For years, people living in a Dracut, Massachusetts, neighborhood have wondered why medical gloves and hypodermic needles have littered their streets. Now thanks to help from the community, the culprit has been caught.
Joann Camilli and Larry Morin said they set up a neighborhood sting operation on Old Road Friday night after getting tired of the litter, which sometimes included syringes.
"You got kids over there and old, senior citizens, why are they picking up her trash," Camilli said.
"We said we had enough," Larry Morin said.
The couple said the littering had been going on for a couple of years so they decided to stake out times when they felt they could nab the culprit.
"We watched for a couple of months, got the time frame down," said Morin. "I'm a hunter and I get what I hunt for."
Camilli said she set up a chair in between bushes along with several other people from the neighborhood. On Friday night, a vehicle came and the neighborhood watch sprang into action.
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"Gloves fell, I seen it, she seen it, they just about hit Joann in the feet with them, so she jumped up and we had another friend of ours who was parked down the road helping out, block the vehicle down the hill," Morin recalled.
Police said the group followed the woman until she called 911 out of fear.
The woman, identified as home health aide, Cynthia Johnson, 51, of Dracut, was eventually charged with littering.
"The way she explained it to the police officer, she had no idea why she was doing it," said Dracut Police Lt. Michael Fleury.
Johnson told the Lowell Sun she was sorry for her actions and that she was depressed and off her medications. She has also lost her job because of the incident. Johnson has denied throwing out needles.
Camilli and Moran said they are happy the littering has stopped.
"It was fun for me, it was like getting that ten point buck," Morin said.
