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Image by Westwood Minute/Darlene Wong Cancell.
10-16-2023 10:41pm
Police Log: MedFlight Summoned, Alert Resident Avoids Phone Scam, Suspicious Man in Backyards
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, October 15th
One Thing Leads To Another
10:46 a.m. An officer was conducting stationary traffic enforcement and discovered that the license plate on a passing Dodge Ram pickup was registered to another vehicle – a 2015 Ford pickup. The officer made the traffic stop.
The driver, a 23 year-old resident of Norwood, told the officer that the Dodge was a recent purchase. The officer discovered that the driver’s license was suspended. The license plate was also registered in another person’s name.
The driver was arrested and the truck towed. The driver’s wife and child, who were passengers, were given transportation to Norwood. Bail was set at $3,000, which the driver’s wife provided later that day.
The driver was cited for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, attaching plates, and operating an unregistered motor vehicle and uninsured motor vehicle.
Commotion at the Commuter Rail
11:18 a.m. Police responded to the Amtrak/Route 128 train station on the report of a man wearing an American flag mask, who was causing a commotion in the downstairs lobby. He was the same individual about whom a complaint was made to police on October 12th for creating a nuisance in Westwood’s Roche Bros. store, as described in another entry to this police log. On this day, the police sent him on his way.
Saturday, October 14th
MedFlight Summoned for Injured Child
2:41 p.m. Police received a report that a 9 year-old boy from Sherborn had injured his head after he fell off a bicycle while at Hale Education. At 3:01 p.m., a MedFlight was requested, with an estimated arrival time of 25 minutes. Westwood Fire paramedics transported the boy by ambulance to Sheehan School to meet the helicopter, which landed on Sheehan Field. The helicopter took flight with the young patient at 3:37 p.m.
Thursday, October 12th
Alert Resident Avoids Phone Scam from Alleged “Bank of America” Caller
2:02 p.m. Westwood Police received a report via the department’s online contact form, in which a resident of Glen Road complained of attempted fraud by phone. The resident informed police of a phone call, supposedly from a Bank of America representative, who told him that a new account had been created in his name and that suspicious transactions were taking place through the payment application, Zelle.
The caller advised the resident to log into Zelle, and enter two cancellation codes, “00199998” and “00899999” to cancel those transactions. The caller told the resident that upon entering the cancellation codes, the leading zero digits would disappear.
The resident realized that without the leading zeros, the so-called cancellation codes appeared to be monetary amounts, $1,999.98 and $8,999.99. The resident ended the phone call. He confirmed that the representations of the caller were inaccurate and that it was a scam. The resident has not lost any money.
Man Causes Disturbance in Grocery Store
3:28 p.m. Police received a call regarding a disturbance in the Roche Bros. grocery store on Washington Street. A man was using profanity and creating a nuisance. Police arrived and identified him as a former Westwood resident who now resides in Norwood. He was issued a trespass warning and given a courtesy ride to his home.
Tenant Complains of Landlord Harassment
3:52 p.m. A resident of St. Denis Drive complained that someone had tampered with the resident’s mail and that the resident’s landlord had taken a flag from the house. The landlord reportedly maintained that the flag was not allowed under the lease. The resident reported the incidents as harassment.
Wednesday, October 11th
Bank Card Fraud
1:11 p.m. A resident of Woodland Road told police that over $1,000 in fraudulent charges were posted as out-of-state transactions on the resident’s bank card from July 1, 2022 to October 6, 2023. The resident has recovered $795 of those charges. The resident’s bank is investigating and requested that a police report be filed.
Suspicious Man on Marshall Street
4:01 p.m. A patrolling police officer was flagged down by a Marshall Street resident. The resident informed the officer that a suspicious man was walking through his backyard and the backyards of abutting homes on the street. The resident showed the officer a video of the man on a neighbor’s porch, which triggered an audible alarm. The man walked away and into the backyards of other homes.
The man was described as a black male, wearing a black jacket, red shirt, black pants, a hat, and surgical mask.
Police checked homes in the area and found one with an unlocked door, but no sign of forced entry. Nothing else was found to be amiss.
Sometime later, the complainant contacted police to report seeing the suspicious man at the Allen Gas Express station near Dunkin’ on Washington Street. Police responded to the area and found the man inside Dunkin’.
The man, a resident of Roslindale, told police that he got off his bus at the wrong location and he wanted to walk around before getting a drink at Dunkin’. Police advised him to stop trespassing on private properties. Police returned to Marshall Street to update the residents of what had transpired.
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Just an Exchange of Words. . . or More?
5:14 p.m. A Westwood resident who was walking in Lowell Woods encountered a dog walker with unleashed dogs. The two exchanged words. When the resident returned to the resident’s vehicle, the resident found dirt and leaves thrown on the car. The dog walker denied having any knowledge of the dirt and leaves on the vehicle.
Tuesday, October 10th
Vehicle Damaged after Driving into Construction Area
11:17 a.m. A Westwood resident was driving a 2017 Lexus on Downey Street, and against the instructions of a detail officer at the scene, the driver proceeded to make a right turn onto Canton Street into a lane that was marked with orange cones as being closed for construction. The Lexus struck a granite curb that was laying on the side of the road, while it was waiting to be set into the ground. The impact from the collision split the granite curb in two. The Lexus received minor damage to the front bumper and undercarriage.
Shoplifting Red Bull
2:28 p.m. An officer patrolling University Station was flagged down by a loss prevention staff member from Wegmans. The staff member told police that a male in his late teens was seen exiting the grocery store with unpaid items. Upon being approached by staff, he reportedly took off running, toward the rear of the nearby Target store.
A second officer located the suspect in front of the shopping center’s PetSmart store. The 19 year-old from Attleboro admitted to stealing a Red Bull drink, which he returned to the police officer. No other stolen items were found on him. Wegmans will be mailing the teen a notice of trespass.
“Everyone Does It”
4:33 p.m. An officer observed a yellow Mercedes-Benz parked in a handicap space in the parking lot of University Station. It did not have a handicap placard on display. The officer discovered that the vehicle’s registration was suspended.
When a man entered the vehicle and attempted to drive out of the parking lot, the officer stopped him. The driver denied knowing that the vehicle’s registration was suspended and admitted that he did not have a handicap placard. He informed the officer that he only used the handicap parking spot for 5 minutes in order to pick up an Instacart order.
When the officer explained the space was reserved for those with a handicap, the driver responded, “Everyone does it.”
The Mercedes was towed, and the driver received citations for a handicap parking violation and for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended registration.
Police Investigating Suspected Shoplifters
7:20 p.m. Two officers responded to Wegmans on the report of two female suspects leaving the store with unpaid merchandise. They were seen getting into a grey SUV. The staff reported that the suspects took salad, subs, vitamins, shampoo, hair ties, and other items totaling over $240. Police are investigating.
Lost Wallet and Fraud on Credit Cards
7:47 p.m. A resident of Washington Street reported fraudulent charges on her credit cards after she lost her wallet. She believes the wallet was lost at either Orange Leaf in Norwood or the VA Medical Center in West Roxbury. Approximately $800 of charges were made by an unknown person using the complainants’ three credit cards. The complainant informed police that she learned of a number of thefts occurring at the VA Medical Center on the same day that her credit cards were stolen.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and Westwood Police for contributing information for this article.
