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10-05-2024 12:02am
Police Log: Elderly Pedestrian Transported to Hospital after Accident in Crosswalk 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, September 29th
Used Tire Theft from Car Dealership
7:52 a.m. Police received a report of an individual in a white van taking tires from a pile of used tires at Ira Acura on Providence Highway. The suspect was described as wearing a tan hoody and black pants. Police responded to the area but did not locate any individual matching that description.
Juvenile Shoplifting Suspect
3:42 p.m. Police received a call of shoplifting from the Target store on University Avenue. The store had detained a 16 year-old female for attempting to steal items worth $118. Her father was in the store, to take custody of the juvenile. The store declined to press criminal charges but trespassed her from the store.
Disruptive Customer is Trespassed from Store
6:26 p.m. Police reported to the Target store on University Avenue after receiving a call of a disruptive customer who was refusing to leave and using profanity. While en route, police were notified that the suspect had left in a purple Honda HRV. Police traced the vehicle’s ownership to a woman from Cambridge. An officer spotted the vehicle traveling north on University Avenue toward Interstate 95 North. The officer noted that the Honda had illegal tinting on the front and rear windows. The officer made the stop on Interstate 95. The suspect, a 20 year-old female, told police that the dispute in the store was regarding an item which Target refused to accept for a return without a receipt. Target staff confirmed the account, and the manager issued her a trespass notice, good for one year.
Saturday, September 28th
Hit-and-Run Driver Admits to Accident Involvement
1:53 p.m. An officer responded to a hit and run collision on University Avenue involving a Dodge Durango which reportedly rear-ended another vehicle and left the scene. While en route, the officer saw a vehicle matching the hit-and-run vehicle’s description, travelling north on Canton Avenue at a high speed. The officer made the traffic stop. The driver denied being involved in a crash. The officer noted small scratches to the car’s front end. Subsequently, the driver suddenly remembered being involved in a crash but could not say what had occurred. Police issued the driver a citation for speeding and noted the driver as being at fault in the earlier crash.
Friday, September 27th
This Identity Protection Service Works
12:53 p.m. A resident of St. Denis Drive reported several attempts by an individual or individuals to open credit accounts in the resident’s name. A few attempts were made to open accounts on August 30 and another attempt was made on September 3. The resident subscribes to an identity protection plan, which flagged the credit card applications as fraud, and no accounts were successfully opened. The resident was advised to contact credit reporting agencies and to put a watch on the resident’s credit.
Thursday, September 26th
Lead on Location of Missing Cell Phone
9:10 a.m. Police took a report of theft of a cell phone from a customer while visiting the Norfolk Golf Club on East Street. The man from Dedham told police that after golfing in the morning of September 25th, he returned to his car around 2 p.m. to find his cell phone missing. It was a Galaxy 21, worth about $800. There was no sign of forced entry, and he did not remember if his car was locked or not. The complainant told police that his cellular provider had informed him that the cell phone was signaling its location on Metcalf Road, nearby. Police are investigating.
Theft of Pumpkins
1:22 p.m. Bean Farm reported the theft of six to eight pumpkins from atop a stone wall on Clapboardtree Street. The proprietor reported that a family member heard a car door slam around 10:00 p.m. on the prior evening, and heard a car race away at a high rate of speed. Upon walking to the end of the driveway, the family member saw an empty patch of space on the stone wall which borders the farm’s property. The total estimated loss is $90.
Wednesday, September 25th
Shell Casing Found at Business
4:31 p.m. An officer responded to a business located at Southwest Park on the report that an employee had found a shell casing on the front steps to the office. The employee reported being unaware of any ongoing trouble at the business. The shell casing was booked into evidence.
Tuesday, September 24th
Elderly Pedestrian Transported to Hospital after Accident in Crosswalk
6:00 a.m. Police responded to an accident involving a vehicle coming into contact with an elderly pedestrian at the High Street and High Rock Street crosswalk. A 2022 Dodge Ram pickup was being driven by a man from Walpole when it contacted a 72 year old male resident of Westwood who was walking in the crosswalk. The driver reported to police he believed it was the driver side mirror and possibly the driver side tire that contacted the pedestrian.
The pedestrian was lying on the ground when police arrived. Police did not observe any visible injuries, but the pedestrian reported pain in his left leg and shoulder. He was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham by Westwood Fire paramedics. Police issued a citation to the driver for failing to yield to a pedestrian in the crosswalk.
Dumpster Diving
8:32 a.m. The owner of a business at Southwest Park informed a detective that an individual was observed on security footage on the property immediately abutting the company during the timeframe of 8:34 p.m. to 9:40 p.m., backing up to a dumpster and walking around with a flashlight. The same subject had been encountered a few weeks earlier by Westwood Police, who found him dumpster diving in the same location. On that last occasion, he was told not to return. Police advised the business owner to prepare a trespass notice to be sent to the individual.
Identity Theft
1:00 p.m. An officer was dispatched to take a report from a resident regarding a breach of security resulting in the compromise of the resident’s social security number. The resident learned of the breach from his credit card company recently, although the breach had occurred in August. The credit card company named a possible suspect whose address appears to be in Huntington Park, California. Westwood Police attempted to contact the suspect, but the phone number was disconnected.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this Westwood Minute article.
Updated 10/6/2024 at 7:47 p.m.
