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9-03-2025 12:04am
Police Log: Mix-Up in Title Transfer Leads to Vehicle Repossession, Animal Tales, and More
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, August 25th
Identity Theft
1:59 p.m. A resident of Arcadia Road informed police that someone had opened up a Goldman Sachs online savings account in his name. He had received a statement for the account for the period of July 1 through July 31. Since discovering the identity theft, he has closed all of his accounts and alerted the credit reporting companies. He is not aware of any other fraudulent attempts.
Dealership Discovers License Plate Stolen after Receiving E-ZPass Bills
5:20 p.m. Police received a stolen license plate report from the Acura dealership on Providence Highway. The theft was discovered when the manager received an E-ZPass bill for $88, for fines related to a grey Mercedes-Benz with a dealership license plate attached. The manager told police that the vehicle is not a dealership car, but may be associated with an employee who was recently fired for stealing gas from the company.
Complaint over Facebook Marketplace Transaction
9:30 p.m. A resident of Clapboardtree Street asked police to document a disturbing sales transaction on Facebook Marketplace. The resident told police that he had posted a snowmobile for sale for $7,000, and spoken with the buyer who was from Vermont. The buyer -a father and son – traveled to Westwood for the purchase. However, upon returning home, they noticed what looked to them like damage from a prior accident. The Westwood resident received an angry phone call from the father, who allegedly yelled at him about the snowmobile being in an accident. The Westwood resident maintains there has been no accident, but the snowmobile just has many miles on it. He advised the family to take the machine to a mechanic.
Saturday, August 23rd
Phone Stolen from Pickleball Court
7:37 p.m. Police received a complaint from a customer of Life Time fitness club on Harvard Street regarding a stolen cell phone. The complainant had been playing pickleball and left his phone in the area around the pickleball court while he was playing. When he finished playing, the phone was no longer there. It is an iPhone valued at $1,100.
Friday, August 22nd
Privacy Complaint
11:07 a.m. A tenant of a property on Oxford Road complained to police that she had received an email that morning that violated her rights. She noted that at 8:30 a.m., she received an email informing her that a real estate agent, who is not named on her lease, would be coming by to enter the property. The resident, who is a month-to-month renter after her lease expired in July 2025, considered the agent to be trespassing and violating her right to privacy. Police informed the tenant that it is within the landlord’s right to send an agent to manage the property. However, police advised the agent to give the resident written notice before doing so.
Stealing Tires
8:20 p.m. Two officers responded to the Acura dealership on Providence Highway where they found a female and two males loading tires into a white van. A manager told police that the individuals were not given permission to take the tires. In fact, there were signs stating that the area was restricted and warnings that the tires should not be removed. Police noticed that the tires are secured behind an enclosure with a lock, which had been cut.
The female on the scene told police that she is in the tire business and was given permission to take the tires. However, the manager refuted that claim.
The suspects are believed to have removed 10 tires. They were instructed to return them. The suspects, all from the North Shore area of Massachusetts, were trespassed from the location and will be summoned for larceny.
Wednesday, August 20th
Mix-Up in Title Transfer Leads to Vehicle Repossession
10:16 a.m. Police took a walk-in report of a contract worker who reported having his car inexplicably repossessed while he worked a job on Pond Street. The complainant told police that he owns a 2015 Corolla, which has no liens or loans on it, and he produced the vehicle title.
Police investigated and learned that the car was towed away by a vehicle from a recovery towing company from New Hampshire. Police contacted the two company. A manager there informed police that the Corolla belongs to a different person, not the complainant, and the person owed money on the car. The manager believed the car had been illegally sold to the victim, and that the creditor had a right to repossess the car. The manager was aware of the car being titled to a man with a different name, not the victim, through February 2025. The prior owner had failed to pay on the car.
Police learned that the victim had purchased the Corolla in March, and received legal title in April. It appears that the victim had purchased the car out-of-state from the previous owner who had failed to make all his car payments. Due to the missed payments, the car was due to be repossessed, but a lien on the car got lost along the way, and Massachusetts issued what appeared to be a clean title to the current owner. Police consider the victim to be the lawful owner. This case has been referred to the state’s vehicle crimes and auto theft unit.
The manager of the tow company informed police that the vehicle would likely be released back to the victim.
Tuesday, August 19th
Giving Mom a Lift to Pick Up the Kids
3:42 p.m. An officer conducting stationary traffic enforcement in the area of Winter and Clapboardtree streets observed a grey Honda approaching at a high rate of speed. Radar showed the vehicle accelerating from 46 m.p.h to 50 m.p.h. in a 30 m.p.h. zone.
The officer made the traffic stop and discovered that the driver, a woman from Norwood, had a suspended license for failure to pay fines. The woman claimed to be unaware of the suspension.
The officer noted that the Registry of Motor Vehicles’ procedure is to send suspended drivers a notice in the mail. The officer issued the woman a citation, and gave her a courtesy ride to her Norwood destination where she waw headed to pick up her children from school.
Monday, August 18th
Animal Tales
9:19 a.m. The animal control officer responded to a complaint from a resident of Willard Circle who was concerned about a groundhog that was in the resident’s yard, digging near the home’s foundation. The ACO advised the resident to employ bright lights at night, loud noises in the day, and coyote urine around the property’s perimeter and the burrowing area to discourage the groundhog from staying on the property. The ACO also advised the resident to seal up the area under a shed, to avoid wildlife creating a den there.
10:06 a.m. A resident of High Street reported seeing an unhealthy coyote in the neighborhood, and was informing police of the fact. The resident reported using a hose to spray at the coyote to keep it away. The animal control officer confirmed this as a viable tactic.
10:08 a.m. A juvenile residing on Buckmaster Road contacted police about a coyote on the property, of which he thought the animal control officer should be aware. His mother told the ACO that her child was fearful that bunnies might be eaten. The ACO informed the family that the coyote sighting was perfectly normal and assured the juvenile that the bunny population in Westwood may go up and down, but the population is a healthy size.
10:36 a.m. A caller inquired about the safety of allowing the caller’s dog to swim in Buckmaster Pond. The caller informed police that the dog had some health issue that the caller suspected may come from swimming in the pond. The animal control officer informed the caller that usually areas are only tested for bacteria if they are marked for swimming. Buckmaster Pond is not marked for swimming, so no such tests are performed, and swimming is at one’s own risk. The caller was advised to ensure that the dog swims in water marked for swimming.
Thanks to Lieutenant Michael DiLalla and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this Westwood Minute article.
