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8-02-2024 12:18am
Police Log: Elusive Suspect Dims Lights, Speeds Away from Police. . . Again
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.
Monday, July 29th
Alert to Intoxicated Driving
9:58 a.m. A caller reported that four intoxicated people were asked to leave the Toast Office restaurant on High Street. They were seen entering a grey Toyota Highlander and exiting the restaurant parking lot, turning east onto Route 109. Police checked the area and did not locate the vehicle. State police were alerted in case the vehicle might travel on the nearby interstate.
Sunday, July 28th
Noise Complaint in Early Morning
2:31 a.m. A resident reported that an SUV was driving up and down Sexton Avenue, blowing its horn.
Police Tow Shoplifting Suspect’s Car for Trespass
8:10 p.m. Asset protection staff at Wegmans supermarket on University Avenue reported confronting a shoplifter, who dropped food worth about $138, and fled on foot to the nearby Panda Express restaurant, also located at the University Station shopping center. The suspect was described as wearing a black shirt, white shorts, gold necklace, and sandals. Store staff identified a vehicle parked outside Wegmans as belonging to the suspect.
Police identified the vehicle’s owner who matched the description of the suspect. A written trespass notice was placed on the vehicle, which the police had towed from the parking lot for trespassing. The suspect, a man from Canton, will be summoned to Dedham District Court.
Saturday, July 27th
Using a Paper License Plate
5:46 p.m. An officer on patrol observed a white Cadillac headed north on Route 1 without a Massachusetts license plate. Instead, it had a paper plate attached. The officer made a traffic stop.
The driver was a man from Hyde Park who provided a driver’s license but was unable to provide vehicle registration. He told the officer that the vehicle belonged to his roommate.
The officer noted a failed inspection sticker on the Cadillac’s windshield, which contained the vehicle’s plate number. A check of the plate number revealed that the vehicle registration was cancelled.
The driver was given a citation to deliver to the vehicle owner. Police charged the owner for operation of an unregistered and uninsured vehicle, and for lack of an inspection sticker.
Tire Thieves II
7:07 p.m. Police received a call regarding two males with a van who were stealing tires from Ira Acura Westwood on Providence Highway. Also spotted in the van was a heavyset female with blond hair. The van left before police arrived, and no direction of travel was given.
Sound of Possible Gunshots or Fireworks
9:12 p.m. A caller reported hearing possible gunshots off in the distance, in the rear of the caller’s home on Partridge Drive. Police investigated and found nothing amiss.
9:32 p.m. A caller reported fireworks being set off in the area of Skyline Drive. Additional calls complaining of the same were received from Farm Lane and Westwood Glen Road.
Around the time of the complaints, a police unit also reported hearing fireworks in the area of Gay Street and Pine Lane.
Friday, July 26th
Suspect Accelerates Away from Police, Again
1:13 a.m. An officer observed a black BMW roll through a stop sign, in the area of Pond Street and Clapboardtree Street. When the officer attempted a traffic stop, the BMW turned off its lights. It accelerated and drove away on Pond Street toward Nahatan Street at a high rate of speed, pulling away from the police cruiser. The officer estimated the BMW to be traveling at a speed approaching 100 m.p.h. Police discontinued pursuit when the vehicle could no longer be seen.
The vehicle is believed to be the same one which recently failed to stop for and fled at a high rate of speed from police, also in the early morning hours, about two weeks prior. On June 14th, around 12:51 a.m., an officer in the area of Pond Street and Arcadia Road observed a black BMW M series sedan traveling west on Pond Street at 53 m.p.h. The cruiser attempted a traffic stop as the BMW turned left onto Oak Street. The BMW turned off its lights and accelerated to a high speed. At the intersection of Oak Street and Locust Drive, the officer lost sight of the vehicle. Police checked side streets but did not locate the car.
Head-On Crash Avoided, But Driver Injured Upon Striking Tree
9:05 a.m. A woman from Norwood was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston when, according to another motorist, her 2018 Honda crossed over the center line on East Street, into the lane in which the witness was driving. The witness maneuvered to avoid a crash, and the Honda struck a tree on the front yard of a private home. Responding Westwood Police found the victim of the crash without a pulse, and performed CPR until Westwood Fire paramedics arrived.
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Wednesday, July 24th
Tire Thieves I
11:18 a.m. An officer responded to Ira Acura Westwood on Providence Highway, where an employee reported seeing a male loading tires into a white van, in a gated area of the property. The dealership had posted a sign, stating that tires are private property and only employees are allowed in the area.
The employee approached the suspect to speak with him, but was ignored. The suspect loaded a last tire in his van and drove away.
Multiple Charges to Speeding Driver Who Weaves Through Traffic to Avoid Police
11:37 a.m. An officer working a private detail for town paving on Washington Street near Brookfield Road heard a police dispatch alert for an erratic driver of a grey Subaru, headed north on Washington Street toward Westwood's Islington Center. The officer observed a vehicle matching the description that was stopped at a red light at intersection. The officer approached the vehicle on foot.
When the officer asked the driver to move the vehicle a few feet to pull over, the SUV rolled forward and then suddenly accelerated to a high speed. The officer yelled, “Stop!” and observed the SUV changing lanes aggressively, without signaling, weaving around traffic on the busy road.
The officer determined the SUV was registered to a woman from Dedham, but the driver was a man in his 20s. The driver was identified as a member of the same household as the vehicle’s owner. Police learned that the young man already has an open case against him involving similar charges for speeding, marked lanes violation, and negligent operation of a motor vehicle.
The officer prepared for mailing two citations to the Dedham man that included charges of speeding, marked lanes violation, and negligent operation - a repeat of the man's prior charges. Additional charges were failure to stop, driving with a suspended license, and failure to signal.
Tuesday, July 23rd
Broken Window and a Pair of Pants
8:18 a.m. A resident of Willet Pond Drive reported finding a broken window at the rear of the resident’s home, after returning home from a vacation. The double-pane window was broken on the outer pane, but not the inner pane. Additionally, the homeowner reported finding a pair of camouflage hunting pants on the ground, by the garage door. The homeowner does not know to whom the pants belong.
Missing Person Located
12:11 p.m. Police received a missing persons report from a family from Maryland who was staying at the Courtyard Marriot on University Avenue. The father notified police that his son, who suffers from a medical condition, was not able to be located. Given the proximity of the hotel to the MBTA Route 128 train station and the highway, Westwood Police also notified transit police and state police. Shortly thereafter, the child was located near the Fidelity Investments office at the University Station shopping center. He was reunited with his family.
Missing Yard Ornaments
1:26 p.m. Police responded to Adams Street where a homeowner reported that six flags planted on the residential property had been stolen. They were described as about one foot in length, with wood stakes.
Doorbell Pranksters
9:01 p.m. A caller reported that a group of kids rang the doorbell of a home on Blueberry Lane and left trash at the end of the caller’s driveway.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this Westwood Minute article.
Updated 8/2/2024 at 9:36 a.m.
