Howard Cook, Mass. man, accused of locking Verizon worker in underground vault

(CBS) WESTBOROUGH, Mass. - Police say the owner of a storage facility in Westborough, Mass. took his anger out on a Verizon worker by locking him in an underground vault, CBS Boston reports.

Howard Cook, 71, who owns West Self Storage, was apparently mad that Mike Hathaway parked his Verizon van on his grass to access the vault to do some work, according to the station.

Police say Cook not only slammed the door shut while Hathaway was in the vault working, but he also allegedly picked up huge rocks and placed them on the door.

"They're pretty large rocks that were put on top of the hatch," said Westborough Police Sgt. Jonathan Kalagher. "There was also a ladder that was removed, which prohibited him from escaping."

Hathaway was able to call 911 from the vault.

"He sounded extremely nervous right from the get go," said Sgt. Kalagher. "When the hatch was closed, it didn't allow for any more oxygen to get in, so it was time sensitive to get to him."

Hathaway was eventually freed from the vault by a police officer. Cook faces a number of charges including kidnapping, the station reports.