As 2011 comes to a close, Arlington Patch will review some of the year's most read and important news stories. Watch for our Year in Review pieces on the days leading up to New Year's Eve. So far, we have looked at the five most read police logs and the top schools news of the year.

Here are the five most police and fire news articles that had Arlington talking in 2011:

New Hampshire Man Found Dead in Spy Pond

Arlington Police found the body of a white male in Spy Pond behind the Arlington Lodge of Elks in December.

Capt. Richard Flynn, of the Arlington Police Department, said police determined the body had been in the water for three weeks. The man was identified as Cameron Raudonis-Blicker, 23, of Derry, N.H.

Police noted there was no clear sign of trauma on the body. Authorities are still waiting for toxicology reports to determine cause of death.

Prosecutor: Karate Coach Confessed to Indecent Assault of 7-Year-Old Girl

An Arlington karate coach charged with indecently assaulting a young girl at his studio confessed to the crime, a prosecutor said in August.

Thomas Donahue, 52, of Lexington, is charged with indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14, child enticement, reckless endangerment of a child and kidnapping. He is the founder of T&P Martial Arts in Arlington, where authorities say the crime took place.

In court, Assistant District Attorney Deborah Bercovitch said Donahue gave Arlington Police a “full confession” of the crime.

The prosecutor said the crime would occur after the victim’s karate class at T&P. He would ask the girl to shake his genitals "to help him remove" a cast he was wearing at the time, according to Bercovitch. Once the victim would comply with the request, he would remove the cast and thank the girl, according to the prosecutor.

Donahue confirmed the prosecution’s account of the crime to police.

Three-Alarm Fire on Appleton Street Destroys House

In April, a three-alarm fire destroyed a large house in Arlington Heights and at least two cars in the back of the building at 100 Appleton St.

"It's a total loss," said an Arlington firefighter at the scene as early on flames were seen shooting out of the back attic window of the gray house at the corner of Appleton Street and Florence Avenue, a block from Massachusetts Avenue.

What was reported initially as a "garage" fire spread up the back of the building, blackening the entire rear outside wall and entering into the attic. Evidence of the fire's origin and intensity were at least two vehicles parked in the back, charred by the blaze. 

Marijuana Grow House Bust in East Arlington

An Arlington man was arrested in September on three drug charges, after police executed a search warrant at his East Arlington home and found nearly 170 marijuana plants.

Police say that Jonathan M. Pore, 23, was growing 150 to 170 marijuana plants at his home on 47 Cleveland St., an amount that some officials estimated to have a street value of $100,000.

Pore is charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, drug violation near a park and cultivation of marijuana. The house where he was arrested is minutes from Dearborn Academy Crosby Park and Fox Library.

Alleged Heroin Dealer Arrested Near Middle School

An Arlington man was arrested in December with what police say was more than 35 grams of heroin and thousands of dollars in cash near Ottoson Middle School.

Robert R. Edwards, 31, of Arlington, was arrested on charges of possession of heroin and trafficking drug violation near a school, according to the police report.

Police apprehended from Edwards 35.5 grams of heroin and about $9,561 cash.