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Image by Westwood Minute/Darlene Wong Cancell.
9-05-2023 10:05pm
Police Log: Driver Leaves Scene of Hit-and-Run, Dog Fight Injures Owners and Dogs
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, September 3rd
Driver Leaves Scene in a Hit-and-Run
2:52 a.m. Police were dispatched to the intersection of Clapboardtree Street and Meadowbrook Road on the report of a single vehicle crash. Police discovered that a blue, Subaru Legacy had gone off the road and struck a metal guardrail on the shoulder. It had major front-end damage, leading the responding officer to believe that the collision occurred at a high rate of speed. The driver had left.
Police determined that the Legacy belonged to a man from Concord. Efforts to reach him were unsuccessful. Police believe the man has a second address in Medfield and a relative in Westwood. Westwood Police visited the home of the Westwood relative, but no one was home. Westwood Police have contacted Medfield and Concord police departments for help in contacting the owner of the vehicle.
Shoplifting at Nordstrom Rack
12:50 p.m. Police received a report of three women stealing a large amount of merchandise from Nordstrom Rack. While police were en route to the scene, the suspects were reported to be leaving in a black Jeep, turning out of the parking lot onto Harvard Street. Police found a vehicle matching the description, and made the stop.
Inside the black, Jeep Grand Cherokee, were two women. The passenger was later discovered to have provided a false name to police. Police did not notice any stolen items in the vehicle, and the women were allowed to leave.
Upon later review of the store video, however, police identified the driver of the Jeep as the same woman appearing in security footage who left without paying. The driver has been identified as a 49 year-old woman from Brockton. She will be receiving a summons for larceny over $1,200. Items taken were fragrances, sweaters, hosiery, a trench coat, pants, and shoes.
Fool Me Once
2:40 p.m. Staff from Target reported two past larcenies to police. Staff told police that on August 2nd, a man and a woman stole two PlayStations worth about $500 each. After asking a sales associate for the two items, the woman handed the electronics over to the man, who walked out of the store with the PlayStations, without paying.
The suspects returned on August 25th and again asked for two PlayStations. The manager became suspicious and told the sales associate to bring out only one. The sales associate did so, and when the woman tried to take it, the associate told her that it would have to be paid for, first. The woman informed the associate that she did not want it.
The woman proceeded to grab an air fryer, electric scooter and hover board from store shelves and walked out of the store without paying. The items were worth about $739. The associate followed the woman and observed her getting into a green Lexus and recorded the license plate.
Police determined that the owner of the Lexus is the same person as the man who walked out with the unpaid merchandise on August 2nd and returned to the store with the woman on August 25th. He has denied knowledge of the thefts. He will receive a summons for thefts of two PlayStations worth about $1,000 and for receiving stolen property. He is a 42 year-old from Boston. The woman has not yet been identified.
Thursday, August 31st
Keeping the Peace in Landlord-Tenant Dispute
12:30 p.m. At a landlord’s request, an officer met with the property owner at a home on Weatherbee Drive to help keep the peace while the landlord interacted with a tenant. The landlord requested that police make a record of three broken windows, windows and doors that were covered from inside, and a dog appearing in the second-story window.
Shoplifting for a Cat
5:00 p.m. At PetSmart, Police responded to a report of shoplifting that occurred earlier that day around 3:30 p.m. Store employees reported that a middle-aged woman entered the store with an empty cart, then walked out of the store with her cart full, failing to pay. Items taken included a cat bed and cat tree, together worth $111.
An employee asked if the woman needed help with checking out. The woman reportedly responded that the items in her cart were returns, then exited without paying. Employees were able to provide police with a description of the suspect's vehicle – a white, GMC Terrain – along with its license plate. This incident is under investigation.
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Wednesday, August 30th
Chain-Reaction Collision on Providence Highway
1:11 p.m. Around the vicinity of 335 Providence Highway, a 2020 Toyota rental that was driven by a man from Goffstown, New Hampshire, was travelling south in the left lane when it approached a row of stopped cars. It then swerved into the right lane, and into a 2021 BMW driven by a woman from Newton. In a chain reaction collision, the BMW then rear-ended a 2022 Toyota driven by a man from Chester, Vermont.
The Toyota rental which caused the chain reaction had major front-end damage. The BMW had major rear-end damage and minor front-end damage. Both required a tow. The third vehicle had minor rear-end damage and was able to drive away from the scene. Westwood Fire paramedics responded; however, all three drivers declined medical treatment.
Arrests for Shoplifting and Conspiracy
4:26 p.m. Two officers were dispatched to Wegmans for a shoplifting in progress. The store’s asset protection staff observed a man and woman working together to conceal items in their shopping carts then leave without paying. Police intercepted them and escorted them to the store’s office.
At the store’s office, the woman declined to make any statement. When she was placed in handcuffs, she offered to make a payment, but was informed it was too late. Both individuals – the woman from Rockland and the man from Boston - were arrested for shoplifting and conspiracy.
Items taken included food, paper products, frying pans, flatware, drinks, and more, totaling over $600 in the man’s cart and over $340 in the woman’s cart.
Tuesday, August 29th
Suspicious Activity or Curious Neighbor?
7:52 a.m. A former resident of a home on Crystal Hill Terrace told police that he saw suspicious behavior on his surveillance camera. He observed an unknown woman moving around the property and attempting to unlock a door on Monday, August 28th around 6 p.m.
An investigating officer reviewed the video and observed an older, white female in a blue dress with a golden retriever. She was looking in the home’s windows and rang the doorbell before she pulled the door handle. The woman has not yet been identified.
Monday, August 28th
Turn Down the Volume
8:43 a.m. A caller reported hearing loud music from an adjoining apartment on Westwood Glen Road. An officer investigated and determined that the noise was from the television of another tenant who is hard of hearing. Police requested that television volume be turned down.
Dog Fight Results in Injuries to Dogs and Owners
6:14 p.m. Police took a report from three dog walkers who all suffered bites in trying to break up a fight between two dogs in the area of High Street and Reynolds Farm Way.
A Westwood resident was walking his dog on High Street, while a woman from Dover and her son were walking their dog in the opposite direction and toward him. The woman motioned for the man to pass while she held her dog to the side. As the man passed with his dog, his dog lunged at the woman’s dog, and gave it a bite.
All three people suffered bites as they attempted to break up the ensuing dog fight. It is unclear which dog caused which bites, but the Dover resident told police that she was bitten by the man’s dog while she tried to pry its mouth off of her dog.
Both dogs also received bite injuries from each other. They will each be subject to quarantine for 10 days.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and Westwood Police for contributing information for this article.
