By Jim Clark

Police officers were working a paid detail in the vicinity of Beacon St. and Washington St. last week, directing traffic through a construction zone.

At one point a man in a box truck reportedly began yelling at the officers, complaining that he could not make a turn that he wanted to take.

According to reports, the driver stops his vehicle in the middle of the four-way intersection, causing all traffic to come to a standstill.

The driver, later identified as Robert Bouche, 29, of Saugus, reportedly argued with an officer situated towards the rear of his vehicle, failing to notice that he was edging closer to an officer at the front of the vehicle who was back-peddling in order to keep from being struck.

The officer in front of the vehicle reportedly had to dodge a sideview mirror in order to keep from being hit with it.

Police said that Bouche then parked his vehicle in an unauthorized area and stood in the intersection as he continued to argue with the officers, who were eventually able to escort him to the sidewalk so that the normal flow of vehicular traffic could resume.

According to reports, Bouche continued to use insulting and threatening language with the officers. He was repeatedly asked to leave the area, but instead remained and continued the aggressive behavior.

As the activity was gradually drawing a crowd of onlookers and Bouche refused to cooperate, he was placed under arrest and charged with disorderly conduct.