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9-12-2024 10:53pm
Police Log: Porch Pirates in Westwood Fit Description of Armed Robbery Suspects in Hyde Park
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, September 9th
Email Scammer Alleges Access to Victim’s Personal Information IV
8:41 a.m. A resident of Whitney Avenue reported receiving a suspicious email which included a picture of the resident’s home. The responding officer informed the resident that the email fit the pattern of scam emails seen recently by residents of the town.
Saturday, September 7th
Alert Dog
12:17 a.m. Police responded to a complaint of a dog barking for over one hour on Churchill Road. Upon arrival, the officer could hear the dog barking, and located the home with the dog. The front door was open. The officer called for backup.
Police contacted the owner, who was at home and who apparently did not know the house door was open. The homeowner brought the dog inside.
Harassment and Threats
1:28 a.m. A resident of Pond Plain Road complained of harassment and threats made to her adult daughter, following the daughter’s involvement in a car accident. The resident reported that after her daughter and the other driver exchanged information and reported the accident to their insurance companies, the other driver began calling the daughter with threatening messages.
The resident played a voicemail for police in which a female threatened to assault the resident’s daughter if the caller’s car was not repaired to the caller’s liking.
The officer contacted the caller, and learned that the individual was upset about conflicting accounts over how the accident occurred. The officer informed the individual that she would be charged with making threats unless she stopped. The individual agreed to stop calling the resident’s daughter.
Overstaying a Welcome
8:55 a.m. An officer was dispatched to the Muffin House on the request that police ask a customer to leave. The customer had been occupying a table for four hours. Police made the request, and the customer left without hesitation.
Disgruntled Worker
5:45 p.m. An officer was dispatched to CVS on Washington Street for a 911 call placed by a Spanish speaking male from Chelsea who complained that he was owed $400 for building/remodeling related work performed at a Westwood a home.
With the help of an online translation service, the officer learned that the man had reached out to the employer, but that his calls were not returned. Police advised the complainant that he had grounds to file a small claims action in Dedham District Court.
Friday, September 6th
Porch Pirates in Westwood Fit Description of Suspects in Hyde Park Armed Robbery
11:52 a.m. An officer was dispatched to High Street on the report of the theft of a package by three males riding two mopeds. The complainant informed the officer that a package had been delivered to the front steps of his home, and it had sat there for about 30 minutes. A rider on a red moped and a rider on a black moped reportedly came up the complainant’s driveway, and a third person took the complainant’s package away from the front steps. After securing the package to the moped, the three suspects fled east toward Dedham.
Westwood Police have noted that two days earlier, Boston Police received a complaint from a Fed Ex driver in Hyde Park who was robbed a knife point by two males – one on a black moped and one on a red moped.
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Trespassed Subject Arrested after He Allegedly Returned for Shoplifting
4:51 p.m. Target store staff reported that a person who had been trespassed just earlier that day was now inside the University Station store. The individual, a middle aged man from Canton, had been trespassed from the store after staff observed him placing a cell phone charging cable into his pocket.
Staff informed police that the trespasser had left the store and was walking in the direction of the Ulta Beauty store, also in the University Station shopping plaza.
Police observed a man matching his description who was entering the nearby Michael’s craft store. Upon questioning the man inside Michael’s and asking why he had re-entered Target, the man claimed he had lost his wallet.
The man had in his possession a Target bag containing a number of pieces of clothing, and a receipt for $4.43 for other items - not the items from Target.
Police learned from Target staff that the stolen items were worth $107. Police made the arrest for shoplifting.
Disturbing the Peace
10:18 p.m. A resident of Dover Road reported that teenagers were making noise and possibly overturning trash barrels.
Vandalized Mailbox on Dover Road
10:27 p.m. Police responded to Dover Road on the report by a resident of damage to a mailbox and trash bins being overturned. The resident told police that he had heard a group of juveniles shouting, and the sound of trash bins being knocked down. When he exited his home to investigate, he found the damaged mailbox. He believed the juveniles had come from a party at a neighboring home.
Police visited the home, but found no one present.
Thursday, September 5th
Email Scammer Alleges Access to Victim’s Personal Information III
9:09 a.m. An officer spoke to a resident of Reynolds Farm Way who complained of an attempt by an unknown person to extort the resident by email. The email stated that sensitive information acquired about the resident through spyware would be released, unless payment was made. The email sender, “Erin Barrett,” instructed the resident to send $1,950 using bitcoin in order to prevent the sender from releasing the personal information. A photo of an area High Street near the resident’s home was attached to the email. Police advised the resident that a similar scam had been occurring to a handful of residents.
Tracking Down a Shoplifting Suspect
7:44 p.m. Asset protection personnel at Nordstrom Rack on University Avenue reported that an hour earlier, a woman stole makeup and switched price tags on a hat. Staff observed her walking around the store, opening up makeup containers, and then stuffing them into her bag. She allegedly headed to the cash register to pay only for gum and water, but did not pay for the items stowed in her bag. They were worth about $95. She was seen exiting the store and entering a grey Mazda.
Police traced the car to its registered owner, a woman from Cohasset. When contacted by police, the woman stated that her son had been using the car all day. She provided police with a cell phone number for her son, who failed to answer. This case is under investigation.
Wednesday, September 4th
Arrest for DUI Leads to Charges for Carrying Firearm While Intoxicated
1:34 a.m. Police were dispatched on the report of a smallish, dark SUV being driven onto a front lawn on Green Hill Road. A caller reported that the SUV continued down the street toward High Street.
An officer made the traffic stop. After field sobriety tests, the officer determined that the driver, a man from Franklin, was driving under the influence of alcohol. The officer arrested the driver.
Later, an inventory search of the SUV revealed a 45 caliber pistol and holster inside the center console. Police charged the man with DUI liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, driving with an open container of alcohol, marked lanes violation, improper storage of a firearm, and carrying a firearm while intoxicated.
Possible Injury Following Rear-end Collision on High Street
3:49 p.m. Around the 200 block of High Street, a 2016 Chrysler Town and Country minivan driven by a woman from Millis was rear-ended by a 2003 Toyota driven by a man from Walpole. The crash caused significant rear-end damage to the Chrysler and minor front-end damage to the Toyota.
The woman complained of a possible facial injury, and Westwood Fire paramedics transported her to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham.
Police issued a citation to the man in the trailing car for following too closely.
Email Scammer Alleges Access to Victim’s Personal Information II
6:57 p.m. A resident of Oak Street reported receiving suspicious email on September 2nd, in which the sender attempted to extort $2,000 from the resident. The sender allegedly had installed spyware on the resident’s computer system to gain control over the resident’s devices and computer. The sender instructed the resident to send money via bitcoin, or risk losing control of the resident’s computer. The email included a Google photo image of the resident’s home, which is a publicly available photo. The complainant did not respond and believes no personal information was compromised.
Tuesday, September 3rd
A Quiet Place
2:36 a.m. An officer on patrol found a man and woman sitting in a gazebo in the old cemetery on Nahatan Street. The officer advised the couple that the cemetery was closed and told them not to go on the grounds after sunset.
Email Scammer Alleges Access to Victim’s Personal Information I
1:21 p.m. A resident of Church Street reported receiving suspicious email that contained a photo of the resident’s home. The email message demanded $1,950, and threatened to send embarrassing video to the resident’s contacts if the amount was not paid. The email contained a bitcoin address and a QR code to forward the money. The resident realized the message was a scam and has changed her computer passwords and contacted her credit card companies to monitor her accounts. There has been no monetary loss.
Unemployment Claim Fraud
5:43 p.m. A resident of Stearns Street reported being notified by the resident’s employer that an unemployment claim had been filed by someone using the resident’s personal information. This is the second incident of unemployment fraud experienced by the resident this year.
Vehicle Crash Destroys Mailbox
6:40 p.m. Police responded to a private residence on Oak Street to take a report of vandalism to a mailbox. Around 2:30 p.m., a resident returned home to find the mail box destroyed. The main box was on the ground and the post was broken into pieces. Also at the scene were small fragments that appeared to belong to a vehicle’s side mirror, indicating a possible strike by a car. The make and model of the car could not be determined from the evidence at the scene.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this Westwood Minute article.
