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Image by Westwood Minute/Darlene Wong Cancell.
11-10-2024 10:48pm
Police Log: N-Word Found on School Locker, Driver Injured in 3-Car Collision, Entangled Vehicle Flips Over
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, November 4th
Driver Injured in Three-Car Collision that Causes Airbags to Deploy
7:17 a.m. Airbags deployed in three vehicles that were involved in a rear-end collision around area of 80 Washington Street near Hillview Street, and one driver was taken to the hospital. Upon arriving at the scene, police found a black, 2021 Jeep driven by a 38 year-old man from Norton, a 2023 Kia driven by a 25 year-old from Norwood, and a grey, 2014 Toyota Camry driven by a 34 year-old woman from Norwood, all in the northbound lane and with significant damage. Two drivers reported no injuries, but the driver of the Kia was still inside her vehicle, and shook her head “no” when asked if she was alright.
Westwood Fire paramedics immediately began assisting the injured woman, who was evaluated and then transported to Newton Wellesley Hospital.
The Norwood resident driving the Toyota reported taking her eyes off the road for a moment, and then rear-ending the Kia, which caused the Kia to strike the rear of the Jeep. Police cited the Norwood woman for following too closely.
The lead vehicle was able to drive away from the scene, but the other two vehicles had to be towed.
Mutual Aid in Locating a Dover Resident
8:36 a.m. Westwood Police received a request for assistance from Dover Police regarding a check at a Westwood address for a Dover resident who was known to frequent the address. Westwood Police located the party from Dover at a different Westwood address, and police asked the party to contact Dover Police.
Sunday, November 3rd
Rock Smashes SUV’s Rear Window
10:48 a.m. Police received a report that a rear window on the hatch of a Church Street resident’s SUV was smashed. A rock was found inside the vehicle.
Unknown Cause Breaks Rear Window of Toyota
11:18 a.m. Police responded to a home on Carroll Avenue where the rear window and rear driver’s side taillight of a 2010 Toyota was found smashed. There was nothing inside or around the vehicle that appeared to be a cause of the broken glass. The vehicle was locked, and nothing appeared to be taken from the inside. No other vehicles in the vicinity appeared to be damaged. The damage is believed to have occurred sometime after 7:00 p.m. of November 2nd.
Saturday, November 2nd
Domestic Disturbance
10:55 a.m. Police investigated a domestic disturbance in Westwood.
Man is Trespassed When He Tries to Shame Eversource
3:17 p.m. Police were dispatched to Eversource on Station Drive on the report of “crude” sign(s) being posted on the door. Security staff told police that three signs were posted on the south entrance to the building around 8:00 p.m. on Friday, the previous day. The signs contained words written in marker, “Shame on you all,” and included expletives directed to Eversource. The signs stated, “Keep raping Mass state citizens.”
Video obtained by police showed that a driver of a Kia sedan was responsible for the signage. Police were able to locate the vehicle’s owner. The man apologized for what he acknowledged was an inappropriate action. He was trespassed from Eversource property.
Friday, November 1st
N-Word Found on Middle School Locker
Thurston Middle School officials reported that the N-word was found written twice on a birthday decoration on a student’s locker. Decorating lockers to celebrate friends’ birthdays is a tradition at the school.
Principal Michael Redmon informed the school community by letter of November 1 that the graffiti was documented and removed, but the responsible person(s) had not been identified. “Derogatory and hurtful expressions like these are unacceptable and an attack on our values as a school community,” he wrote. “This behavior does not represent the kind of community we aim to be. We want to commend the students who brought this to our attention and the students who spoke to us today. As a community, we must stand together against any form of hate or disrespect.”
The Westwood Police school resource officer took a report of the incident from school officials.
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Unwanted Solicitation
6:20 p.m. Police received a complaint that a door-to-door salesperson was refusing to leave a resdient’s property on Cherry Street. The suspect had knocked on the door, and made a sales pitch which the resident declined. The suspect refused to leave, prompting the resident to call the police. When police arrived, they found the Cambridge resident sitting in a 2022 Honda HRV with New Jersey license plates. Police advised him that the Westwood soliciting bylaw requires door-to-door salespeople to obtain a permit and that he most either seek a permit or cease solicitations.
Wednesday, October 30th
Identity Theft for Medicare Fraud
2:58 p.m. A resident of Fairview Street learned that some unknown person had purchased a wheelchair using the resident’s personal information. Medicare is sending a new card to the resident, and asked for a police report.
Suspicious Delivery Driver Tests Multiple Doorknobs around Neighbor’s Home
6:14 p.m. A suspicious Instacart delivery driver was reported trying many door handles of entrances into a home on Canton Street. The resident reported that although no packages were expected, a delivery driver dropped off a package around 4:00 p.m.
A minor child which who was in the home at the time heard the delivery person trying various doorknobs all over the home, and reported him looking into windows. When the suspect was at the rear of the residence, the child ran out the front door to a neighbor’s home. Security footage corroborated the child’s report, as the suspect could be seen trying door handles at each door. Audio was picked up on the recording(s) in which the suspect was saying that he was dropping off a package and there is no reason from alarm.
An inspection of the package that was left showed that it contained items from Michaels craft store, worth about $40 – batteries, cookie related items, and heavy- duty scotch tape. A neighbor was expecting those same items to be delivered, so the delivery appears legitimate but delivered to the wrong address.
Tuesday, October 29th
Vehicle Flips on Side after Entanglement with Utility Wire
6:52 a.m. A vehicle was flipped on its side following entanglement with a downed utility wire on High Street.
A 2021 Mitsubishi Fuso delivery truck was travelling east on High Street when it struck a low-hanging utility wire, causing the wire to partially collapse.
A 2014 Subaru, driven by a woman from Westwood, came into contact with the downed wire, which wrapped around the vehicle’s rear axle. The entanglement caused the Subaru to flip on its side.
When police arrived, bystanders were righting the Subaru back onto four wheels. There was major damage to the vehicle’s side and rear axle. There was minor damage to its roof. The driver declined transportation to the hospital. The Subaru was towed and removed from the road.
Identity Theft to Open Multiple Credit Card Accounts
12:34 p.m. A resident of Wentworth Street reported receiving mail that indicated the resident’s identification had been compromised. During the month of October, the resident received numerous notices from different banks regarding attempts to open new credit cards using the resident’s identity.
The resident immediately cancelled the accounts, for which the resident had never applied. A Lexis Nexis account was also fraudulently opened, and the resident discovered that the resident’s social security number and driver’s license number had been compromised. The resident has reported the incidents to credit reporting agencies and the resident’s own bank.
Scammer Threatens Harm to Resident’s Family
5:08 p.m. A resident of Cedar Lane reported receiving text messages threatening harm to the resident’s family unless compensation was received. The texts were associated with two phone numbers. The resident called one phone number, and an unknown person answered. The person asked the resident what money exchange application the resident uses. The resident realized it was a scam and blocked the phone number.
Monday, October 28th
Stranger Records Family in Public without Permission
11:32 a.m. A man from Milton reported that while shopping with his family at the Marshalls store on University Avenue, an unidentified man used his cell phone to record them. The Milton resident confronted the suspect, whom he believed was recording for a social media purpose. No harsh words were exchanged, but the Milton man wanted to put the incident on record with store management and police.
Thefts at Ulta Beauty
3:21 p.m. Staff at Ulta Beauty on University Avenue reported two separate thefts occurring on October 26th in which $1,600 and $96 in store merchandise were stolen. Detectives are following up.
Campaign Signs Stolen
4:23 p.m. A resident of Church Street reported that Harris/Walz campaign sign(s) had been stolen from the resident’s lawn sometime between the previous night to the morning of reporting the incident to police.
Illegal Dumping
6:10 p.m. An officer responded to a private residence on Oak Street for a complaint illegal dumping. Just a few minutes prior, the resident had witnessed a dark sedan stop in front of the home, unload two leaf collection bags from Lowes, and place them in the front of the complainant’s home. When the resident exited the house, the suspect jumped back into the car and drove away.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this Westwood Minute article.
Updated 11/11/2024 at 9:38 a.m.
