentatively run from January through March of 2012. If you are interested in participating or have questions, please contact Chief George Sherrill directly. You may call the Holden Police business line at 508-210-5600 and ask for the Chief, or e-mail him directly at gsherrill@holdenma.gov. Click here to read Landmark article about the Civilian Police Academy.

A 12-year-old boy attending a soccer camp at Wachusett Regional High School, collapsed on the field this morning and later died at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. announced.

Joshua Thibodeau of 50 Highland St., Holden, collapsed during a low-speed drill with about 15 other campers. The incident occurred shortly before 10 a.m., soon after camp began. He was transported to UMass by the Holden Emergency Medical Services and was pronounced dead at 10:45 a.m. at the hospital.

He was attending the Zalgiris Soccer Camp at the high school.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has accepted the case and an autopsy will be performed. The incident is being investigated by the Holden Police and the State Police Detectives assigned to the Worcester County District Attorney’s office.

A press conference will be held Tuesday, July 19 at 9:30 AM in the Community Room of the Holden Public Safety Building, 1370 Main Street, Holden.

Holden Fire Chief Jack Chandler has released the following information:

At 4:12 a.m. the Holden Emergency Dispatch Center received a 911 call reporting a fire involving cars and a building at 308 Main Street. The Holden Fire Department was immediately dispatched to the scene.

Deputy Chief Jack Cross was the first to arrive on the scene and found two cars heavily involved, with fire spreading to a nearby structure. The first pumper to arrive was Engine Company 1 from the Headquarters station. They stretched a hoseline through the front door to extinguish the fire already in the house.

A second hoseline was stretched to protect the house from further involvement from the burning cars.

An aggressive interior attack kept the fire in one room. However, the entire house suffered minor smoke damage.

The occupant of the ranch house was awakened by a concerned friend who called by phone when they heard the address. There were no injuries to civilians or fire personnel.

Rutland Fire provided coverage for the vacant Holden station. West Boylston Fire provided an ambulance to stand by at the Holden station.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

A human skull discovered on the evening of April 3, off of Reservoir Street has been identified as Tyra Wilkerson ( 12-6-73 ) of Norwood according to Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.

The identification was made by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner based upon examination of medical and dental records. Ms. Wilkerson had been reported missing to authorities in Norwood in August of 2006.

“We hope the identification will bring some measure of closure to Ms. Wilkerson’s family. We will now move forward in attempting to determine the circumstances surrounding her death.”

The investigation is being conducted by State Police Detectives assigned to the Office of the District Attorney and the Holden Police Department. They are being assisted by the Norwood Police Department.

Investigators working on the case of a human skull found in the woods near Holden Reservoir are appealing to the public for help, Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said today. The skull was discovered by a jogger in the woods off Reservoir Road in the early evening of April 3. The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has been studying the skull.

“It appears the skull belonged to a black female between 25 and 45 years old,” Mr. Early said. “The person we are trying to identify appears to have suffered a brain aneurism. A subsequent craniotomy was performed to treat the aneurism. A bone flap is removed from the skull during this type of surgery.”

The investigation, headed by the State Police Detectives assigned to Mr. Early’s office, has determined the surgery was performed between 2003 and 2010.

“Anyone who has knowledge of a missing person who would have had similar characteristics, should contact the Massachusetts State Police Detectives, Sergeant James S. Nanof or Trooper Gerard A. O’Malley at 508-832-9124,” Mr. Early said. Click here to link to the Press Release page of the DA's website.