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11-09-2022 11:31pm
Police Log: Assisting Late Night "Donations," Sad End to Dogs on the Loose, Three Hit-and-Runs
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.
Monday, November 7th
Harassment from a Former Customer
11:27 a.m. A resident of Downey Street reconnected with a client from Framingham after performing some work for the client some time ago. The Westwood resident agreed to do further work and approached the client about working out project details. However, when the work was about the commence, the customer began sending abusive text messages to the resident. The resident has requested that police document the interactions. Police attempts to mediate the situation have been unsuccessful.
Sunday, November 6th
Thief Swipes Bracelet, Cash from Apartment
10:28 a.m. Police were dispatched to Fox Hill Village to meet a member of the community’s security staff. A female resident had reported a yellow, gold bracelet worth $400 and $100 in cash being taken from her apartment. The case has been turned over to detectives.
Hit-and-Run I
7:13 p.m. A Westwood resident reported being rear-ended while driving her 2022 Toyota the previous evening. She had been stopped on East Street at a traffic light when her vehicle was bumped from behind by an unknown vehicle. When the light changed, she drove across the intersection and pulled to the side of the road. The vehicle behind her also drove through the intersection but continued on without stopping. The complainant was unable to provide any description of the other vehicle or driver. Her car received minor damage to the rear bumper.
Friday, November 4th
Vehicle Accident Takes Life of One Dog, Injures Another
5:34 p.m. Police responded to the scene of an accident involving one vehicle and two dogs in the vicinity of Oak Street and Spruce Drive. A man from Walpole was driving a 2002 BMW south on Oak Street when two dogs ran into the road. The driver was unable to stop, resulting in an accident that killed one dog and injured the other. The BMW received minor damage.
Police located the dogs’ owners, Westwood residents, to explain the circumstances. The owners retrieved both dogs, transporting the injured one to Tufts Veterinary Emergency Treatment & Specialties in Walpole.
Thursday, November 3rd
Hit-and-Run II
12:55 p.m. Police responded to a Bridges by EPOCH Memory Care facility on the report of damage to a stone wall at its entrance, on the shoulder of University Avenue. A portion of the stone wall had been knocked off. The officer noted that the damage appeared to be caused by a large vehicle making too large of a turn while entering the driveway.
Pedestrian Injured by Vehicle Backing Up in Parking Lot
1:36 p.m. A pedestrian was injured in the parking lot in front of Lambert’s Rainbow Market on Providence Highway, when a vehicle backing up from a parking space in front of the store, failed to notice the woman standing behind the vehicle. The pedestrian was waiting for a ride to pick her up.
The vehicle backed into the woman and the woman fell face forward onto the pavement. Westwood Fire paramedics responded, applied aid, and transported her to Beth Israel Hospital Needham. She had received moderate to severe injuries. Police cited the driver for failure to use care and caution while backing up.
Wednesday, November 2nd
Hit-and-Run III
5:52 p.m. At the request of Weston Police Department, Westwood Police sent an officer to Westwood Glen to locate a blue, Honda Civic which was reported as being involved in a hit-and-run in Weston. The vehicle belonged to a Westwood resident. Westwood Police located the Civic, noted damage on it, and took photographs. The woman who was the operator of the vehicle denied being involved in a crash.
Westwood Police shared a copy if its report with Weston Police, which will use the information to make a case for citing the driver with leaving the scene of a crash.
Tuesday, November 1st
Rear-end Collision at East Street Rotary
8:46 a.m. A 2013 Lexus driven by a man from Norwood was attempting to enter the East Street Rotary when a 2004 BMW driven by a man from Westwood rear-ended it. Both drivers declined medical attention. The vehicles each received minor damage and were able to be driven from the scene.
Monday, October 31st
Rear-end Collision on High Street
1:29 p.m. A 2011 Ford driven by a woman from Needham rear-ended a 2014 Kia driven by a man from Norfolk in the vicinity of 940 High Street. The vehicles were traveling east on High Street toward Dedham. The Ford stopped to allow another vehicle to make a left hand turn in front of it. The Kia rear-ended the Ford. Both vehicles received damage, and both had to be towed. The drivers refused transportation to the hospital.
Late-Night “Donations”
10:48 p.m. An officer on patrol was driving by Temple Beth David on Clapboardtree Street when the officer noticed a white U-Haul vehicle in the parking lot. It was stopped next to the temple's clothing donation bin. When the officer turned into the lot to investigate, the U-Haul pulled out and drove away. The officer followed the vehicle until it passed out of Westwood into Norwood.
Being aware of one or more past incidents of thieves stealing donations from the First Baptist Church clothing donation bin, the officer returned to the Temple Beth David clothing bin to examine it. He found no evidence of tampering.
The officer then decided to check on the First Baptist Church clothing bin. When he pulled into its parking lot, he found a U-Haul vehicle there. One man was seated. Another man was standing between the vehicle and the donation bin.
In discussion with the officer, both men claimed to be making donations to the church's clothing bin. The officer observed approximately 40 to 50 garbage bags, presumably full of clothing and/or textiles, at the back of the van. He also noticed an open container of alcohol in the vehicle’s driving compartment. The passenger, a 27 year old from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was cited for possessing an open container of alcohol. The officer also discovered that the driver, a 29 year-old from Norwood, had a suspended license. The officer cited the driver for operating a motor vehicle on a suspended license.
With the officer present, the men placed half of their van’s load into the donation box, until no more would fit. The officer took charge of the other half the van’s cargo for safe keeping. These bags of donations would be delivered at a later time to First Baptist Church.
Due to the driver's suspended license, the U-Haul vehicle was towed. The two men were free to leave on foot. They were picked up for a ride by two women on High Street.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this article.
