Search launched for missing teenage girl

Police were searching yesterday for a Wayland teenager who had not been seen since she left her job earlier in the day as a lifeguard at the Wayland Swimming and Tennis Club. In a release, Wayland police said 16-year-old Sarah Cramer was last seen walking into the woods toward her nearby Autumn Lane home at 10:20 a.m. Police described Cramer as a white female who is 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. She has brown, shoulder-length hair and brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, jeans, and yellow sneakers. Police said there were no signs of foul play and that Cramer may have been distraught. No further details were available. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Wayland Police Department at 508-358-4721.

A Springfield teenager faces assault and other charges after a policeman shot and wounded him during a routine traffic stop. The Republican newspaper of Springfield reported yesterday that the officer shot Louis Jiles in the wrist because he believed the 18-year-old was armed when he stopped his vehicle on Kensington Avenue on Saturday night. The teenager was treated and released from Baystate Medical Center. He was later booked on charges including assault with a dangerous weapon, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, and failure to stop for police. Authorities did not immediately describe the weapon. WWLP-TV reported that the unidentified officer has been placed on police administrative duty until the internal investigation has been completed. (AP)

A 39-year-old man from Palmer was hit by a car and killed Friday when he was lighting fireworks in the middle of the road. David Bassett was lighting fireworks for the Fourth of July in front of his home on Pleasant Street when Brian Dickerson, 19, of Monson struck him with his vehicle. The large amount of smoke in the road made it difficult to see Bassett, Lieutenant John Janulewicz of the Palmer police said. Bassett was pronounced dead at Wing Memorial Hospital in Palmer. Bassett's fiancee, Holly Spooner, saw the accident happen, according to police. Dickerson was charged with fleeing the scene, reckless operation of a motor vehicle resulting in a homicide, and speeding.

Days after six police officers were laid off because of budget cuts, a double shooting left one man dead and a second serious hurt in Fitchburg. Police Chief Robert DeMoura says the layoffs had no effect on the shootings. The shootings happened at the end of a downtown block party Thursday evening. Nelson Ortega of Boston was pronounced dead after being shot in the head shortly before 11 p.m. A second man was hospitalized after being shot in the back. DeMoura told the Telegram & Gazette of Worcester that police staffing was increased at the block party because of the crowds. The shootings are under investigation. (AP)

Former congressional candidate Gary Dodds's latest arrest followed a complaint that he had kidnapped and threatened a woman, police records show. According to the Portsmouth police log, employees at the Portsmouth Regional Hospital emergency room called police Thursday about a patient who said she had been kidnapped by Dodds and was scared because he was in the hospital lobby. City prosecutor Corey MacDonald has said the incident was a domestic disturbance and the woman was Dodds's wife, though other officials have declined to confirm her identity. Dodds was charged with simple assault, false imprisonment, and violating the bail conditions imposed after he was convicted in February of faking his disappearance after a crash two years ago. Dodds was sentenced to 20 days in jail and a year of home confinement for the crash conviction, but has been free on bail during appeal. Police say the assault and imprisonment happened at the Cutts Mansion, a rental property he owns in Portsmouth and where he has been living. (AP)

About 10 people participated in a "White Pride" rally this weekend, but they were joined by four times as many counter-protesters. A group called North East White Pride held a rally Saturday to protest illegal immigration, holding signs that read "Bring the troops home! Put them on our border!" and "Deport Illegals Now!" On the other side of the street, about 40 people gathered with signs that said "One World." (AP)