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6-12-2024 12:05am
Police Log: Internet Contact Attempts to Blackmail Resident and Other Stories
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 9th
Coyote Alert
12:57 p.m. A Westwood resident reported seeing a coyote walking in the area of Carroll Avenue and Westdale Road. A cruiser responded to the location, but no coyote was observed.
Untimely Shopping
5:10 p.m. Security for the car dealership, Audi Westwood on Providence Highway, reported that a male and female were on the property after business hours, looking at inventory, and reportedly entering vehicles. Police responded and determined that the couple were from Canton. They informed police that they were shopping for a vehicle. Police advised them not to be on the property after-hours.
Suspicious Activity at Car Dealership II
5:39 p.m. Security for Ira Acura Westwood on Providence Highway reported a man possibly taking tires from a storage area at the rear of the property. Police arrived and found a male and female from Dorchester, with their Honda CR-V. The parties were advised not to trespass after-hours and were sent on their way. No items appeared to have been taken.
Saturday, June 8th
Not Too Late to Be Too Loud
12:18 p.m. Police received a complaint of loud music in the area of Clapboardtree Street. Upon investigation, it was found to be coming from Xaverian Brothers High School; however, police declined to enforce a request for volume be moderated, due to the time, which was mid-day. Police noted that the complainant could personally contact the school to express displeasure.
Wallet Pinched from Shopper's Purse
5:25 p.m. A Canton resident reported her wallet was stolen from her purse while shopping in Wegmans. The wallet is described as being small, maroon, and patent leather. It contained a driver’s license, about $30, credit cards, and personal effects. The victim received multiple alerts about attempts to use her credit cards at an Apple store. All transactions were declined. The victim has closed her accounts.
Injury in Single-Car Accident at East Street Rotary
3:30 p.m. A 2018 Chevy driven by a woman from Dedham entered the East Street rotary, and rather than merging, struck a guard rail on the inner ring of the rotary. Westwood Fire paramedics transported her to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham. An investigation revealed the possibility of a medical issue precipitating the crash. No citations were issued.
Friday, June 7th
Suspicious Activity at Car Dealership I
12:14 a.m. Security for Ira Acura Westwood on Providence Highway reported a male walking in the parking lot, taking pictures. The suspect appeared to be operating a dark van or SUV. Police responded to the scene, but the suspect had left when police arrived.
Theft after Forced Entry into Garage
6:59 a.m. A resident of Wessex Drive reported that two subwoofer speakers, an amplifier, and a battery were stolen from the resident’s garage overnight. The speakers were property of a neighbor and were being stored in the garage prior to being sold. The garage door was three-fourths open in the morning, and appeared to have been forced open, although it was not damaged. The value of the stolen items is about $4,500.
Victim of Identity Theft Reports Multiple Attempts at Fraud
7:59 a.m. Police responded to a home on Oak Street where the resident reported that someone had opened a credit card in the resident’s name. The resident was alerted to the fraud upon being contacted by a credit monitoring service.
The resident also discovered that someone had taken out a number of loans, including a car loan, using a variation of the resident’s name. On May 14, someone attempted to open a Citi card and Walmart credit card in the resident’s name. On May 24, someone attempted to open an Elan credit card, and on May 28, someone attempted to open an American Express account.
The resident has not suffered any known monetary loss at this time, and has frozen all of the resident’s credit cards and bank accounts.
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Report of an Injured Hawk
3:56 p.m. Westwood’s animal control officer (ACO) was notified of an injured hawk on Dover Road, which was reported to be standing upright, with blood on its chest. The ACO noted that hawks often injure themselves when stalking prey or fighting over prey. The ACO’s advice was to let nature take its course. Sometime later, the ACO drove by the area and did not see any hawk.
Raccoon Troubles
3:57 p.m. The ACO received a complaint from a resident of Blue Hill Drive who reported seeing a raccoon climb onto the resident’s roof. The ACO recommended that any tree branches overhanging the roof be trimmed, to eliminate pathways to the roof, and that a chimney cap be installed if needed.
Trespassed from Store
4:16 p.m. An officer was dispatched to Wegmans on the report of a man yelling and causing a disturbance inside. The officer located the individual, who had exited the store. A store manager also came out, causing an escalation in argument with the individual. Police separated the two. The individual was informed that he would be trespassed for two years from Wegmans and could be arrested if he entered the store. The individual indicated that he understood and went on his way.
Thursday, June 6th
Banks Reject Fraudulent Credit Requests
12:20 p.m. A resident reported that the resident’s personal information was used to fraudulently open two lines of credit with Bank of America and US Bank. Both banks had contacted the resident of the unsuccessful applications to open accounts. Both banks rejected the applications.
Gift Card Scam
12:30 p.m. An officer was dispatched to an office building on Lowder Brook Drive where an employee of a local business reported being the victim of identity theft and fraud. The employee received a text message, supposedly from the president of the company, requesting that she buy gift cards from the Apple store for employees and text photos of the gift cards to the company “president.”
The employee did in fact make the purchases, buying three cards for $200 each at one location, two gift cards for $500 each at a second location, and two cards for $200 at a third location. The “president” informed the employee that she would be repaid by the end of the day.
When the employee presented her supervisor with the gift cards and receipts, she learned she had been scammed.
Car Collision on High Street
6:05 p.m. A 2016 Jeep driven by a woman from Norwood was exiting from the First Baptist Church of Westwood parking lot on High Street when it was struck by a 2020 Toyota, which was travelling east on High Street.
Both vehicles received moderate damage. The Jeep was towed, but the Toyota was able to drive from the scene.
The driver of the Toyota complained of a wrist injury, but declined treatment. Police determined that the driver of the Jeep was at fault. No citation was issued.
Internet Contact Attempts to Blackmail Resident
10:56 p.m. A Westwood resident reported attempted blackmail by another party online, who had threatened to disclose embarrassing information about the resident unless payment was given. The resident refused to pay. As a result, the other party reportedly threatened the resident with physical violence, prompting the resident to inform the police.
Wednesday, June 5th
Helping Nesting Turtles
7:22 a.m. A resident of Farm Lane reported two snapping turtles were nesting in a window well. The resident feared they were trapped. The ACO's opinion was that if removed, the turtles would return to the window wells. The ACO advised the homeowner to place planks in the window well to allow the turtles to climb out. Once the eggs hatched, the homeowner could use the planks to cover the window well to prevent a repeat occurrence of nesting turtles.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this Westwood Minute article.
