Portsmouth officers spent the weekend dealing with multiple complaints due to homeless individuals.
We’ve told you again and again about the problem of homeless individuals camping out at the Post Office on Gay Street. As the weather gets colder, it looks like the issue is heating up again.
At 7:30 pm, a woman flagged down an officer and said she was afraid to go inside the Post Office due to the number of homeless people hanging out in the lobby. The officer advised the individuals they were trespassing and asked them to leave.
A homeless woman walked into the Portsmouth Fire Department and said she needed a place to go for the night. She said there were no warming stations available. She then requested an ambulance take her to the hospital for chest pains.
At 9 am, callers reported a woman sitting near the front entrance of Hudson House screaming and talking to herself. Officers spoke to the woman and told her to leave the area.
Witnesses reported an angry woman throwing her belongings around the Desco Drive-Thru and behaving strangely. When officers arrived, the woman calmed down and picked up her belongings.
Officers were called back to Hudson House at 7 pm when residents complained of a homeless woman with a shopping cart in the alley. Officers asked her to leave.
Two hours later, another woman was spotted sleeping in the lobby. Officers asked her to leave. Around 10:30 pm, they returned after complaints that someone was yelling and screaming in the lobby. Officers served the woman with a criminal trespass notice.
At 2:30 am, callers reported a woman lying on the sidewalk and 5th and Offnere covered with a blanket. Police advised the woman to move along.
A few moments later, a caller reported a man sitting inside the entrance to PNC next to the ATM. When officers arrived, they discovered the sheriff’s office had an open warrant for the man. Police arrested Andrew Harrison for probation violation.
