AUGUSTA — A Capitol Police cruiser was damaged heavily Thursday night by snow and ice sliding off the roof of a state-owned building while an officer was inside the cruiser, authorities said.

The officer, Joe Morelli, was uninjured.

Capitol Police Chief Russell Gauvin said Morelli had just re-entered the cruiser after doing a security check around 7 p.m. Thursday at the State Entomology Lab at 50 Hospital St. Suddenly, snow and ice came off the roof of the building and landed on the cruiser, covering the vehicle and the area surrounding it. That damaged the car’s roof, windshield and hood.

“The officer was fortunate to escape the incident uninjured,” Gauvin said by email. “Beware of falling ice!!!”

Gauvin said the cruiser was parked in front of the overhead doors of the laboratory.

The department, which is responsible for law enforcement on the state campuses in Augusta, posted on its Facebook page that the incident serves as a lesson to remind people that the recent, sudden warm temperature can result in snow and ice falling from the roofs of buildings.

The temperature soared to around 50 degrees Friday as rain pelted the region.

The Capitol Police post noted that before getting into the cruiser, Morelli had just been standing in the spot where the snow and ice fell.


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