A suspected drunk driver knocked down a streetlight pole and sent a Route 28 highway sign crashing into their own vehicle early Monday, Aug. 17, leaving exposed wires and debris across North Main Street near Washington Park.

Merrimack College Police first alerted Andover officers around 1:20 a.m. that they were with a possible OUI driver behind the McDonald's on Route 28 who had apparently crashed somewhere along the road, according to Andover News, which compiled the day's police radio transmissions.

Andover officers found the crash scene near Washington Park, where the vehicle had jumped the sidewalk and struck the pole hard enough to leave it lying across the roadway. The Route 28 southbound sign was still lodged inside the vehicle when officers arrived.

An electrical inspector responded to secure the exposed wires. Police cleared the pole from the road and called for a tow truck. Radio transmissions indicate officers were investigating a possible OUI, but no arrest or charges have been confirmed.

Porter Road break-in attempt damages front door

Separately, Andover Police investigated an attempted break-in at a Porter Road home reported around 4:20 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17. The homeowner told officers the attempted entry actually occurred around 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16. No one gained entry, but the front door was damaged. An officer photographed the scene and filed a report.

Bat captured, sent for testing

Andover Animal Control responded to a Hearthstone Place home around 10:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 17, after a resident reported a bat inside the house. The officer captured the bat and took it to Andover Animal Hospital to be sent for testing. Radio transmissions did not indicate whether anyone in the home had contact with the animal.

Care facility patient transported to hospital

Andover Fire Rescue was dispatched to an Andover Street care facility shortly before 11:50 a.m. Monday, Aug. 17, for a mental health evaluation. Police were called in after a male patient began screaming at staff, though dispatch noted he had not become physically aggressive. The patient was transported to Holy Family Hospital under the facility's "unruly patient policy," according to radio transmissions.

Elderly couple found living in car at Whole Foods

Around 9 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17, Whole Foods management asked police to check on an elderly, disabled couple who appeared to have been living out of a vehicle in the store's parking lot throughout the week.

After speaking with the couple and store management, the store manager agreed to let them stay in the lot overnight. Police said the couple had resources available to them.

All information is preliminary, compiled from Andover Police radio transmissions, and may not reflect the outcome of subsequent investigations.