6-17-2025 12:49am

Police Log: Furnishing Alcohol to Minors, Vehicle Heads into Oncoming Traffic, and Other Stories

Darlene Cancell Editor

Image by Westwood Minute/Darlene Wong Cancell.

The news described in this installment of 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 Michael DiLalla and police staff to Westwood Minute through written records and conversations. Occasionally, Westwood Minute may weave a few facts that it obtains from other sources into these stories.

Sunday, June 8th

Motor Vehicle Break-In on Grafton Avenue

7:57 a.m. A resident of Grafton Avenue reported that he was out of town while his baby was being born at a hospital and his mother-in-law was at his home to babysit an older child. At about 6:00 a.m. that morning, she contacted him about a rear windshield of the car being smashed. It is unknown how it happened, but is believed to have taken place overnight, between June 7th
to June 8th.

Saturday, June 7th

Argument over COA Parking Space

8:53 a.m. Police were summoned to the Westwood Council on Aging on Nahatan Street where they were informed of an argument over a parking spot that had become heated. A few females, all Westwood residents, were reportedly screaming at each other. One reportedly told the complaining parties, “I don’t think you like black people,” a remark that upset them. The complainants wanted the incident documented.

Missing or Stolen Item Located by “Find” App

10:53 a.m. A resident of Hillcrest Place reported stolen AirPods. After being unable to find it for one week, the resident used the “Find My” feature of her iPhone, and located the AirPods on a street in Fall River. The resident noted the only people with access to her home would be her cleaning service.

Police spoke with the owner of the housecleaning service and learned that one employee had friends in Fall River and frequents that area. Police contacted the employee. She told police that she spoke no English and hung up. However, she contacted police through text messages. The employee told police that she had mistakenly taken the resident’s AirPods, believing them to be her own. She told police she would return them as soon as possible.

The complainant was satisfied with that result.

Report of Possible Child Endangerment

5:07 p.m. Westwood Police received information from Dedham Police that a man with a baby stroller and a child were seen walking along the train tracks toward Islington station. Police responded to the area but were unable to locate the man.

Graduation Party Attended by Hundreds

10:17 p.m. Police received a noise complaint of a very loud party on Clapboardtree Street near Manor Lane. It appears the noise was produced from a graduation party attended by about 200 people. The residents were made aware of the town’s noise ordinance.

Friday, June 6th

Shoplifting by Switching Price Tags

2:37 p.m. Police responded to the Target store on University Avenue where loss prevention staff reported observing a suspect switching price tags to scan at the self-checkout line. The suspect, a heavy woman accompanied by a male, was believed to have exited with a box of stiletto shoes that she failed to pay for.

Police found a person matching the suspect’s description at nearby Ulta Beauty. When asked if she had shopped at Target, she answered “yes,” but only after a significant delay of about 5 to 10 seconds. When police asked the woman for her identification, she moved toward the exit and asked to talk outside. Police blocked her exit, and she provided her identification. She was also found to have in her possession some clothing, the box of stilettos, and a loose Target price tag. Police charged the woman, a resident of Jamaica Plain, with shoplifting by manipulating a price tag.

Thursday, June 5th

Fraudster Takes Advantage of Widow

11:17 a.m. A resident of School Street, accompanied by her daughter, reported being the victim of a scam, after being distracted and distraught over the death of her husband. On Tuesday, June 3, the same day that her husband had died, she spoke to a caller who told her there was suspicious activity on her Bank of America account, and questioned her about transactions for plane tickets and Amazon purchases. The victim was crying on the phone call as she informed the caller that she had not made any such purchases. The caller then asked her to acknowledge a text that would be sent, which she understood would be an action to decline those purchases. However, the action which she took resulted in accepting the charges instead of rejecting them. During the phone call, the victim also provided the caller with her social security number, bank account, and iPhone passwords.

Since then, the victim has filed a fraud claim with Bank of America, closed her accounts and created new ones. At this time, it does not appear that she had suffered any monetary loss.

Bringing Road Rage to a Playdate

4:13 p.m. A resident of Woodland Road told police that while en route to a friend’s house on High Rock Lane for her child’s playdate, she drove around a red Prius that was stopped in the road. The driver of the Prius was speaking with an elderly man through the window. The complainant reported that the Prius and man made no movement to get out of the way, so she drove around them.

At the friend’s home on High Rock Lane, however, the red Prius reportedly also arrived and blocked the complainant’s exit from the friend’s driveway. An older female, whom police have identified as another Westwood resident, reportedly berated the complainant, telling her that her vehicle had almost hit the elderly man, that the complainant was entitled, and that the complainant needed to wait.

The complainant reportedly tried to explain, and also reported that her friend was upset at the argument taking place outside the friend’s home, and in front of both of their children.

After the Prius left the driveway, the complainant was able to also leave. However, the complainant was then approached by the Prius driver in the opposite lane. The driver of the Prius reportedly yelled at the complainant while recording her on a cell phone as she drove.

No charges were filed in this case.

Tuesday, June 3rd

Door-to-Door Salesperson Complaints of Harassment by Resident

4:21 p.m. A resident in the area of Fieldstone Road and Pleasant Valley Road complained to police of a salesperson in a black car, with whom the resident had an argument. A short while later, the salesperson came to the police station to report harassment by that resident. The salesperson had proof of a solicitation permit that had been approved by the town. The salesperson wanted a report taken of the resident’s behavior.

Theft from Gym Locker

8:14 p.m. A resident of Boston reported having his property stolen from an unsecured locker at Life Time fitness club on Harvard Street. He reported arriving there at 5:12 p.m. with his duffel bag, which he placed in a locker. Two hours later, he found his bag was missing. It contained keys, an AirPod charger, basketball shoes, and clothing, worth a total of about $200.

Monday, June 2nd

Stop of a Sovereign Citizen Leads to Arrest

5:51 p.m. An officer conducting stationary traffic enforcement on Washington Street observed a green Toyota Tundra passing by with tinted windows exceeding the legal limit. Upon making the traffic stop, the driver told police that he did not have a driver’s license or registration, but could produce a U.S. passport. He informed the officer that he did not have a registration sticker because his license plate, as a sovereign citizen, is valid across the country.

Police explained that he needs to have his vehicle registered with a state. The driver, a resident of Coventry, Rhode Island, informed police that he had turned in his Rhode Island license plate to the registry of motor vehicles because he is a “private traveler” and no police department has jurisdiction over him.

Police informed the man that in Massachusetts, a valid driver’s license and valid registered license plate is required. Two additional police officers were summoned to help assist the arrest of the man. Upon arriving at the police station, he refused to sign any of the routine booking forms.

Police charged him with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, driving an uninsured and unregistered motor vehicle, illegal window tint, a license plate violation and uttering a false registration plate (displaying a fake license plate).

Sunday, June 1st

Motor Vehicle Break-In on University Avenue

9:51 a.m. A Target employee who resides in Bristol, Connecticut complained of vandalism on his car when he found his 2022 Kia Forte in the shopping plaza parking lot with its rear passenger window broken. Nothing from the car appeared to have been stolen. Security video showed that around 6 a.m. that day, a small, silver SUV pulled up next to the complainant’s car and a male in dark clothing exited from the passenger side, jiggled the door handle of the Kia, broke the rear glass and left.

Saturday, May 31st

One Thing Leads to Another

12:49 a.m. An officer observed a black, Jeep Cherokee pass by in the area of Washington Street and Clapboardtree Street, and noticed its registration was revoked for lack of insurance as of a few days earlier. Upon performing a query, the officer learned that the owner, a resident of Brookline, had a warrant for his arrest from Attleboro District Court for operating a motor vehicle on a suspended license. Police made the traffic stop and charged the driver with operating a motor vehicle without insurance on a suspended license. Police also made the arrest on the warrant.

Shoplifting at the Self-Checkout

1:35 p.m. Police met with loss prevention staff from the Target store on University Avenue regarding a suspected shoplifter. Staff told police that while at the self-checkout, the suspect scanned some items multiple times while failing to scan other items. Upon being confronted, the suspect said he thought all of the items were the same price, and attempted to leave. Staff stopped him from leaving and determined that he was in possession of $31 worth of unscanned items. No charges were issued but the Roslindale resident was trespassed from the store for one year.

Friday, May 30th

Tax Payment Stolen, Check Washed and Cashed

10:28 a.m. A resident of Harwich Circle reported an apparent case of a washed check. The resident had noticed that her check to the Internal Revenue Service had been cashed, but did not closely check the transaction. Two days later, she noticed that the name on the cashed check was “Jaden Johnson Ward,” instead of the Internal Revenue Service. She does not know any person by that name. The check was cashed for $9,834. Her bank, Eastern Bank, will return the money to her account. She is closing her account and opening a new one.

Furnishing Alcohol to Minors

10:19 p.m. Police were called to a home on Harwich Circle in response to a complaint of loud noise from an apparent juvenile house party. Police arrived to find cars parked on both sides of the street, and multiple people running out of the residence.

Police spoke to the homeowners, who said their son was having friends over for a 17th birthday party. According to the homeowners, they did not approve of underage drinking and did not believe any alcohol was being consumed, but admitted that the party was out of control, with 40 to 50 juveniles in attendance.

Police checked the basement where the juveniles were said to be spending their time, and found several open alcoholic beverage cans and the appearance of an underage drinking party being hosted. The homeowners were charged with furnishing alcohol to persons under the age of 21.

Thursday, May 29th

Subaru Strikes Mailbox in Hit-and-Run

2:31 p.m. A resident of Gay Street reported returning home to find the resident’s mailbox on the ground, lying about 20 feet away from where it used to stand. Tire tracks nearby were seen, leading to an obvious inference that a car had struck the mailbox and driven away. Also on the ground was a wheel arch panel that was identified as belonging to a Subaru vehicle. The incident is believed to have occurred between 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. that day.

Missing Property Marker

2:36 p.m. A resident of Cushing Road reported that a surveyor’s property line marker was missing. She reported that she had four corner lot rods installed in 2019 and one of them is now missing.

Wednesday, May 28th

Vehicle Heads into Oncoming Traffic after Possible Driver’s Medical Episode

2:44 p.m. At the 300 block of High Street, an officer came upon a single car accident, where a vehicle was stopped in the east travel lane, facing west, with air bag deployed. A group of people were standing outside their cars.

Two witnesses told police that they had been travelling in the eastbound lane when they saw the westbound vehicle cross over the center yellow line, and approach eastbound traffic head-on, before it came to a stop. They pulled their vehicles over to assist the driver, who they believed may have suffered a medical incident.

Police arrived to find the driver inside his vehicle, talking to his wife over the car speaker system. Police spoke with the wife who informed police of a serious medical condition for which her husband takes medication. The man, a Westwood resident, was transported to the hospital for evaluation and issued a citation for a marked lanes violation.

Thanks to Lieutenant Michael DiLalla and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this Westwood Minute article.

Updated 6/17/2025 at 9:56 a.m.