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8-26-2022 12:31am
Police Log: Missing Man Located, Dirty Deed, Thieves Steal Donated Clothing
Darlene Cancell
Editor
The news described in Westwood Minute's Police Log article is primarily based on selected information from the Westwood Police Department's daily log and information provided by Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and police staff. Occasionally, a few facts from other sources may be woven into these stories.
Sunday, August 21st
Missing Randolph Man Located
At 7:39 a.m., a Westwood Detective Sergeant responded to a request from Randolph Police for mutual aid assistance in a missing persons case. Randolph Police were attempting to locate a 78 year-old man, an Alzheimer’s patient, who only speaks Haitian Creole. He was reported missing at 3:00 p.m. on the previous day. With the assistance of some K-9 units, responding Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council personnel located the man. He was found in a patch of woods in the vicinity of Randolph High School around 1:15 p.m. on Sunday.
Saturday, August 20th
A Case of Bad Breath
11:03 a.m. A resident of Dover Terrace reported a fraudulent attempt to apply for a credit card using the resident’s personal information. The resident received an email from Walmart to confirm an online order, followed by a second email stating the order had been cancelled. A third email from Walmart showed a $39.79 order for Listerine mint strips that was completed using a credit card account that the Westwood resident did not possess. The delivery address for the purchase was in Glendora, California. The resident spoke to her credit card company, Walmart, and placed a watch on her credit card accounts.
Stolen Credit Cards Used at Apple Store
9:25 p.m. Police responded to a home on Blue Hill Drive on the report of a stolen wallet and subsequent fraudulent purchases made on the resident’s credit cards. Around 2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., the resident was shopping in University Station, with her wallet in the shopping cart.
After returning home, she received multiple alerts from credit companies. At 3:00 p.m., a $1,000 charge at Lululemon in Dedham was declined. However, another card was successfully used at the Apple Store in Dedham’s Legacy Place for a purchase of $2,037.19. A third card was used at the same store to purchase items at the same amount. A fourth card was successfully used at LL Bean in Legacy Place for about $1,500 in merchandise. The total loss was calculated to be over $4,000.00.
The resident cancelled all of her credit cards. Police advised the resident to notify the banks issuing the cards, put a watch on her credit and bank accounts. This case is being investigated by a detective.
Friday, August 19th
Providing Notice of an Injury
7:26 a.m. The police department at Cornell University contacted Westwood Police for assistance in notifying a family about an injury a family member had sustained at school. Westwood Police visited the family’s home, but no one appeared to be present. Cornell University Police later contacted Westwood Police to confirm that they had been successful in contacting the family.
Fraudulent Credit Applications Lower Victim's Credit Score
5:18 p.m. A resident of Clapboardtree Street reported losing her wallet in New York two days earlier. It contained credit cards and identification.
The resident also took the opportunity to report a separate incident that occurred in spring of this year. She had received notices in the mail that someone had tried to take a loan out in her name in the amount of $9,000. The lender denied the application due to being unable to verify information on the application. There was also a second attempt to take out a loan using the resident’s identity. Also, an attempt was made to take out a Discover Card personal loan. All attempts were unsuccessful.
The resident has not lost any money, but her credit score has gone down because of the fraudulent applications. Police advised the resident to have her credit cards monitored by the credit bureaus and to file a complaint at identitytheft.gov.
Thursday, August 18th
Theft from Donation Bin at First Baptist
8:03 a.m. Police were conducting a routine check of the First Baptist Church of Westwood when a member of the congregation flagged down police to report theft from the church’s clothing donation bin. All donated clothing had been removed. Identification of the perpetrator has not been made but security camera footage placed the theft around 4:00 a.m. in the morning.
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Trespassing to Perform a Dirty Deed
On August 5, 2022, Police were approached by employees of Westwood’s Sewer Department who reported an ongoing issue with someone defecating behind the Summer Street pumping station. In the recent past, two employees had discovered a grey Subaru parked in the drive of the pumping station and a man behind the pumping station where past such deposits had been made. The employees told the man to get off the property.
The employees requested that police make extra checks of the station. Police advised the employees to post “no trespassing” signs at all pumping stations.
At 8:36 a.m. on August 18, 2022, the Sewer Department employees informed police of the same, grey Subaru parked in a different location, on Longmeadow Drive. An officer came to the scene and found a 2022 Subaru Forrester that was registered to a Needham man. The owner of the vehicle came out of the woods, and was questioned by police who informed him that he was on private property. The man answered that he was looking for a place to go kayaking.
Police recognized the man as the same person that police had encountered ten years ago in 2012, when he was found behind the Summer Street pumping station. The officer advised the Needham man that he was being put on notice for trespassing at the station. If the man returns, he will be subject to arrest.
Identity Theft for Unemployment Benefits
1:12 p.m. An officer responded to a condominium building on University Avenue to take a report of identity theft. The resident told police that she had received an email about a Harley Davidson credit card which she never signed up for. She also had received notice of an attempt to apply for unemployment benefits, which she had not applied for. So far, there appear to be no charges or benefits paid out fraudulently under her name.
Police advised her to contact credit reporting bureaus and to report the fraudulent application for unemployment benefits via the online portal of the Department of Unemployment Assistance.
Shoplifting at Ulta Beauty
8:08 p.m. An employee of Ulta Beauty in University Station reported that three female shoplifters had taken merchandise estimated to be worth $800. One perpetrator was wearing a turquoise wig and one was wearing a grey sweatshirt. The employee was unable to describe the third party, and unable to describe their car or determine what direction they left in.
Wednesday, August 17th
Fruit Thief Takes Pears
3:05 p.m. Police responded to a home on Waldo Way to take a report of fruit being stolen from a tree on the property. The resident told police that on three separate occasions, someone had stolen pears off a tree. In the latest incident, a branch was broken in the process. The resident did not see anybody do it. The resident has created an email chain with neighbors to keep an eye on the pear tree.
Tuesday, August 16th
Woman Who Recorded Road Rage Incident Gets Phone Swiped
7:21 p.m. Police were called to the parking lot of Wegmans in response to a report of a swiped iPhone 11. The complainant, a woman from Boston, told police that she had encountered a woman on the road in the Ruggles area of Boston, and had a confrontation over driving. The complainant began recording the other vehicle using her smartphone.
The occupant of the other vehicle came out of the car, swiped away the phone, and re-entered her vehicle and drove away. The complainant used her iPhone’s Find My Phone feature to track her phone to the Wegmans parking lot. From there, the complainant called police.
Police arrived and found the phone thief along with the complainant’s iPhone. Westwood Police will be charging the woman, who is from Boston, with receiving stolen property worth over $300.
Boston Police are also investigating the incident which started the confrontation.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this article.
