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Image by Westwood Minute/Darlene Wong Cancell.
1-30-2023 11:28pm
Police Log: Suspects with Multiple Warrants Arrested; Uptick in Unemployment Benefits Fraud
Darlene Cancell
Editor
The news described in Westwood Minute's Police Log article series 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, January 29th
Reported Disturbance
3:56 p.m. Police received a report that, inside a black Jeep in the vicinity of 85 Brook Street, a male passenger had his pants down and a female passenger was vomiting. Police checked the area and were unable to locate the vehicle.
Saturday, January 28th
Hit-and-Run in Parking Lot
2:20 p.m. A shopper at Frugal Fannie’s observed damage to the shopper’s vehicle. The store’s video showed a white Jeep, driven by a woman, striking the shopper’s Honda CRV as the Jeep attempted to pull into the next parking space. Police are investigating this hit-and-run.
Friday, January 27th
Rear-End Collision at Clapboardtree and Washington Streets
4:07 p.m. A 2012 Ford driven by a woman from Walpole rear-ended a 2020 Honda driven by a woman from Plainville at Clapboardtree and Washington streets. Both vehicles were travelling downhill on Clapboardtree Street. The Honda had slowed for a red light at the intersection. The Ford was unable to stop in time and a collision occurred. The Honda had moderate damage but was able to be driven away. The air bag deployed in the Ford, which was inoperable, and required a tow.
Thursday, January 26th
Unemployment Benefits Fraud #1
6:24 p.m. A resident of Manor Lane told police that his employer notified him of a claim for unemployment benefits that was filed under his name. The man contacted the Department of Unemployment Assistance, reported the fraud, and froze his credit and bank accounts.
Noise Complaint from Construction Site
8:26 p.m. A resident of Gay Street complained to police of noise at the construction site for the new Hanlon-Deerfield school. Police spoke to the foreman, who told police that the crew had received special permission for one night only, to work until 10 p.m. The foreman indicated the belief that work would be completed before that time and work was allowed to continue.
Shoplifting $129 Worth of Crabs Legs
8:46 p.m. Police arrived at Wegmans to find the store’s asset protection staff with a suspected shoplifter. The suspect, a 37 year old man from West Roxbury, cooperated in returning merchandise worth $129 in crabs legs. The store declined to press charges due to his cooperation and issued the man a notice of trespass.
Unemployment Benefits Fraud #2
9:00 p.m. A resident of Phillips Brooks Road reported to police that a claim for unemployment benefits had been fraudulently filed in the resident’s name. The resident has begun changing log-in and password information and has notified his bank and credit card reporting agencies.
Man with Four Warrants Out for His Arrest Cooperates When Taken into Custody
9:17 p.m. Police were dispatched to a shoplifting in progress at Wegmans. Loss prevention staff reported a man had exited the store with merchandise without paying. He was pointed out to police officers, who found him trying to flee on a bicycle. The man stopped when confronted by officers. He apologized for fleeing and informed them that there were warrants out for his arrest. Police recovered $104 in groceries consisting of lamb chops.
Police confirmed that there were four warrants out for the man’s arrest. He was wanted on two warrants from Boston District Court for larceny and two warrants from Roxbury District Court for larceny and burglary. Two of the four warrants were default warrants in which he failed to appear for his court date. He was held without bail and transported to Dedham District Court the following day.
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Wednesday, January 25th
Credit Card Fraud
12:28 p.m. Police responded to a home on Skyline Drive to take a complaint of an unauthorized transaction on a personal credit card. The resident found a charge of $39.95 by an entity, CMarktn.com, which may be located in Florida. It was unreachable by phone.
The resident’s credit card company has cancelled the card and reissued the resident a new one. Police advised her to notify credit reporting agencies to put a watch on her credit cards and to request a PIN number from the Internal Revenue Service for tax filing security.
Dumpster Diving
1:05 p.m. Police received a report that a man was sighted going through trash barrels in the Willow Farm area of Westwood, also known as “The Maze.” Police checked the area but were unable to locate the man.
Tewksbury Resident Arrested on Shoplifting, Third Offense
8:03 p.m. Loss prevention staff at Wegmans informed police that a woman was observed leaving the supermarket with an unpaid-for cart full of wine, headed in the direction of Rockland Trust Bank. An officer detained the woman and escorted her into the store’s office.
The woman first provided a false name before providing police with her identity. She was a 46 year-old woman from Tewksbury. Police discovered she had three warrants for her arrest. She was given a notice of trespass from the store and police charged her with shoplifting, third offense, and arrested her.
Police recovered $218 of the total $530 in stolen merchandise. An accomplice had made off with the remaining $312 in merchandise. Stolen merchandise included an air fryer, flowers, six bottles of fine wine, and olive oil.
Tuesday, January 24th
Fraud on PayPal Account
10:00 a.m. A resident of Farm Lane reported fraud on her PayPal account, after being notified of a transaction which she did not make. The resident had set up a request that her account to be notified when any transaction over $50 is made. This case is currently under investigation.
Unemployment Benefits Fraud #3
1:10 p.m. A resident of Beechnut Road reported a case of unemployment benefits fraud when the resident received a letter regarding a monetary determination from the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance. She is fully employed and had never applied for unemployment benefits.
Based on the fact that the benefits were fraudulently applied for using the resident’s maiden name, she determined to contact her previous employers to investigate the fraudulent claim. The resident has notified credit reporting agencies. Police have advised her to contact the Interval Revenue Service for a PIN for filing taxes.
Unemployment Benefits Fraud #4
4:23 p.m. Police took a walk-in report of unemployment benefits fraud by a resident of Edgewood Road. The resident’s employer had informed the resident that someone attempted to obtain unemployment benefits using the resident's name. The Department of Unemployment Assistance was alerted and the resident also reported the incident to the U.S. Treasury.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this article.
