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Image by Westwood Minute/Darlene Wong Cancell.
11-27-2023 8:47pm
Police Log: Stealing an Identity to Pay for Eye Surgery, Juveniles Vandalize Pumpkins
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, November 26th
Dog Bite
11:11 a.m. A Westwood resident informed police that a dog bit him when he was trail-running at Hale Education the prior day. He reported that the dog was in the immediate area of the owner, but was off-leash. The owner reportedly informed the man that her dog was up to date on its rabies shot. The complainant went to an urgent care facility in Norwood for treatment.
This case has been forwarded to Westwood's animal control officer for review and a possible citation.
“Your Radar Must Be Lying”
4:46 p.m. An officer conducting stationary traffic enforcement on High Street observed a blue Ford pickup pass by at an excessive speed. Radar showed that the pickup was traveling at 49 m.p.h. in a 35 m.p.h. zone.
The officer made the traffic stop and advised the driver that he was speeding. The driver reportedly responded, “Your radar must be lying.”
The officer discovered the driver had a suspended driver’s license. The driver claimed to be unaware of his license status. The officer issued the offender a citation for operating a motor vehicle on a suspended license and speeding.
Saturday, November 25th
Three Suspects Abandon Shoplifting Attempt
12:48 p.m. Police were summoned to Wegmans supermarket in response to a larceny in progress. Dispatch informed responding officers that the suspects had abandoned their cart of merchandise in the parking lot, and had entered a black SUV, which was headed toward the parking lot exit.
Police were able to locate a black SUV and stopped it. Inside, they discovered three women – a 39 year-old from Quincy, a 46 year-old from Randolph, and a 64 year-old from Rockland.
The women informed police that they had accidentally walked out of the store with the cart of unpaid groceries. One woman indicated that it had slipped her mind to pay. Once she realized she had left the store without paying, she told police that the women panicked and fled from loss prevention staff.
Police issued each of the three women a notice of trespass from Wegmans. All items were recovered.
Securing an Open Door
7:28 p.m. A caller reported seeing an open door at Westwood High School, in the area next to the Westwood Integrated Preschool. Police checked the building interior and found nothing amiss. The door was secured.
Collision with a Disabled Vehicle in the Dark
10:26 p.m. Police received a report of a collision of a freightliner light truck with a disabled 2017 Nissan Sentra, at the top of the ramp of Interstate 95 South to Route 1 North. The driver of the truck, a man from Vermont who was driving a Vermont-based company's truck, told police that the disabled Sentra had no lights on. The truck driver did not see it until the crash occurred. The driver of the truck and the driver of the Sentra were uninjured.
Deer Recovers After Vehicle Strike
11:40 p.m. A caller reported seeing a deer on the side of the road. It appeared to have been struck by a car, in the area of Gay Street and Cedar Hill Road.
An officer responded and found the deer in the middle of the road, alive. After a few minutes, the deer was able to get up and run away.
Friday, November 24th
Woodland Road Resident Alleges Fed Ex Truck Damages Stone Wall
4:05 p.m. A resident of Woodland Road reported damage to a stone wall and decorative boulders, alleging that a Fed Ex truck was at fault. The resident told police that a Fed Ex truck had maneuvered around an Amazon delivery truck, which resulted in the Fed Ex truck running onto the resident’s property. The Fed Ex truck struck the resident’s stone wall, and drove over the scattered stones. The driver did not stop, but continued driving. The resident will be reviewing doorbell camera footage to provide any useful footage for police.
Carroll Avenue Resident Alleges Oil Truck Damages Stone Wall
5:23 p.m. A resident of Carroll Avenue reported damage to a rock retaining wall in front of the resident’s home. The resident had returned from Boston to find the wall damaged.
Upon reviewing video from an external camera, the resident observed that an oil company tanker, that was delivering oil to the residence, backed up into the stone wall, causing significant damage. The resident plans to talk to the oil company about restitution.
Thursday, November 23rd
A Bad Week for Stone Walls in Westwood
8:58 a.m. Police responded to a residence on Clapboardtree Street where a homeowner pointed out damage to a stone wall that borders the front of the property. A stone was knocked loose from the wall and a granite column appeared to have been pushed into a slightly different position in the ground. The damage was discovered around 10 p.m. the previous evening. Police records showed no report of any vehicle crash at the location during that time.
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Police Locate Juveniles Suspected of Vandalism in Norwood
10:05 a.m. Westwood Police received a call from Norwood Police who requested assistance in locating a group of six to eight juveniles. The juveniles were seen smashing pumpkins and relieving themselves on a lawn of a Norwood residence. They were described as possibly drinking.
A Westwood Police officer located two individuals from the group, a juvenile from Stoughton and a juvenile from Brighton. They informed police that they were part of the pumpkin-smashing group, but they said they did not personally participate in smashing pumpkins. They told police that the offending parties were walking back to Norwood to clean up the mess.
Suspicious Characters Visit Car Dealership at Night
10:06 p.m. A monitoring company for the Porsche dealership on Providence Highway reported seeing two males on the property, looking at vehicles. When police responded to the lot, no one was found. However, a company manager provided police with additional information after reviewing company security video. On video, two teenagers were observed getting out of a Subaru to look at a vehicle before leaving the Porsche dealership's parking lot.
At 10:32 p.m., police made a stop of a red Subaru in the vicinity, on Route 1, which contained two individuals in their mid-20s. One individual was from Newton and the other was from Brockton. No enforcement action was taken at the time.
Wednesday, November 22nd
Odd Request at Early Morning Hour
3:02 a.m. A Wegmans supermarket employee notified police that a man was banging on the store’s locked door, and was saying that someone was after him and had stolen something from him. The man who was banging on the door was described as wearing a black hat and jacket, the latter which possibly had a cartoon character on it.
A few minutes later, police arrived and located the individual. The man told police he was attempting to get the attention of the store employee to request a shopping bag to put his wet jacket in. Police sent the man on his way.
Disturbance in Hotel Lobby
5:09 a.m. An employee of Courtyard by Marriott on University Avenue reported a person in the hotel lobby was causing a disturbance. Police responded to the scene, but the individual had left. A check of the area did not find any such person.
Identity Theft to Pay for Laser Eye Surgery
10:09 a.m. Police received a call from a resident of Colburn Street who reported being victim of identification fraud. In reviewing his Equifax credit report one month ago, he discovered that a credit card account had been fraudulently opened in his name at Comenity Bank. A charge was made to the account in the amount of $12,710. The charge appears to be related to laser eye surgery.
Possible Vandalism to Construction Vehicle
1:45 p.m. A Westwood resident performing construction work at a Milk Street residence reported possible vandalism to a front end loader during a 15 minute break from work. The crew was installing a swimming pool, and had taken a short break. Upon returning to work, the rear window of the front end loader was discovered to be shattered. It is unknown whether the damage occurred by accident or by the deliberate act of a person.
Arrest for Driving on a Suspended License
8:48 p.m. An officer was conducting stationary traffic enforcement at Washington and East streets, and ran a query on a passing vehicle. The query showed the vehicle was registered to a man with a suspended license. The officer made the traffic stop and identified the driver as the registered owner.
The driver was arrested for operating a motor vehicle on a suspended license (subsequent offense). Bail was set at $290. The man, a 54 year-old from Medford, was released at 12:42 a.m.
Shoplifters Caught in the Act
9:24 p.m. Police responded to a larceny in progress at Wegmans supermarket. A loss prevention staff member informed police that a male was observed taking a sweatshirt, ripping off its sales tag, and putting it on. He then took additional items off shelves and concealed them in a bag. Accompanied by a female, he went to a self-checkout register, and scanned a few items, but neglected to scan other items.
Upon exiting the store, both suspects were confronted by officers. They were each issued trespass notices from Wegmans for a period of two years.
The merchandise taken was valued at $337 and included a Patriots sweatshirt, langoustine, Red Bull drinks, snow crab, toiletries, cough medication, a kitchen knife, and other items.
Tuesday, November 21st
Dispute with Contractors
10:44 a.m. A resident of Weatherbee Drive reported being victim of a paving scam. The resident told police that in February of this year, the resident was approached by two individuals who said they worked for a driveway, patio, and masonry construction company which was performing work at a neighbor’s home. They informed the complainant that the crew could repave the complainant’s driveway for $17,000, a savings compared to what the cost would be if the crew were not already in the neighborhood.
The resident signed a contract, and made a $7,000 deposit that day, via check made out personally to one of the representatives. The resident alleges that while the driveway was being repaved, the representatives also sold the resident the installation of a dry well, priced at $7,500.
The resident reported that contractors cut the dry well in half, and only installed half in the ground. The resident reportedly paid $24,000 in all, but complains that the job has not been completed.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this article.
