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7-07-2025 10:28pm
Police Log: Attempt to Break and Enter a Police Car, Pride Signs Taken, and Other Stories
Darlene Cancell
Editor
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.
Monday, June 30th
Domestic Arrest
1:41 a.m. Police received a report from a caller in Westwood who complained of being followed by a girlfriend, after they had argued. Upon investigation, police arrested the suspect based on a domestic related charge. No further information is being provided due to the domestic nature of the arrest, to protect individual privacy.
Sunday, June 29th
Just Taking a Walk
9:39 p.m. Police responded to the area of Pond Street and Martingale Lane after receiving a complaint from a walker who said a man had stepped out and startled the walker. Upon arriving at the scene, police found a man walking near Circuit Road. The man told police that he was walking home to Dover. He had been driving in a car with his wife and children, returning home from a party, and had decided to get out and walk. Police noted he appeared to have consumed alcohol but was not drunk. Police contacted the man’s wife who confirmed his story.
Saturday, June 28th
Search for Missing Plymouth Boy
3:30 p.m. Westwood Police assisted a MetroLEC response to the request from Plymouth Police for help in searching for a missing boy. He had been missing since 8:30 p.m. on the previous day. Westwood Police deployed a drone to help search for four hours. Shortly after the responding officer was cleared from the shift, the boy was found.
Pride Sign May Have Been Stolen by Teens
5:45 p.m. A resident of Phillips Brooks Road contacted police regarding the recent theft of pride signs from the lawns of homes in Westwood. The resident told police that a neighbor informed her that two teenagers took her pride sign. She was making police aware of what she had been told.
Friday, June 27th
Arrest and Violation of Hands-Free Law
9:40 a.m. An officer conducting stationary traffic enforcement spotted a driver of a black, Toyota sedan who appeared to be talking on his cell phone. He initiated the traffic stop and discovered that the vehicle’s license plate had been cancelled and a plate belonging to another car was attached. Also, the man's driver’s license had been revoked many years ago. The officer arrested the driver, a man from Walpole, for operating a motor vehicle after suspension, subsequent offense; attaching plates; and violation of the hands-free law.
Threatening Phone Call
12:39 p.m. Police received a complaint from Birch Tree Drive regarding threats being made. The resident told police that someone had called her two days earlier, saying things like, “I am coming after you,” and “I will take you down.” The caller ID provided no phone number or caller name, but the complainant believes the caller may be a work colleague.
Police noted no crime had been committed and advised the woman to inform the human resources department at her place of employment, with which she was agreeable.
One Thing Leads to Another…and an Arrest
5:54 p.m. While traveling east on Canton Street near University Avenue, an officer observed a vehicle make a left turn on a red light. The officer made the traffic stop and learned that the driver had no license in his possession. Additionally, the driver, a resident of West Roxbury, had two active warrants for his arrest for failing to appear in Newton District Court on a charge of larceny and from East Boston District Court for driving after license suspension. Police arrested the driver on the two warrants and for the suspended license.
Thursday, June 26th
Residents Returns from Vacation to Find Pride Sign Missing
5:02 p.m. A resident of Pond Street reported that his pride sign was missing after he returned from vacation. He had last seen it 12 days earlier.
Wednesday, June 25th
Pride Sign Taken
1:03 p.m. A resident of School Street reported that a pride sign was stolen from the resident’s yard. She had noted it missing a number of days earlier, on June 20th.
Colorful Character
3:00 p.m. Police received a complaint that a female was walking her dog, on Deerfield Avenue in the direction of the public library, while drinking alcohol. Police responded but did not find anyone matching the description.
Tuesday, June 24th
Missing Medway Man is Found
12:30 p.m. Westwood Police assisted in a MetroLEC response in the search for a 75 year-old man who had wandered away from his Medway home. Medway Police received a report from the man’s family member at 11:45 a.m. and the added information that the missing man suffers from dementia.
MetroLEC resources were activated when Medway Police were unsuccessful in their initial search. Along with police from Westwood, police from Mansfield, Bellingham, Holliston, and Franklin joined the search. Drones, K9 units, tactical bike patrol units, a UTV and regional search units were deployed.
Shortly after 2:00 p.m., the man was found, unconscious, in a wooded area behind a residence located about 7 miles from his home. He was treated and transported to the hospital.
Arrest of Repeat Shoplifter
4:35 p.m. Police responded to Nordstrom Rack on University Avenue for a shoplifting in progress. An employee reported that a short female, known to staff as a shoplifter, was in the store in violation of a past trespass notice. She was also believed to have placed sunglasses from the store in her purse. As the employee spoke with police, the suspect walked out of the store. However, police escorted her back to the store and the stolen items were retrieved.
After initially providing police with a false name, police positively identified the woman, a 39 year-old from Boston. She had two warrants out for her arrest for larceny over $1,200. Police determined that in this case, she had taken items worth hundreds of dollars, including three pairs of sunglasses. Police charged her with shoplifting by concealing merchandise, third offense, and also charged her for trespassing.
Westwood Resident Arrested after Attempting to Break and Enter Police Cruiser
10:14 p.m. Police observed two young persons, who appeared to be underage, drinking in the driveway of a house on Pond Street. The youths, upon seeing police, threw their cans in the car and entered the car.
Police investigated, and learned that the residents were hosting a pool party and the youths were 21. The homeowner, an adult female, appeared inebriated. Police investigated to learn whether there were any underage drinkers in the house. They found seven.
Police also received multiple calls, about half an hour after arriving, regarding young people at the party who were reportedly throwing things into a neighbor’s yard and shouting obscenities. It appears that the 19 year-old daughter of the homeowner, together with her mother, had cooperated to grab their neighbor’s phone, as he was filming the dispute. They threw it into their pool.
Additionally, police found that another young resident of the house trying to access the police vehicle.
Police charged the mother and daughter with four counts: disorderly conduct, vandalism, intimidating a witness (for throwing the neighbor’s cell phone away), and assault and battery (for hitting the phone out of the neighbor’s hand). They will be summoned to court to face charges.
Police arrested the young resident, charging him with disorderly conduct, attempting to break and enter a marked cruiser, and possessing liquor while being under the age of 21.
Monday, June 23rd
Scraping by in Parking Lot
12:02 p.m. A member of Life Time fitness club on Harvard Street reported that while parked outside the business, his car was damaged. He had parked next to a white SUV, and when he returned to his car, the SUV was no longer there, but his car exhibited damage to the driver’s side and rear passenger door. It appears that the white SUV may have scraped the side of the man’s 2010 BMW while the SUV was backing out of its parking spot.
Thanks to Lieutenant Michael DiLalla and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this Westwood Minute article.
Updated 7/8/2025 at 10:29 a.m.
