30° and Cloudy
Image
Image by Westwood Minute/Darlene Wong Cancell.
8-11-2023 12:29am
Police Log: Elderly Couple Leaves Accident Scene in Hit-and-Run with Westwood Ambulance 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, August 6th
Complaints of Animal Abuse
10:48 a.m. Police received a complaint of animal abuse when a resident of Westwood Glen Apartment was alleged to have dragged a dog by its leash and could be heard yelling in her apartment. When police arrived, the owner informed police that one of her two dogs is in heat, and she was trying to prevent it from breeding with another dog.
On August 1st, police had received another report of alleged animal abuse by the same owner. The complainant in the earlier incident alleged that the owner was mistreating her dogs, including kicking at least one of them. At that time, the owner reported being overwhelmed with controlling two dogs. Police noted that both dogs appeared in good health and did not appear to be injured.
Accident at High Street and Draper Avenue
5:16 p.m. Two vehicles were involved in an accident at High Street and Draper Avenue. One party complained of back pain, but was not transported to the hospital. No further details are available at this time.
Elderly Couple Involved in Hit-and-Run with Westwood Fire Department Ambulance
9:05 p.m. A hit-and-run involving a Westwood Fire Department ambulance occurred at the intersection of High and Gay streets, while the ambulance was transporting a patient.
A Westwood Fire ambulance had its emergency lights on, and was preparing to make a right turn from Gay Street onto High Street. A white sedan on Gay street pulled over to the right. However, when the ambulance navigated around the white sedan to make the turn, the white sedan pulled forward and struck the rear passenger side of the ambulance. The impact resulted in scuff marks and white paint transfer from the sedan to the ambulance.
The ambulance driver exited the ambulance to approach the sedan driver, and observed an elderly couple inside the sedan. The sedan drove away, turning left onto High Street.
The ambulance continued on its way to transport its patient to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham.
Tantalizing Tires
9:09 a.m. A possible theft of tires from Ira Acura Westwood was investigated when an alarm to the business’s parking lot was activated. Security video showed a grey minivan near a bin where garbage, scrap, and tires are placed. A male in black polo shirt and jeans, estimated to be around 30-40 years old, was going through the discarded tires. The dealership had not yet determined if anything had been taken. Police were unable to locate a vehicle or person matching the video.
Saturday, August 5th
Juvenile’s Misuse of Credit Card
6:01 p.m. Police received a report of theft or misuse of a credit card involving juveniles. A father told police that his child, a resident of Dedham, had left a credit card at the Dunkin’ shop on Providence Highway, and that a young Dunkin’ employee had used his child’s credit card to make a $100 purchase.
The juvenile employee admitted to using the credit card. He arranged to transfer the funds back to the card owner. The father of the victim stated that he did not wish to pursue criminal charges. He stated that he knew the father of the employee and would speak to him.
Friday, August 4th
Dog Bites Owner
8:39 a.m. Police received a report from Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham about a dog biting its owner, a resident of High Rock Street, on August 1st. The owner had bite injuries on both hands.
The bite had occurred when the owner was out of state with her dog. When the wound had problems healing, she had sought medical help. The dog was placed on a 10-day quarantine.
Stay in the loop with Westwood Minute in your email inbox. Subscribe!
Thursday, August 3rd
Unexplained Vehicle Damage
11:00 a.m. Police responded to the parking lot of Starbucks on University Avenue to take a report from a woman complaining of damage to her 2019 Toyota Rav4. The woman from Cohasset told police that she was sitting in her vehicle when she heard a loud crack behind her. She saw that her rear passenger window was shattered. She did not observe anyone nearby who could be responsible. The investigating officer did not find any obvious object which might have impacted the Rav4, either inside or outside the vehicle.
Wednesday, August 2nd
Online Extortion
6:55 a.m. A resident of Conant Road reported extortion by an unknown person, online. On the previous day, the person threatened the resident in a text message, stating that embarrassing photos would be sent to the resident’s personal and professional acquaintances unless money and gift cards were provided.
The resident sent a $100 payment to the individual via PayPal, and learned that the payment was converted to Canadian currency. The blackmailer then demanded more money and Walmart gift cards.
The resident ceased contact, and blocked the blackmailer’s number. No further contact was reported.
Juvenile Driver Crashes Vehicle into Pole
6:47 p.m. A juvenile male from Westwood was driving a 2012 Ford when, due to a spilled drink, the vehicle left the road and crashed into a telephone pole. The accident occurred on the 100 block of Conant Road. The telephone pole snapped from the impact, and the vehicle’s air bags deployed.
Neither the driver nor two passengers reported injuries. The vehicle received heavy front-end damage and required a tow. The driver was cited for a marked lanes violation and operating a vehicle negligently.
Tuesday, August 1st
Missing or Stolen Package
8:37 a.m. A resident of Briar Lane reported a lost or stolen package, containing a Hewlett Packard laptop valued at $1650.
On July 22nd, the resident received a message alleging to be from Fed Ex stating that the package was pending delivery. On July 27th, when it still had not arrived, the resident contacted Fed Ex, and was informed that the package was somewhere in a Quincy warehouse and it should be reported as a lost package.
On July 31st, the resident received another message allegedly from Fed Ex, stating that the package had been delivered on July 22. However, the message contained no proof of delivery.
The resident’s security camera footage showed no deliveries made on July 22nd. The resident is filing a claim with Hewlett Packard to seek a replacement laptop.
Dog Bites Mail Carrier
9:55 a.m. Walpole Urgent Care reported a dog bite to police. The medical facility was treating a Braintree resident who is a mail carrier. The mail carrier was delivering mail to a home on Edgewood Road in Westwood when a dog at the residence bit the mail carrier.
The victim was unable to identify which of the residence’s two dogs was the attacker. As a result, both dogs were placed in quarantine.
Monday, July 31st
Resident is Involuntarily Committed
12:09 p.m. Police responded to a Westwood residence pursuant to a court order for involuntary commitment. Police transported a resident of the home to the courthouse on the judge’s order.
Two Shoplifters Arrested
6:37 p.m. Police responded to a shoplifting in progress at Wegmans. Loss prevention staff pointed out two men with carts full of merchandise.
Police observed one of the suspects leaving the store with a package of shrimp in his hands. When an officer approached in a cruiser, the man attempted to avoid him by walking in another direction, into the parking lot. Police were able to intercept the man, who was unable to provide a sales receipt for the shrimp. The 28 year-old from Boston was arrested and charged with shoplifting and conspiracy.
A second officer approached the second suspect, a 30 year-old man with no fixed address. Police discovered him to have five warrants for his arrest from Milford, Leominster, Lowell, and Quincy district courts. Westwood Police also found him to be in possession of heroin. He was charged with shoplifting in a joint venture with another individual, possessing a controlled substance, and conspiracy to shoplift. Both suspects were transferred to the Norfolk County Correctional Center.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and Westwood Police for contributing information for this article.
