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6-06-2024 11:26pm
Police Log: Hit and Run Driver in Norwood is Injured in Second Car Accident in Neighboring Westwood
Darlene Cancell
Editor
The news described in Westwood Minute's weekly Police Log article series is primarily based on selected incidents from the Westwood Police Department's daily log, and information provided by Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and police staff through written records and conversations. Occasionally, Westwood Minute may weave a few facts that it obtains from other sources into these stories.
Sunday, June 2nd
Woman Refuses to Leave Store While Huffing Aerosols She Stole from Same Store
12:42 p.m. Police received a complaint from the Target store on University Avenue that a woman had locked herself in the restroom and was huffing, or inhaling, from an aerosol can. The store’s staff observed the woman take four cans of electronics duster from a store shelf and conceal them in a bag before entering the restroom. She refused store staff's requests that she leave. When confronted by police, the 44 year-old woman from Norwood physically resisted. She was arrested for shoplifting, inhaling a glue or toxic substance, trespass, and resisting arrest.
Saturday, June 1st
Stealing Recyclables
1:27 p.m. Police received a report from Ira Acura Westwood on Providence Highway that a person was seen taking tires from a dumpster on the property where scrap metal and tires for recycling are stored. Video showed three males in dark clothing moving tires and metal into a white box truck. The truck left the area.
Harassment between Neighbors
3:31 p.m. Police received a complaint about harassment between neighbors on Westwood Glen Road. The downstairs neighbor reportedly would bang on the ceiling and make rude comments in passing. The complainant was advised to call police and the property manager when such events occur.
Friday, May 31st
Fraudulent Checks Cashed from Online Bank Account
11:10 a.m. A resident of Canton Street reported check fraud to police after discovering that his online bank account appeared short on funds. He found that three checks had been written for $2,900 each, and a copy of the checks showed handwriting which he said was not his own. They appeared to have been cashed in the Cape Cod area. The checks were written in April, and the resident could not guess how they had been accessed because he only uses his account online.
Identity Theft from a Facebook Contact
12:05 p.m. A resident of Abbey Road reported identity theft following a Facebook interaction with someone whom the resident believed was the relative of a friend. The resident was contacted by the person who asked for assistance in accessing a locked Facebook account. The resident shared personal data to assist the caller, then realized that her own Facebook account had been highjacked. Someone posted a car for sale which was not anything the resident was involved in. The resident has put a freeze or is monitoring her credit and bank accounts.
Keeping the Peace
12:35 p.m. The school resource officer was dispatched to Thurston Middle School following a report by school staff that an individual was expected to arrive in violation of an abuse prevention (209A) order. The officer learned, however, that the order had been vacated that very same day. The officer contacted the individual. The individual decided to wait a few days before visiting campus where he would meet a teacher to discuss a child.
Wednesday, May 29th
Might Have Been an Emergency
1:25 a.m. A resident of Carroll Avenue reported sounds coming from the area of the Islington train station which seemed to indicate the train tracks were being hammered. An officer responded and confirmed that a crew was indeed working on the train tracks at that early morning hour.
Breaking and Entering on Canton Street
2:29 p.m. An officer was dispatched to an office building on Canton Street where the officer spoke to a property manager who believed three juveniles had broken into the building the previous night. Around 7:30 a.m. on May 28th, the office alarms sounded. Police responded and found all exterior doors were secure.
Later on, the property manager was alerted to internal camera footage showing three individuals trying, unsuccessfully, to gain access to the building through a garage. Then, footage showed three individuals wandering a hallway inside the building. It is unknown how the individuals gained access. The entry points to the hallway were checked and rechecked. There was no sign of vandalism and no missing items.
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Three Teenagers Suspected of Shoplifting
4:41 p.m. An officer was dispatched to the Target store on University Avenue for a shoplifting in progress. Loss prevention staff and a store manager witnessed three teenagers place items into a bag. After being confronted, the two females fled to the nearby Wegmans supermarket while the male fled to the parking lot.
Police located a person fitting the male suspect’s description in the parking lot of Rockland Trust Bank. When police approached, the male denied having been in Target and told police he was waiting for an Uber ride. However, the store manager and loss prevention staff arrived and were able to positively identify the male as having been in the Target store.
The officer searched the suspect’s backpack and found multiple items with price tags still on them, including clothing, water bottles and miscellaneous items. The suspect was given a trespass notice. Police contacted the parents of the 16 year old. After the parents arrived, police discovered that the juvenile had altered his personal identifying information in speaking with police. The juvenile, a resident of Canton, was advised that he would receive a summons to Dedham Juvenile Court for shoplifting.
Police were unable to locate either of the two females. However, a backpack that was believed to belong to one of the female suspects was recovered. A total of about $450 in merchandise was recovered.
Hit and Run Driver in Norwood Is Injured in Second Car Accident in Westwood
5:53 p.m. Westwood Police received notice from Norwood Police that a grey Toyota Camry with Massachusetts license plate was believed to have travelled to Westwood on Route 1 following its involvement in a collision in Norwood. Police arrived at the area and were further directed to University Avenue near Harvard Street after a report of an erratic motor vehicle that matched Norwood Police Department’s description of the hit and run driver.
Police observed a car crossing the double yellow line on University Avenue. From there, it struck a vehicle in oncoming traffic, causing that vehicle to collide with a third vehicle.
The driver of the erratic Camry was transported with injuries to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham. The drivers of the other vehicles did not require transportation to the hospital, but all vehicles were towed.
Westwood Police cited the Camry’s driver with a criminal citation for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation, a marked lanes violation, and speeding.
Tuesday, May 28th
Identity Fraud to Open Lines of Credit
12:59 p.m. An officer took a report of identity fraud from a resident of Lake Shore Drive. The resident had received correspondence from banks and credit card companies regarding attempts to open lines of credit in the resident’s name. All attempts were unsuccessful. The resident placed the accounts under watch and will report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission.
Fragrance Thief
5:11 p.m. Police met with a store manager of Ulta Beauty on University Avenue who reported that a large female with curly, brown hair and grey clothing, and tattoos covering both arms, had put multiple fragrances in a Christian Dior tote and exited the store without paying. She is believed to have stolen about $490 in merchandise. Police are investigating.
Monday, May 27th
Operating Under the Influence: Vehicle Leaves Road, Found on Embankment
3:02 a.m. An officer was dispatched to an accident on Autumn Drive where the officer found a 2023 BMW X5 resting 6 feet below a residence’s retaining wall. The vehicle appeared to have gone about 70 yards off the road, traveling through the home’s front and back yards, and crashed through a metal fence at the top of the retaining wall embankment before coming to rest at the bottom of the embankment.
Westwood Fire Department extracted the driver from the vehicle with a ladder. Following field sobriety tests, police determined that the driver, a 48 year old man from Norwood, was intoxicated. He was charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor, negligent operation, and a marked lanes violation.
Suspected shoplifters flee in a rental car
9:52 p.m. Police received a report from the CVS store on Washington Street about a shoplifting involving two females, approximately 30 years old. They were observed entering the store about 30 minutes earlier, putting merchandise in a cart, concealing that merchandise in a large purse, then leaving without paying. The loss was estimated at about $1,054. Police traced the license plate of the suspects’ car to a Florida Hertz car rental.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this Westwood Minute article.
Updated 6/12/2024 at 10:20 a.m.
