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Image by Westwood Minute/Darlene Wong Cancell.
7-02-2024 12:48am
Police Log: Giant Snake Spotted, an Apartment Floods, 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 30th
Woman Arrested for Trespass and Vandalism
11:19 p.m. Police arrested a 32 year old woman from Foxborough on charges of trespass and malicious damage to property.
Saturday, June 29th
One Thing Leads to Another
1:54 a.m. An officer observed a dark SUV travelling at excess speed in the southbound lane of Providence Highway. Using radar, the officer determined that the vehicle was travelling at 68 m.p.h. in a 50 m.p.h. zone.
The officer made the traffic stop and discovered that the registration on the blue, Chevrolet SUV had expired in February 2022. Additionally, the license plate on the blue Chevy was registered to different vehicle - a red Chevrolet Tahoe. The blue Chevy was towed for lack of registration, and police cited the driver with a criminal motor citation for attaching plates, driving an unregistered motor vehicle, and speeding.
Laboring Before the Break of Dawn
3:52 a.m. Police received a report a truck and two workers outside the Starbucks on University Avenue, performing crack sealing in the parking lot, in the early morning hours of the weekend. Upon investigation, police learned that the workers had a permit to undertake such work outside normal business hours.
Returning Lost Wallet to Owner
6:08 a.m. Police responded to a request from Emerson College that a cruiser deliver a wallet to a Westwood resident, after the wallet was found at the school.
Apartment Flood
8:43 p.m. Police received a report of a woman screaming at the Highland Glen Apartments. Upon arrival, police learned that the woman’s apartment had flooded. Westwood Fire Department was summoned.
9:00 p.m. A group of youth reported finding a credit card in the street on Margery Lane. An officer received the card from the youth and discovered that it belonged to a resident of Oak Street. The officer returned the credit card to its owner.
Friday, June 28th
Trespass Warning Issued
8:53 a.m. A resident of Hampton Road reported an unwanted party at the home. While police were in route, the individual left the property. A short time later, the individual was issued a no trespass warning by responding officers.
Identity Theft to Purchase an iPad
1:22 p.m. A resident reported a case of identity theft upon receiving an email notice two days earlier about two fraudulent purchases that were made through on the resident’s personal bank account. One item was an Apple iPad that was shipped and received at a Fall River address. The resident was documenting the incident to provide a police report to the bank.
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Thursday, June 27th
Mediating a Conflict
4:16 p.m. Police responded to a report of a disturbance at Budget Inn on Providence Highway. An officer mediated a matter involving conflict over a refund. The matter was resolved.
Identity Theft to Obtain a Home Loan
6:42 p.m. A resident of Willard Circle reported a case of identity theft, upon receiving a letter from Discover bank regarding an application for a mortgage that was filled out in his name. The bank did not approve the application and advised the resident to contact police regarding the fraud. Police advised the resident to check his credit report and consider placing a freeze on his credit with the three credit reporting bureaus.
A Passing Threat
6:56 p.m. A resident reported being threatened by a passing motorist in the area of Lancaster Drive and Westchester Drive. The resident was riding a bike and was unable to obtain a license plate. The police report did not specify the nature of the threat.
Shoplifting for Surf and Turf
9:16 p.m. Police received a call from loss prevention staff at Wegmans on University Avenue regarding a shoplifting in progress. Staff had observed a male and female together in the store, and the female was placing items into a black bag in a shopping cart.
An officer located the pair in the wine and beer area of the store. The female admitted to concealing items in her bag. The items included lobster, steaks, shrimp, chocolate chip cookies, and two bottles of rose. The merchandise was worth $284.50.
Both of the suspects were trespassed from the store for two years. Police advised the female that she would receive a summons for shoplifting.
Tuesday, June 25th
Group of Four Steals Over $1K in Beauty Merchandise
2:48 p.m. The manager of Ulta Beauty on University Avenue reported a shoplifting by a group of four people that had occurred two days prior. On Sunday afternoon, around 12:30 p.m., four suspects walked into the store. A female and male placed items into a bag and another male placed three fragrances to the waistband of his pants. A third male accompanied them but was not seen taking anything. The group left the store in a 2018 white Range Rover. The store manager estimated the stolen merchandise to be valued at $1,133.
Scammer Poses as Insurance Company Representative
3:42 p.m. A resident of Gables University Station apartments reported a loss of $2,600 following a fraudulent call from a person purporting to be from the resident’s insurance company. Following the call with the fraudster, the resident initiated a call to her insurance company and learned that the company had not called her.
Along with the call to Westwood Police, the resident reported the fraud to the Massachusetts Attorney General, Apple, Federal Trade Commission, and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Giant Snake Spotted in Adams Street Residence Backyard
4:28 p.m. A resident of Adams Street reported that a 6 foot snake was in the resident’s backyard. The resident forwarded a video of the reptile to police. The responding officer reviewed the video and noted it appeared to be an extremely large garter snake. The officer advised the resident to seek a pest control service as the animal control officer was not available.
Norwood Resident Charged with Shoplifting
6:55 p.m. Police responded to Nordstrom Rack on University Avenue following a shoplifting. A suspected shoplifter had been confronted by the store’s loss prevention personnel and had agreed to return to the store’s office.
The store employee reported observing the woman, a 54 year-old from Norwood, place items in a bag she had brought into the store, and leave without paying. The total cost of the merchandise was $184.77.
The woman was issued a trespass order for 2 years, and agreed to sign a referral for prosecution and an admission statement, which was given to the responding officer. The officer also discovered at least 3 past instances of the woman being charged with shoplifting. The woman was informed that a shoplifting complaint was being filed and that she would be summoned to Dedham District Court.
Monday, June 24th
Two Drivers Give Conflicting Accounts of Car Accident
9:38 a.m. Police responded to Dunkin’ on High Street where a man from Norwood reported that another vehicle had crashed into his 2023 Subaru Impreza. He obtained a photo of the other driver’s registration and provided that information to police. The other vehicle, a Tesla, belonged to a Westwood woman.
According to the complainant, he was pulling into a parking spot to the right of the Tesla, which was pulling out. He believed that the Tesla had crashed into him. The officer noted a mark on the front bumper that was able to be wiped away, and another small mark on the bumper which was not able to be wiped away. The officer estimated the damage to be under $1,000.
The officer also spoke with the Tesla driver, a man who told the officer that the Subaru had struck the Tesla in attempt to avoid a bike in the parking lot. The man reported that the Tesla’s sensors had not activated because the Subaru driver was a fault. Because the damage was minimal, the Tesla driver did not deem it necessary to file an insurance claim.
House on Birch Tree Drive is Egged
8:55 p.m. A resident of Birch Tree Drive reported that a family member discovered that eggs had been thrown at the exterior of the home. The egging was believed to have occurred during the early morning hours.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this Westwood Minute article.
