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12-29-2023 11:59pm
Police Log: More Complaints of "Inappropriate" Posted Flyers, Bicycle Thefts from Gables University Station Apartments
Darlene Cancell
Editor
Following is the second installment this week of Westwood Minute's Police Log weekly article series. Because last week's Police Log article did not get published due to resources covering other news, last week's log was instead published on Tuesday earlier this week. Additionally, the more recent Police Log entries are now published in a second installment, below.
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.
Monday, December 25th
Disturbing Flyers on High Street
11:52 a.m. A resident of High Street reported seeing “inappropriate flyers” on utility poles, and stated being bothered by them. The flyers referenced a fatal accident that occurred in 2017 on Pond Street.
Woman Complains of Head Injury after Car Accident
4:18 p.m. A 2010 Ford driven by a man from Randolph struck a 2017 Acura driven by a woman from Norwood at the intersection of Clapboardtree and Nahatan Streets.
According to a witness, the Ford was on Clapboardtree Street when it failed to stop at the Nahatan Street intersection. The Acura was on Clapboardtree Street, attempting to turn left, south onto Nahatan. The airbags in the front and right of the Acura deployed. The driver of the Acura complained of a head injury and was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Needham by Westwood Fire paramedics.
Police cited the driver of the Ford for failure to yield.
Sunday, December 24th
Disturbing Flyers on High, Pond, and Clapboardtree streets
10:08 a.m. A caller reported “offensive” flyers being posted in the area of High and Pond streets. An officer found multiple flyers posted in the area of Pond and Clapboardtree streets, and later found flyers posted on the bulletin board at Buckmaster Pond, which were removed.
Vandalism at Westwood Glen Apartments
11:11 a.m. A resident of Bradford, Massachusetts reported vandalism to a 2021 Volkswagen SUV that was parked in the lot of Westwood Glen apartments Building 6, while the complainant was visiting a friend. There was a broken rear window and key and scratch marks across the vehicle body, and tire damage. The vehicle was parked in the lot between Saturday, December 23rd from 11 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, December 24th.
Saturday, December 23rd
Apple Watch Stolen from Delivered Package
9:00 a.m. A resident of Pond Street reported a stolen Apple watch. The watch had been purchased several days earlier and the resident received a notice that the package was delivered by UPS on December 20th
at 2:18 p.m. to his residence. However, when he unpacked the box, he noticed it had already been opened. The new watch was missing. The resident is communicating with UPS about the theft of the watch, which is valued at $1,380.
Disturbing Flyers at Buckmaster Pond
11:22 a.m. An officer responded to the parking lot of Buckmaster Pond where a resident reported seeing flyers posted on the town’s bulletin board regarding a fatal accident that occurred in 2017 on Pond Street. Police removed and discarded the flyers.
Stealing Baby Formula
1:32 p.m. While en route to a larceny in progress at Wegmans, dispatch informed the responding officer that the suspect was exiting the store. He had been observed filling a reusable shopping bag with baby formula and failing to pay before exiting. As police arrived, the suspect was reported to be fleeing across the parking lot. Further information was that the suspect was hiding behind Casa Loca restaurant.
The responding officer observed the suspect hiding in the bushes near the restaurant’s rear exit door, and ordered the suspect to come out. The suspect, a 56 year-old man from Boston, was temporarily detained in handcuffs for officer safety while a course of action was decided upon.
The store's staff determined to serve the man a trespass notice, and the subject was released and will be summoned to district court. Police transported the suspect to the MBTA Amtrak Route 128 Station and told he was free to go.
Disturbing Flyers at Oak Street, Sumac Drive, Sycamore Drive, Fensview Drive, and Magnolia Drive
3:46 p.m. An officer was dispatched to Oak Street at Magnolia Drive on the report of suspicious activity. The officer found flyers posted on multiple poles that referenced a fatal accident in 2017 on Pond Street. They were posted on Oak Street, Sumac Drive, Sycamore Drive, Fensview Drive, and Magnolia Drive.
Two Bicycles Stolen from Gables University Station Apartments
5:03 p.m. Police met a resident of Gables University Station apartments in the apartment’s lobby, where the officer took a report of two stolen bikes. The bikes had been stored in the garage, and the complainant last checked on them at the beginning of November 2023 when he covered the bikes and locked them. Now, there was a cut lock on the floor and bike cover, but the bikes were missing. They were described as specialized Crossroad bikes. A purple one was valued at $300, used, and a blue version was valued at $500, used.
Disturbing Flyers at Sumac Drive
6:19 p.m. Police received a call regarding someone posting flyers in the area of Sumac Drive regarding a fatal accident that occurred in 2017 on Pond Street. An officer responded but did not find any such person.
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Friday, December 22nd
Unhappy Optometry Customer
10:02 a.m. An officer was dispatched to the optometry shop inside the Target store on University Avenue on the report of a customer allegedly threatening an employee. The officer spoke to a mother and son who indicated they had come to pick up glasses which had been paid for, but they believed that the order was not filled correctly. They requested a fix, and after waiting, argued with the employee.
The officer mediated, and the customer took home the glasses with plans to return at a later date to make an adjustment or a return.
Disturbing Flyers on High Street, Oak Street, and Alder Road
4:50 p.m. A resident of High Street reported flyers being posted on poles along Route 109. Responding officers found flyers that referenced a fatal accident that occurred in 2017 on Pond Street. Similar calls were also fielded by officers from Oak Street and Alder Road.
Thursday, December 21st
Whose Responsibility?
12:59 p.m. A resident reported a dispute with a neighbor over a fallen limb which had fallen onto a fence and was partially on the neighbor’s property. There is a dispute over who is responsible for its removal. Police indicated that this is a civil matter, not a criminal matter for police.
Lost and Found – Wallet
2:04 p.m. Police received a call from the Westwood-Mansfield Pediatrics office, regarding a wallet that was found in the parking lot outside the office building. The wallet contained identification belonging to a Westwood woman. Police called the woman by phone twice, and left a message informing her that the wallet can be picked up at the police station.
Wednesday, December 20th
Suspicious Supervisor Requests
2:49 p.m. A resident of Clapboardtree Street reported receiving suspicious texts allegedly from a work supervisor. The texts instructed the resident to purchase two $100 Apple gift cards, scratch off the codes and send the supervisor photos of the codes. The resident scratched too hard, rendering the code undecipherable. The alleged supervisor then asked the employee to purchase two more gift cards.
The employee became suspicious due to expressions in the texts that did not fit her experience with her supervisor’s manner of communication. She reported the interactions to her employer who informed her the texts were part of a scam.
Tuesday, December 19th
Missing Rolex Watch
6:27 a.m. A resident of Dela Park Road reported losing a Rolex watch. The resident had gone to church on Sunday, December 17th, and remembers having the watch with him. He went home, and later that evening, noticed the watch was missing. The resident contacted his church, but no one had turned it in. The gold Rolex has an estimated value of around $50,000.
Wandering around the Wrong House
4:04 p.m. A resident of Canton Street called to report seeing a male in dark clothes walking around the resident’s home. Units responded and located the employee of a tree service subcontracting company for Eversource. The employee had arrived at the wrong address.
Monday, December 18th
$3,000 Mountain Bike Stolen from Gables University Station Apartments
12:00 p.m. An officer spoke to a resident of Gables University Station apartments who reported that sometime between November 24th
and December 17th, the resident’s mountain bike was stolen from a bike storage area. Around 7:30 p.m. on December 17th, the resident found the bike’s green cable lock had been cut and the bike was missing. The bike is described as Gravity brand mountain bike worth $3,000.
Video Shows Suspected Thief Using Stolen Credit Card
12:31 p.m. An officer met a woman at the Marshalls on University Avenue where she explained that her wallet had been stolen and quickly used in Dedham and Braintree. Just 15 minutes prior, the Walpole resident reported that a transaction for $1,500 was attempted at the Apple store in Dedham. There was also an attempted transaction at Lowes in Dedham, Home Sense in Braintree, and TJ Maxx in Braintree. All of the transactions were unsuccessful, and the complainant froze her credit cards.
She reported arriving at the University Station shopping center around 11:00 a.m. and shopped in the Home Goods and Marshalls store for about an hour. She believes her wallet was taken in that timeframe. In addition to credit cards, the wallet contained personal papers and about $200 in cash.
Following the victim’s report, a police detective obtained video footage showing a slightly overweight man with dark brown hair, a dark cap, plaid shirt, dark pants, dark blue jacket and multicolored sneakers making purchases at Lowes in Dedham. He is believed to be using the victim’s credit card. The man was able to successfully purchase a $200 gift card, and attempted to purchase more, but the transactions were unsuccessful.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this article.
