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7-17-2023 10:43pm
Police Log: Dogs Left in Hot Cars, Irish Travellers, and Other Stories
Darlene Cancell
Editor
The news described in Westwood Minute's weekly 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, July 16th
Assisting Norwood PD in Serious Accident
8:43 p.m. Westwood Police responded to a call for mutual aid from Norwood Police, related to a serious vehicle accident at Upland Road in Norwood, near the intersection of Clapboardtree and Washington streets. Westwood Police closed access of inbound traffic into Norwood until 9:28 p.m.
Saturday, July 15th
Accidental Acceleration into Tree Results in Injuries to Driver and Passenger
9:16 a.m. A Westwood woman driving a 2022 Tesla and her passenger were injured when the driver accidentally accelerated the Tesla forward from its parking space in the Sheehan School parking lot into a tree. The driver’s side airbag in the car deployed.
Police responded, along with a Westwood Fire Department engine and car, and ambulances from Westwood and Norwood. The driver and her passenger, another woman from Westwood, were transported separately to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham. The car sustained major front-end damage.
Friday, July 14th
Toting away Stolen Goods
10:45 a.m. Police responded to CVS on Washington Street to take a report of a larceny from the prior day. An employee reported that two suspicious females with large totes were seen entering the store, and quickly exiting without making purchases. They are suspected of stealing $1,350 of bath and beauty items such as soaps and lotions on July 13th, and are suspected of having taken merchandise worth $775 on another occasion.
Owner Charged with Animal Cruelty after Dog Rescued from Hot Car
5:10 p.m. A caller informed police that upon parking outside Life Time Fitness on Harvard Street, the caller noticed a golden retriever dog was locked in the next vehicle, with windows rolled up. The ambient air temperature outside the vehicle was in the range of 80-85 degrees. The caller notified Life Time Fitness staff, who made a public announcement requesting that the owner attend to the dog. However, no one responded. The caller also notified Westwood Police.
The responding officer ran the license plate of the vehicle, a black, Nissan Altima, and obtained the name of the vehicle’s owner. A second announcement was made by Life Time Fitness staff with the owner’s information, but no one responded.
Westwood Fire Department arrived, and accessed the vehicle to release the dog. The dog was panting, and quickly drank two bottles of water.
Police investigated further and were able to locate the owner of the vehicle in the gym. The owner reportedly told police that he just was on his way to check on the dog, and claimed ignorance regarding the danger posed to a dog that is trapped inside a hot car on a hot day. The dog owner, a resident of Ashland, is being summoned to Dedham District Court on a charge of cruelty to an animal.
Another Dog Left in Hot Car
5:38 p.m. A caller reported that a dog was locked inside a red Suburu that was parked outside Michael’s craft store at University Station. A few minutes later, at 5:43 p.m., the owner of both dog and vehicle exited the store and took care of the dog.
Police Assist Man in Need of Phone Charge, Medical Care
9:58 p.m. On Washington Street near East Street, Police assisted a non-English speaking man who appeared to have been separated from his group. He was transported to the police station in order to recharge his cell phone battery so that he could contact friends to pick him up. However, 45 minutes after arriving at the police station, the man became ill. Westwood Fire paramedics transported the man to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham for evaluation.
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Thursday, July 13th
Dog Left in Hot Car III
10:15 a.m. A caller reported that a dog was left in a Silver Scion in the parking lot of Wegmans supermarket. Police contacted the owner, who was advised not to leave the dog in a hot car.
Motor Vehicle Break-In on Lyons Drive
12:12 p.m. A resident of Lyons Drive reported noticing the center console of the resident’s vehicle was open, with contents thrown about. The vehicle was unlocked and parked in the driveway. A loss of approximately $1 was reported. Police were able to obtain a fingerprint from a passenger door that was left partially open.
Lieutenant Sheehy reminds residents that when parking a vehicle overnight, residents should lock the vehicle's doors, regardless of the location where the vehicle is parked.
Assault and Battery
4:03 p.m. Police responded to an altercation in a small parking lot near Starbucks on University Avenue. It involved a male delivery driver and two other parties. They were having a verbal argument, and one of the other two parties began to pepper spray the delivery man. The perpetrator has been charged with assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon and is receiving a summons to court.
Wednesday, July 12th
Second Motor Vehicle Break-In on Lyons Drive
9:10 a.m. A resident of Lyons Drive reported a break-in of the resident’s vehicle. The vehicle was parked on the street outside the home, with its doors unlocked. The center console was open, with contents strewn through the vehicle. The resident reported spare change missing.
A Tale of Irish Travellers
11:03 a.m. A resident of Dean Avenue reported that two months ago, two young men whom he estimated to be possibly in their mid-20s, approached him with the proposal to fix the brick staircase at the front of his home for $150, which he agreed to. They spoke with foreign accents, and told the homeowner they were British. The homeowner believed the accents could be British or Irish. The men arranged to return the next day, but did not.
Another day later, the resident heard loud banging outside his house and found two men breaking up a staircase with tools. They were different men than the ones he had contracted with. They are believed to have possessed a black, late-model Ford F-150. They informed the resident that the job was more complicated than at first thought, and that the cost would now be $3,000. The resident complained to police.
During an investigation by Westwood Police, police became aware of a bulletin from Hanover Police and U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement regarding an arrest of several individuals for violating immigration laws. They are believed to be part of an “Irish Travellers” network, who are also sometimes inaccurately referred to as “gypsies.” A black Ford F-150 was seized.
Westwood Police are seeking further information from Hanover Police to determine if the Irish travellers have a connection to the incident in Westwood.
3:53 p.m. A Westwood Police detective sergeant assisted in a missing person case in the Town of Holbrooke. The detective sergeant spent the day interviewing friends and family of the missing individual.
Tuesday, July 11th
Driving on a Suspended License
5:33 p.m. An officer was conducting stationary traffic enforcement on Providence Highway, and discovered a suspended driver’s license associated with the owner of a passing black, Toyota Camry. At the traffic stop, the driver provided a Brazilian driver’s license. The officer confirmed that the driver and vehicle owner were one and the same. The officer made the arrest for driving on a suspended license. The driver, a 31 year-old man from Norwood, was released on bail that was set at $100.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and Westwood Police for contributing information for this article.
